Regenerating Country through sustainable office design and construction

Perth government workplace. Photo: Carla Atley

This article was originally published in FM Media on 8/10/24.

As the design and construction industry becomes more aware of its environmental footprint, the need for sustainable solutions becomes more urgent. 

Facility Management hears from representatives at Indigenous-owned office specialists CoDesign + Sheldon on how the company is forging a path towards sustainable fitouts that do not cost the earth and embrace co-designing and collaborating with Country. 

An estimated 20 to 50 percent of carbon emissions from commercial buildings are caused by refurbishment works across the lifetime of the asset. This directly impacts the land, waters and species of the Country on which a workplace is built. 

CoDesign + Sheldon CEO and Wiradjuri man Richard Swain underscores the need to unlock design as a vessel to heal Country. 

“Our work is to change the building industry to be environmentally friendly and sustainable,” he says. “To heal Country, restore species and landscapes.”

CoDesign + Sheldon provides corporate and government clients with fitouts that support their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and Indigenous procurement aims, noted through turnkey office fitout solutions that contain internal divisions of interior design, project management, construction, furniture and joinery manufacturing and electrical and AV. 

As an Indigenous ambassador for the Invasive Species Council – a company which works to curb the devastating influence of invasive species across Australia –  and with a trade background in carpentry and office fitouts, Swain understands the impact building waste has on the environment. 

He is also involved with the Yambulla Project, an initiative based on Yuin Country that pioneers new models of shared land ownership, bush regeneration and traditional Indigenous product harvesting.

Swain’s engagement with these initiatives, in addition to his environmental expertise and guidance, acutely informs how CoDesign + Sheldon approaches projects. 

A circular economy approach to design and construction

Swain confirms that CoDesign + Sheldon are leaders in the circular economy. 

“From our design team to furniture and joinery manufacturing, we are striving to do better for the environment in every angle we can,” he says. “It’s a journey we take seriously. I think that’s where we all need to consider how to move forward,” he says.

Fitout projects that employ these tactics are already underway and completed across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. 

CoDesign + Sheldon design director Roxane Kourakis speaks to the need to employ an approach that serves the circular economy. 

“The biggest impact to make the project lifecycle more circular is in the design phase,” she says. 

“Our workplace strategist and design team educate clients on options to reduce the environmental impact, including opportunities for adaptive reuse of existing materials in good condition, modular furniture and joinery that can be disassembled.”

CoDesign + Sheldon uses tools to measure the carbon emissions of fitouts, which calculate the embodied carbon implications of construction materials. “Another important consideration is the reduction of waste. We have very tight processes with our recycling, from on-site to our manufacturing facility on the Central Coast,” says Kourakis.

This approach is not in isolation – the introduction of the federal government’s Environmentally Sustainable Procurement Policy for the construction industry indicates a tightening of regulations and standards. “We think it’s going to have a big impact on fitouts in the future,” says Kourakis.

Our shared responsibility to heal and regenerate Country

Swain is encouraged by the increasing recognition of the shared responsibility of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians to care for Country, particularly in workplaces.

CoDesign + Sheldon maintains that by sharing knowledge and stories and capitalising on opportunities to co-design with Country, ideas can filter into workplaces and enrich approaches and methodologies.

“Workspaces need to tell the story of Country. They need to connect people to this continent, or wherever you may be,” says Swain.