On average, employees spend around 3,507 days of their lifetime at work.
Luckily, office spaces are increasingly reflective of this fact. Gone are the days of bland desk-filled and poorly ventilated rooms where everyone spent the majority of the day sat at their table. Traditional layouts are being replaced by modern dynamic alternatives which promote cooperation, creativity and knowledge sharing – all while striving to improve the well-being of employees.
With the emergence of smart building solutions, fulfilling these ambitions has become easier than ever. Through optimizing aspects such as air quality, thermal comfort or occupancy, they make offices more convenient to use and more comfortable to spend time in. This not only improves the overall satisfaction of employees, but consequently also their productivity, all while ensuring more efficient and sustainable usage of the office buildings in question.
Healthy environment for employees is more important yet easier than ever
Smart technologies can play a significant role in addressing the challenges outlined by the COVID-19 pandemics. Smart buildings allow for features such as flexible occupancy management, top-notch ventilation, optimal humidity at all times or minimal number of touchpoints – just a few of many qualities that are fundamental for office buildings meeting the health, safety and hygiene demands of today.
That being secured, it is not only the workers who benefit, but also the employers. Research has shown that keeping a building’s humidity between 40% and 60% can reduce transmission of cold and flu viruses by up to 70%. Another study concluded that high levels of CO2 in buildings cause a 23% deceleration in decision-making and an 11% decrease in productivity. Optimizing air quality is therefore essential for companies to thrive but can also prove difficult especially in older buildings. Fortunately, there are smart building solutions for that. Through monitoring air quality together with occupancy, they are capable of correspondingly adjusting ventilation, air filtration and heating so as to provide a stable and healthy environment.
Another attribute to take into account is lighting. Reduced exposure to natural light causes headaches, fatigues and can even induce sleeping disorders. Smart lighting systems address this, automatically adjusting the colors and brightness levels to imitate natural light conditions. Furthermore, such systems can also ensure that only spaces where there are people are illuminated, making the traditional scenario of half-empty yet fully lit office obsolete.
Why spend more? Smart solutions allow for effective use of office space
Speaking of office occupancy, with real estate prices soaring and the average usage of offices decreasing due to COVID-19 pandemics, companies need to rethink how to distribute space for their workers more efficiently. A report looking into desk-usage in selected London offices showed that on average only 48% of places are being used, effectively meaning that the respective companies paid for double the space they actually needed.
Smart buildings provide innovative ways to manage the allocation of spaces in line with latest trends in employee mobility. For example, when an employee is approaching the building, his smartphone connects to its interface, checks their calendar and then automatically allocates him workspaces and meeting rooms for the day. The companies can then access the occupancy data, look into how particular spaces are being used, and then further optimize their offices to better suit their as well as their employees’ needs.
Smart buildings boost your workplace productivity
All in all, there is substantial evidence that providing healthier environment to workers can help increase their productivity and reduce the number of health-related absence. Smart solutions can help facilitate and maintain such conditions hand in hand with reflecting the latest trends in office design and usage. Furthermore, they also contribute to simplifying the management of office buildings, making them more efficient and therefore reducing operational costs for property managers.
Incorporating smart solutions into your building might sound expensive and complicated, but it is not necessarily the case. The initial costs often quickly pay off thanks to reduced operational costs and the increase in real-estate value. As for their complexity, modern solutions are actually often designed in ways which require zero to none user engagement.
Make your building more comfortable and efficient with DeltaQ
DeltaQ represents the best of both worlds. Our innovative solution for managing HVAC systems of commercial buildings puts together data on temperature, air quality, weather forecast and occupancy, which it then uses to adjust heating, air-conditioning and ventilation to provide a comfortable and healthy environment throughout the whole day. Through self-learning algorithms, it learns about particularities such as thermal loss or air circulation of each given building, securing maximum efficiency and ultimately reducing operational costs by up to 40%.
The implementation only takes installing a small DeltaQ gateway which then connects to the building’s BMS network. The facility management can naturally adjust whatever they need, but besides that, DeltaQ requires almost no interaction. Sounds interesting? Reach out to us and our team will gladly take care of all preparatory works, installation, and initial training of the building staff.
