By Joanna Miller, Change Management Consultant
People Power: The Missing Link in Green Building Success
On a balmy summer evening at the Waterfront last month, I had the honour of being the guest speaker at the GBCSA Members Connect event. The stage was perfectly set for our theme by our host AngelShack’s beautiful office. As one of their employees said, the space is so welcoming and inviting—a fitting backdrop for a conversation about how people experience green buildings.
We were exploring a simple but powerful question: Should we engage the occupants of green buildings?
As a change management consultant, I brought my understanding of how to support people through any change process into this conversation. It’s one thing to create a high-performing green building—but if people don’t understand how to use or value it, the full impact can be lost.
Designing for People—But Not with Them?
The group of 50 or so members brought a wealth of knowledge—from sustainability, engineering, architecture, and design to academia and government. We acknowledged that a great deal of energy goes into designing buildings with the occupant in mind, focusing on:
- Air quality
- Noise
- Temperature
- Lighting
- Ergonomics and layout
- Biophilic design and views
- Access to amenities
But too often, the people themselves—the ones expected to thrive in these spaces—are left out of the process.
We Asked: What Would it Look Like to Involve Them?
Together, we explored ways to meaningfully engage occupants and include them as active participants in the building’s success. Here are some of the ideas that resonated:
- Involve Early – Ask occupants what they need to be productive before the space is finalised.
- Communicate Clearly and Often – Share goals, progress and real-time metrics (like UCT’s Hasso Plattner School of Design Thinking Afrika does with their real-time green building metrics display in their lobby).
- Make Information Accessible – Signage, posters, digital boards—keep it simple and jargon-free.
- Green Onboarding – Introduce new employees to how the space works and what it stands for.
- Host Building Tours – Build excitement and appreciation for the design story.
- Appoint Green Champions – Recruit volunteers from all levels to advocate and co-create.
- Gamify and Incentivise – Recognise or reward sustainable behaviours.
- Link to Values – Connect the building’s purpose to the company’s mission and culture.
Green Buildings Don’t Work Without the People in Them
If we want green buildings to perform as intended—meeting sustainability goals and supporting wellbeing—we need to bring people along on the journey. Engaged occupants don’t just support the building’s systems—they amplify them. And that’s where real, lasting change happens.
Joanna Miller is an experienced change management consultant based in Cape Town. With a degree in Business Science Organisational Psychology, she has extensive expertise in engaging occupants around workplace change and has applied this in multinationals across the US, UK, Asia and South Africa. With a keen interest in sustainability, Joanna applies her change management skillset to support businesses gain the greatest value from their people while creating more engaging workplaces.
