What is a smart building?
Should you invest in sensor technology? What exactly is a smart building, and how should you get started? Our answer: begin with the needs of your company and your employees. While there are many definitions out there, a smart building is first and foremost a personal story. A building is only truly smart when it works for your organization — not the other way around. We’d be happy to show you how smart technology can support your facility management challenges. Let’s get digital!
From WiFi-based workplace occupancy…
Has your company already embraced a hybrid way of working? Now that organizations are no longer utilizing their workspaces at full capacity, many are rethinking their office layouts. Static desks are giving way to informal workspaces like meeting corners and flexible desks. However, this transformation can also lead to desk-claiming behavior, where employees unnecessarily occupy a workstation for fear of not finding one later—after a meeting, for example. Often, the issue isn’t really a lack of capacity.
To gain clear insights into which desks are occupied or available, many companies rely on workplace occupancy systems. These systems help measure occupancy rates and identify peak usage times. The most common method involves using sensors attached directly to desks. To also monitor informal workspaces, we recommend WiFi-based workplace occupancy solutions. This technology accurately analyzes and tracks activity levels based on WiFi signals. Additionally, the collected data can be used to plan maintenance and other facility services more efficiently.
Toward data-driven facility management
Lighting, heating, ventilation, and your entire IT infrastructure are essential to your operations—but they can also be major cost drivers if managed inefficiently. Take, for example, the last person leaving the office forgetting to turn off the heating. To ensure your employees work comfortably, cost-effectively, and sustainably, you need to turn them into customers of your building.
You may not realize it, but your building already collects a massive amount of data daily. Sensors on elevators, sun blinds, and other equipment are connected to your central network. The key to creating an energy-efficient and comfortable workplace is already within reach. With the right measurement tools and facility management systems, you can capture this data and use it to actively optimize your infrastructure.
All the way to one user-friendly facility app
Of course, a smart building is about more than just workplace and energy management. Mobility, food services, cleaning, and other facility-related operations can also be optimized through smart technology. And your employees and customers—as users—play a central role in that process. The key question is: how do you make these services user-friendly and personal? Because technology should never come at the expense of people-centered facility management. You can bundle all of these needs into a single, customized facility app.
Here’s an example: Account manager Jan arrives at the office in his electric vehicle and sees all charging stations are in use. He logs into his facility app and requests a notification as soon as one becomes available. While doing this, his app also tells him it’s his colleague Sonja’s birthday and that there’s a team moment at 1:30 PM in meeting room X. Jan checks where a free flex desk is available and starts his workday. He makes client calls, schedules meetings, and books a meeting room through the app. Meanwhile, he receives a message that a charging station is now available. After two hours of charging, his app notifies him that his car is fully charged, and he leaves the office. The WiFi-based workplace occupancy system automatically registers that the desk has become available again.
Curious about what a smart building could mean for your company? Let’s meet!
