Sustainability Street: Why Heat Is a Business Risk
CPE Executive Editor Therese Fitzgerald discusses the impacts of global warming on the workplace with Savills Vice Chair Katrina Kostic Samen.
Welcome back to Sustainability Street, our podcast on the intersection of commercial real estate and the world we live in.
My guest for this episode is Savills Vice Chair Katrina Kostic Samen, who heads the company’s Workplace Studio. She and I discuss “Heat and Humanity: Protecting People and Building a Resilient Future,” a white paper that she co-wrote with Jose Ramirez, who co-leads Savills Human Capital Solutions group.
The white paper examines the impacts of global warming on workplaces, particularly office buildings, and on occupant behavior. And it highlights examples of buildings whose owners are facing the crisis head-on with their adaption strategies.
“It’s not just a comfort issue,” Samen said. “It’s a critical business risk if our people are not performing, and if they’re making mistakes. And so that’s really, ultimately, what I want to make sure that we bring back to the table.”
Samen has a global view of workplace design trends, and her insights are unique and thought-provoking. Here are the key topics our conversation covered:
- (1:24) Workplace design guru
- (3:16) A new era for workplace design
- (4:26) Why AC is not the solution
- (7:34) The mental impacts of heat
- (9:40) Aligning with sustainability goals
- (12:44) What can employers, owners do
- (18:28) What the U.S. can learn from the world
- (25:10) Samen’s call to action
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