Ausland Headquarters is Blue Zones Certified

We are proud to announce that our design and construction headquarters in Grants Pass, Oregon is now Blue Zone Certified!  In our pursuit to deliver world-class development, locally scaled, we made a commitment to creating a work environment in which our employees can thrive in all facets of life and in turn better serve our customers.

Blue Zones is an organization that encourages businesses and communities to adopt better lifestyles through healthy choices.

BLUE ZONES IDEOLOGY

The Blue Zones Project highlights areas of our lives, that if improved or implemented, can have a significant result in extending our life expectancy. For discussion and implementation purposes, they have identified four general focus areas; Move Naturally, Right Outlook, Eat Wisely and Connect.

Goals for home life and work life are interconnected – but the ability to implement these practices in a work environment really starts at the top. We are proud to say that our company thrives on providing for ALL of our employees!

IMPLEMENTING THE IDEOLOGY; GETTING CERTIFIED!

Implementing the Blue Zones ideology was a natural step for Ausland Group after designing and building our new headquarters building. Our physical office creates spaces for people to collaborate and encourages movement throughout the day. Our office culture promotes healthy living and personal and professional development. Our hard work ethic and integrated business model relies on the professional and personal relationships that we all make and foster, both inside the office and outside.
Putting our actions into words and becoming certified only made sense! This certification is the inevitable result of calculated moves to bring world class development to a local scale; starting with our own headquarters office located right here in the North West.

AUSLAND GROUP; OUR HEADQUARTERS BUILDING

Can a building really help us live healthier lives?
We encourage natural movement throughout the day by incorporating sit-stand desks into all of our workstations. We reduced the number of garbage cans throughout the office and located them away from workstations to encourage additional and frequent walking. Gym memberships are provided for all employees.

Ergonomic workstations provide ultimate flexibility and movement as we work. Flexible and adjustable chairs, sit-stand desks, monitors on arms and keyboard trays allow for free movement.

Healthy eating habits are encouraged by providing healthy snacks rather than sugary and fake ones to keep our team fueled and focused.

Professional development opportunities are available to all employees each year to ensure our entire team is feeling fulfilled and purposeful.

Relationship building and team comradery is fostered through the design and use of:

• An open work plan encourages interdisciplinary coordination, learning through mentorship and relationship building.
• Collaboration spaces are built into all areas of the building; from the CEO office to the open work spaces. You can find multi-functional, standing collaboration spaces everywhere.
• Flexible conference rooms encourage collaboration and movement. Each is equipped with electronics that allow instant connection to a laptop, projection onto a wall, movable white boards and tack boards that can be interchanged throughout the office.

The indoor light quality is designed to mimic a bright day outside. For the most invigorating and efficient working environment, bright white light is key. By utilizing the emerging technology of LED lights, we specified a lumen level that allows people to really see as well as energize the mood and keep people awake. In addition, the only two enclosed offices in the building host color changing lights. The color of the fixture can be changed manually to reflect the users wishes or set on a timer to emulate the naturally occurring light levels outside.

The importance of views to daylight & the natural environment has long been studied and is proven to improve all functions of a person; from body health to productivity. Each workstation throughout the office has views to daylight and can see greenery through the windows.

Taking this one step further, outdoor spaces were created so that our sense of place and belonging extended outside into the natural world. Employee areas outside encourage collaboration, gathering, dining, relaxing and personal quiet time.

And… Our building takes steps to go even further!

Green building is in our DNA. Most sustainable building practices are natural to thoughtful designers, builders see no difference in practical application and they make sense from an owner’s perspective.
• We have an excellent mechanical system with charcoal filters for improved air quality all times of the year. People come to work to escape environmental allergies!
• We love our water bottle filling station that not only encourages us to drink more water throughout the day but has eliminated disposable bottles from our office.
• Our touchless low-flow toilets are not only techy and fun, but they save gallons of water each day.
• Our building shell is well insulated, so we are cool in the summer and warm in the winter.