The Strategic Business Case

THE MARIS METHODOLOGY:

FROM COMPLIANCE TO VALUE DRIVER

At Maris Interiors we reframe the sustainability conversation using our integrated insight framework. We do not approach a sustainable fit-out as a simple compliance exercise or an aesthetic upgrade. Instead, we calculate your true Return on Workplace Investment (ROWI) using a strict three-step protocol:

1. Empirical Discovery:

We do not design for a hypothetical 100% daily attendance. We deploy anonymised occupancy sensors to gather hard data on your actual peak hybrid usage. By understanding the precise operational footprint, we right-size the portfolio trading underutilised desk farms for high performance zones.

2. The ‘Stay vs. Go’ Optioneering:

We combine spatial data with rigorous Whole Life Carbon Assessments (WLCA). Evaluate the embodied carbon of existing materials and prove with hard data whether refurbishing your existing shell saves more capital and carbon than relocating.

3. Strict Procurement Hierarchies:

When new materials are necessary, we enforce strict sustainable sourcing criteria. We rely exclusively on Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). Rather than generic industry averages specifying FSC timber and low-VOC paints to protect indoor air quality.

THE CFO’S CORNER:

Authorising capital expenditure for a sustainable fit-out is no longer a philanthropic exercise; it is a strict exercise in risk mitigation and measurable ROI. The financial math of modern real estate relies heavily on the “1-9-90 rule,” highlighted by the World Green Building Council. In a typical corporate budget, energy accounts for 1% of costs, rent accounts for 9% and staff salaries consume a massive 90%. Therefore, any physical design flaw that actively damages human output is a severe financial liability.

With Oxford Economics calculating the average cost to replace a single employee at £30,000, a poor, unsustainable work environment that drives a 15% attrition rate in a 100-person firm will bleed £450,000 annually. A strategic, highly sustainable fit-out mitigates this risk directly by providing an environment that elite talent actively wants to inhabit, turning real estate into a powerful talent retention mechanism.

MARIS TOOLS:

THE EXECUTIVE DIAGNOSTIC TOOLKIT

When reviewing a tender or setting your internal budget, check if the following items are included. These are the most common hidden costs that cause overruns.

• If you are struggling to justify the CapEx:
  We deploy the ROWI Checklist.
  This data collection matrix calculates your current energy baseline, recruitment churn cost and maintenance bleed to definitively prove the Return on Workplace Investment.
• If your teams are complaining about the office:
  We deploy the Friction Audit.
  This anonymous diagnostic survey maps departmental bottlenecks and physical barriers, pinpointing exactly what environmental factors are slowing your teams down.
• If you are unsure whether to renew your lease:
  We deploy the Stay vs. Go Scorecard.
  A rigorous quantitative framework evaluating location access, spatial capacity, infrastructure and ESG potential to determine if a deep retrofit yields a higher return than a full relocation.