Efficiency, connectivity and sustainability, all together in one space

For Sanofi, understanding and anticipating health trends and changes in society are key factors in fulfilling its mission. This means comprehending and transforming global challenges into innovative solutions. It was with this vision that in September 2017 Sanofi moved its address to a new office, reinforcing its commitment to the environment and well-being of its employees. The new space occupies 9 floors of Torre Sucupira, located in São Paulo City and has several resources to facilitate the daily life of 1,700 employees.

The CTE Sustainability Unit has offered LEED® Certification Consulting and Commissioning services, resulting in LEED Platinum for Commercial Interiors (CI) certification, which assesses the environmental performance of a building throughout its life cycle, from construction to final details. 

The project

CTE’s participation in Sanofi’s new office took place since the beginning of the project, providing the implementation of various technological and architectural solutions for the construction of a healthy and efficient space. With the challenge of working with just-in-time client consulting, during the 3 months of the project, CTE generated zero impact on the initial schedule, while ensuring compliance with the company’s international guidelines and LEED Platinum certification.

The construction of the new space has been designed from the conception of the building to the benefits offered in everyday work, with global standard solutions for efficiency, connectivity and sustainability. Sanofi’s goal was to reinforce its commitment and concern for sustainability, in addition to earning LEED Platinum certification, which attests to the implementation and development of spaces with low environmental impact that promote health and quality of its different publics.

Project Results

Choice of location: 

The new office was chosen in a LEED Gold-certified building with solutions that minimize environmental impact.

Rational use of water: 

Reduction of 78% in potable water consumption with the use of low consumption sanitary devices such as vacuum flushing systems, flow controlled faucets and reused water in toilets and urinals.

Low energy consumption: 

35% reduction in annual energy consumption with proper sizing and zoning of the air conditioning system, installation of LED lamps in 100% of the office and system controllability with presence and light sensors in densely populated areas.

In addition, more than 90% of the office equipment is high performance equipmente and Energy Star certified.

Employee Well-Being:

The layout follows biophilia’s assumptions (having more plants and natural lighting), which provide a greater sense of well-being and stimulate the creativity of the occupants.

In a survey conducted directly by Sanofi, 91% of employees were satisfied after the change. Previously, the satisfaction number was 54% – an increase of 37 percentage points.

Regarding the environment and layout, 72% of employees were favorable as compared to 17% identified in the previous survey. Changes in the work structure with flexible stations and spaces for collaboration, concentration and privacy, pleased 68% of the company’s employees, as compared to 22% in the previous survey (Revista Infra, 2018).

Air Quality and Environment: 

Indoor air quality reduces workers’ health and absenteeism costs by 0.8% to 1.3%, in addition to increasing productivity by 3 to 18%. The VRF (Variable Refrigerator Flow) HVAC system in the new office allows zoning and conditioning of environments, providing greater comfort to employees.

Materials:

100% of the adhesives and sealants used in the work have low emission of Volatile Organic Compounds.

Waste: 

82% of construction materials were destined for recycling and only 18% for the landfill.