Smart buildings — Important features to consider for your smart office
When you hear words like modern office, smart office, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it office spaces with ample lighting? Contemporary furniture, or do you automatically think about technologically enabled office spaces? Today’s modern office is much more than the physical environment. Intelligent technologies have integrated the needs of office occupants and improved how employees interact with office spaces.
Why should you consider going smart?
Investing in smart office technology will not only save you expenses in the long term, but time as well. The old saying, “time is money” is more relevant today than ever before. Technological advancements continue to happen at a rapid speed, demanding most of our time and attention. If we really want to continue to stay relevant as businesses and as professionals in our various fields, it’s our duty to catch up and stay ‘on top’ of things.
This means that it’s prudent to pay attention to what a smart office ought to look like and some of the features that can be beneficial to us. It’s important to determine technologies that would be of great benefit to your office. Determining your goals for your return on investment, creating a comfortable environment for everyone who passes through your door.
Recommended smart technologies for your office space
Smart and connected lighting
Whenever any company starts to seriously consider smart technologies, the very first thing they go for is smart lighting. This is because smart lighting has the potential of reducing energy costs by up to 80% or more.
Smart lighting consists of five features; connectivity, LED lighting, analytics, IoT sensors and controls, and intelligence.
Connectivity, analytics and intelligence will give the next generation even more control, as users can be able to control light intensity, and even adjust lighting color. Some LED smart bulbs also have the capability to dim. They can also be controlled from anywhere.
Video monitoring
Security has always been a major concern for buildings and business owners in general. However, over the years, many companies have been reaping the fruits of using technology to enhance security around their environs.
Video monitoring has added a level of security to the office. Employees feel safer in their spaces of work. It’s no longer a big deal to stay late in the office and finish up a few tasks. Thanks to the improved security video cameras that have the capability of recording wide angles, impressive zoom features and split screen viewing.
These cameras give owners a great option to monitor using their smartphones wherever they are.
Indoor wayfinding
Though not too popular for small office spaces, indoor wayfinding is a great platform that provides a step by step guide map for visitors to enable them to find their way around the big offices that occupy numerous floors and/or contain numerous spaces.
This prevents employees and office administrators from serving as office tour guides in the office and concentrating on more important tasks.
If you ask any employee who sits closest to the entry of each floor, what their biggest stressor of a day is, it would be people asking for directions.
Smart conference rooms and office desks
If you work in an office setting, you probably experience interruptions by fellow colleagues while in meetings that are held in shared a conference room. Especially if your company only has one conference room.
In a modern office, a smart conference room is built with smart features that improve the meeting process of employees. This kind of a conference can be fitted with intelligent screens outside a conference room that show who is currently using the space, what time they will be done, who is next and however much time they need to use the space.
This is a smart way to minimize annoying interruptions by colleagues and prevent time wasting.
Shared office desks can also be used in a similar fashion while taking advantage of more intelligent features such as adjusting to a standing or sitting employee.
Intelligent climate control
It’s probably impossible for all employees to agree on a temperature range that works for all. However, one can come close using intelligent climate control.
Smart HVAC systems intelligently detect usage patterns within the office and automatically regulate temperature accordingly.
The ever-changing modern office
Modern offices will continue becoming smarter and smarter over time. Here at Sahihi Interior Builders, our goal is to keep our clients informed on the most cost effective and efficient, smart technological add-ons to consider when designing their office layout.
Smart office features may seem tedious, time consuming or costly to implement, but they surely do save you and your employees time, and a few headaches here and there.
