Intelligent Office Buildings: the Smart Office
When the office thinks for itself: What constitutes a building’s intelligence and how does it change daily work life today and in the future?
55% of respondents who have been working with smart technologies for some time state that the use of digital technologies is beneficial for customer and employee interaction.
Studies on this topic are proliferating. And rightly so, as new technologies are transforming the world of work at a rapid pace. For years, our research partner Fraunhofer IAO has published countless articles that track and analyze this progress step by step.
By 2025, the benefits of digitalization will undoubtedly be beyond question. The word “smart” is firmly embedded in our language and constantly finds new areas to attach itself to. From mobile phone seamlessly to the office. But what exactly is a “Smart Office” and how does a building think for itself?
Application of Intelligent Technologies
In this case, “smart” refers to systems that are interconnected throughout the entire building. These technical elements can be door panels, light switches, or even sit-stand desks that remember their users’ preferences. The goal of a smart building is to address the needs of customers and employees and provide them with an ideal working environment in the office or remotely from home (we have already covered the topic of home office in this blog post: Home Office Equipment).
The individual systems record, store, and share information with each other to create individual experiences.
Smart Offices encompass both closed and open space elements and unite them. The building thus embodies a holistic concept that is no longer limited to a showroom.
And Smart Offices are highly flexible, allowing workstations, for example, to be booked online and individually configured. They support every experience that customers and employees have with a company. Thus, apps significantly facilitate their way into and within the building. Appointments, parking spaces, and even canteen meals can be easily booked via mobile phone.
In addition to personal needs, Smart Office technology also plays an increasingly important role in security. Intelligent sensor technology, among other things, measures heat signatures in the office and can thus draw attention to specific hygiene regulations. In dangerous situations, they control smoke detectors and ventilation and can independently alert authorities. Area usage can also be remotely controlled via this sensor technology, thereby denying access to unauthorized persons.
Smart technologies are equally beneficial in the area of sustainability. For example: Thanks to the aforementioned heat signatures and presence detectors, intelligent technologies control lighting, which is automatically switched off in empty rooms.
Heating and air conditioning systems can also be controlled by smart technology and adapted to room conditions. This enables enormous cost savings.
The Cube – Berlin. Europe’s most intelligent building. Its digital infrastructure is state-of-the-art, corresponding to the current level of intelligent technologies.
Intelligent Planning in the Context of People, Building, and Technology
There are numerous areas in which smart technologies can support and facilitate daily work. However, the success of a smart office and its functions depends on intelligent planning.
It must embody a company’s concept – therefore, quality remains the main factor. Intelligent technologies must primarily be adapted to the needs of employees, as technical systems derive the data intended to simplify daily life from them. Companies that work with new technologies and wish to advance into a digital age must first define their “digital culture”. What truly makes sense? Smart Offices also change internal communication. Transparency must prevail, and it must be made clearly understandable how and why intelligent systems are used. People and technology work together more closely than ever before, and this brings with it several challenges.
An important point here is, of course, data protection. Companies should therefore always ensure they work with trustworthy and, above all, certified partners.
Smart Offices: Increasing Demand
User demand for office spaces has changed significantly over the years. Many employees desire flexible and responsive workplaces. Therefore, the demand for properties with advanced digital infrastructure is increasing. In times like these, we are constantly reminded of the importance of flexibility in daily work, and intelligent technologies are an enormous help in this regard.
A workplace that can be adapted to personal needs fosters creativity and, above all, productivity. Studies also show that the era of skepticism towards new technologies is long over. Younger generations, in particular, are very open to digitalization and desire flexible workplaces.
The office is increasingly evolving into an experiential hub where communication and interaction play the most significant roles.
