The demands on office properties are undergoing a fundamental transformation. Alongside traditional criteria such as location, rental costs, and space efficiency, the ability of a property to ensure a productive work environment, even under the predicted climatic conditions of the coming years, is gaining importance. This does not solely involve cooling, as a temperature-controlled office with inadequate air quality still represents a suboptimal workplace. The crucial factor, therefore, is the integrated interplay of temperature management, fresh air supply, and intelligent building technology.
The economic relevance of this development is illustrated by a current Prognos analysis: a single day with temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius or more generates national economic costs of approximately EUR 431 million. Around 97 per cent of this is attributable to productivity losses. Heat has thus evolved from a mere weather phenomenon into a relevant economic and location factor. However, temperature alone is just one aspect. On hot days, it is advisable to keep windows closed to prevent hot outside air from entering. If an office only has cooling without sufficient fresh air supply, this results in a dilemma: the temperature is adequate, but the air quality is not.
Cognitive Performance and CO2 Concentration
Studies by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health prove that elevated CO₂ concentrations can impair cognitive performance. While outside air has a CO₂ content of approximately 420 ppm, values in poorly ventilated, heavily occupied offices can rise to over 2,000 ppm within a few hours. Negative effects on concentration and decision-making can become apparent from as little as approximately 1,000 ppm. For companies, this means that cooled air does not necessarily imply high air quality. Creating productive working conditions requires a combined consideration of cooling and air exchange.
From the perspective of many employees, the office should primarily enable concentrated work. A YouGov study on the “Office of the Future,” commissioned by Angermann Real Estate Group, confirms this: 53 per cent of employees primarily see the office as a place for focused work. While in the past, rental price, space efficiency, or transport links were paramount in location decisions, the crucial question in the future will be whether a property can offer consistently good working conditions, even under increasingly hot climatic conditions. Modern building technology therefore includes intelligent sun protection, energy-efficient cooling, and demand-oriented fresh air supply, alongside digital infrastructure or AI applications. 51 per cent of respondents to the YouGov study desire technological modernisation of their workplace, which includes intelligent building technology. For 45 per cent, this would be a relevant factor for returning to the office more frequently.
Various technical solutions are available for this. Heating and cooling ceiling panels with integrated ventilation can temper rooms via radiation while simultaneously supplying controlled fresh air. Unlike conventional air conditioning systems, this does not generate permanent draughts. Modern systems allow for zone-specific control, which enables adaptation to the changing occupancy of hybrid offices. In combination with heat pumps, these systems can be operated energy-efficiently.
Indoor Climate as a Decision Criterion in Lease Agreements
The climate resilience of a property is gaining increasing importance. Focusing exclusively on rental price or space efficiency is insufficient. The central question is rather whether a property will still enable productive work – with pleasant temperatures and high air quality – in the coming five or ten years, or whether it will become a competitive disadvantage. This consideration should also be incorporated into contract negotiations. Long-term leases, in particular, offer the opportunity to legally fix requirements for indoor quality and building technology. This includes regulations on cooling and ventilation technology, maintenance and building automation, potential retrofitting, and the distribution of responsibilities between owner and tenant.
Before leasing or extending a contract, companies should pay particular attention to the following points:
- —Check the building for heat suitability and air quality: Not only cooling capacity, but also fresh air supply with closed windows and the development of temperature and air quality with high occupancy should be considered.
- —Conceptually link cooling and ventilation: A cooled room is not automatically an optimal workplace. Future-proof concepts integrate shading, energy-efficient cooling, and controlled air exchange.
- —Ensure flexible building technology: Hybrid working models require flexible control of temperature, fresh air supply, and sun protection in zones and on demand.
- —Contractually secure the indoor climate: In long-term leases, cooling, ventilation, maintenance, building automation, and retrofitting options are just as relevant as rental price and ancillary costs.
- —Choose a future-proof location: Companies should evaluate whether a property can provide consistently good conditions for concentrated work, even during more frequent heatwaves.
Those who comprehensively integrate indoor quality into their decisions will remain competitive. The former focus on the square metre price will in future give way to the question of the property that sustainably enables productive work.
