West Bend Mutual Insurance Company Facility Designed for Energy Efficiency

One of the best-documented increases in productivity from “cool design” is West Bend Mutual Insurance Company’s move to a new 150,000-square-foot headquarters near Milwaukee, Wis. A detailed study of productivity in the old building during the 26 weeks before the move and the new building for 24 weeks afterwards found productivity increased 7% when new, energy-friendly work stations were fully functional. The productivity gains were worth at least $364,000, and probably much more. The award-winning design uses a host of energy-saving features, all on a $90 per-square-foot budget. Even in open-office areas, workers have individual control over both temperature and air flow using radiant heaters and vents built directly into their furniture and controlled by a small desktop panel. The same panel controls lighting and white noise that masks nearby sound. The high-tech workstations paid for themselves in under one year, thanks to annual electricity costs 40% lower than the old facility.