Smart Buildings: The Next Frontier. Are You Ready?
As we move further into the digital age, the importance of technology in the workplace is becoming more and more critical to doing business. While already a hot topic, the need for the smart building has skyrocketed as businesses around the world have made the instantaneous switch to remote working and are trying to determine how to reopen their doors in a safe and efficient manner.
So, what exactly is a smart building? While the concept can take on a variety of meanings depending on technological and security-related needs of each workplace, the typical smart building centers around technology aimed at mitigating security risks and data breaches, monitoring population density in public spaces and creating rapid-response communication systems within the facility.
With the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, the need for an efficient technological infrastructure to control the spread of Covid-19 without disrupting vital business efforts has become one of the major challenges for many industries. Smart tech solutions from companies such as Siemens are proving extremely successful in solving these issues.
In the publication How the smart office acts as a team player in crisis management, Siemens indicates that a building is composed of the following components: people, spaces, and infrastructure. Drawing on a 2020 McKinsey study, Siemens highlights the importance of linking as many of these components as possible when developing a high-quality crisis management plan. In doing so, the modern workplace is able to implement rapid-response communication strategies and preventative safety measures crucial in maintaining a safe and efficient work environment..
Rapid-response communication
While a necessity for the general day-to-day operations of a company, timely communication is absolutely critical in effective crisis management. Unfortunately, relying on outdated methods of rapid-response communication, such as email, leaves a lot of room for error and misunderstanding when trying to simultaneously convey immediate information to all employees. Taking advantage of the newer technology, such as smartphone apps, is recommended in being able to quickly and efficiently communicate with all members of an organization without sacrificing precious time signing into a computer and/or email account. These apps serve a variety of purposes that can facilitate all levels of office communication. For example, employee location tracking can be used to locate co-workers within the building for meetings, adhere to social distancing requirements, or even locate a missing worker or active shooter.
Preventative safety measures
In order to continue operations without losing out on time or money, companies need to address how to effectively provide a healthy and safe environment for their workers. Smart building technology makes it easier for businesses to track usage of public spaces, which is useful in determining social distancing regulations within certain areas of the office. In addition, sensor technology can track the number of employees entering and exiting any given space within the building, further aiding in social distancing efforts.
Going back to the concept of a workplace app, smartphone applications allow employees to book a space within the office. This helps cut down on miscommunication that could result in more people operating within a space than is allowed via social distancing. While this may not seem to be that great of an issue, any deviation from Covid-19 protocols creates a risk of not only a Covid-19 outbreak, but the potential for legal action being taken against the company for not adhering to Covid-19 guidelines, as well as lost productivity due to less employees being available to work.
Another common workplace solution to combat the spread of Covid-19 has been thermoregulating technology for monitoring body temperature. While a number of businesses have been using handheld thermometers, these can be inaccurate. Investing in built-in thermoregulating camera technology allows buildings to detect elevated temperatures and store all data for easy review if needed.
In addition to combating the spread of Covid-19 via thermoregulating technology, smart buildings can also take advantage of air quality monitoring technology, as well as contagion mitigation solutions. The ability to remotely control airflow and block off ventilation systems in the case of airborne illness or even airborne terrorism can be critical in lessening the reach of harmful spread. Monitoring technology that tracks movement patterns can be used to identify which spaces are most in-use, allowing for a more aggressive sanitizing schedule in those areas, while touch-free technology prevents the spread of illness and other pathogens transmitted via commonly-used touch points.
The role of the smart building in the modern workplace is crucial to the successful sustainability of an organization. In choosing to implement advanced technology systems, workplaces can create a safe and effective environment for employees and customers, mitigating the risk of crisis or illness.
For more information on smart buildings, visit Siemens’s webpages on smart buildings and the buildings of tomorrow where you download a number of white papers and read more about their technology solutions.
For more information on how to set up your smart building, contact Communication Company at 574.299.0020.
Sources:
“A day in the smart office -- in the new normal.” Siemens, 2020. https://assets.new.siemens.com/siemens/assets/api/uuid:72efffba-5af9-4ebd-a458-beb3c5aadfed/2353-sie-info-smart-office-infographic-corona-en.jpg.
“How the smart office acts as a team player in crisis management.” Siemens, 2020.
“New criteria for a new smart building era.” Siemens, 2020.
“Smart buildings: Helping through and beyond the pandemic.” Siemens, 2020. http://new.siemens.com/global/en/products/buildings/smart-buildings.html.
