Smart Working 2020 Smart Buildings and the Future of Work - WORKTECH Academy
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Smart Working
Smart Buildings and the Future of Work
2020
2 Smart Working
Table of Contents
1. Introduction 3
2. Executive Summary 4
3. The Changing Role of Corporate Real Estate 8
3.1 The Workplace of the Future 8
3.1.1 Treating People with Care 8
3.1.2 Wellness and Amenities 9
3.1.3 Agile Workplaces and Flexible Real Estate 10
4. The Smart Building 14
4.1 The Activ8 Model of Smart Buildings 14
4.2 The Technological Enablers of Smart Buildings 15
4.2.1 The Internet of Things 15
4.2.2 The Internet of Things and Predictive Analytics 16
4.2.3 Intelligent Building Management Systems 16
4.2.4 Open Standards Architecture 17
4.3 Smart Buildings – A Day in the Life 17
5. A Smart Asset 19
5.1 Sustainable Buildings 19
5.2 Actionable Intelligence 22
5.3 Smarter Security 23
6. A Smart Workplace 24
6.1 Data in the Workplace 24
6.2 Enhancing Employee Experience 25
6.3 Smart about Wellness 26
7. Creating a Smart Building 28
7.1 Procurement 28
7.2 Cyber Security 29
7.3 Data Privacy 29
8. Conclusion: 7 Steps to Achieve Smart 30
About Unwork 32
About Schneider Electric 32
References 343
1. Introduction
The way companies work has been transformed over the past
decade as a confluence of new ideas, technological innovation,
new generational cohorts of workers, and major shocks to
the system such as the global banking crash and coronavirus
crisis has upended longstanding approaches to work and the
workplace. Traditional models of workplace design that focused on
cost reduction and efficiency are today being rapidly superseded
by more dynamic, agile models that are designed to increase
health, well-being, and an unprecedented level of flexibility for
remote working.
As the role of the workplace changes, so technological enablers and shows how
do the kinds of buildings that companies smart buildings will transform work, the
look to locate in. More mindful of the workplace and the urban landscape
benefits that particular buildings offer, over the next few years. Furthermore,
firms are increasingly discerning about it lays out a set of practical steps that
the kinds of sites they select. For most developers can follow to realise the
companies, buildings need to provide vision for smart buildings and begin
more than the traditional lease – they drawing occupants away from home-
need to help organisations keep their based work and back to the office.
workforce safe, support business aims,
retain talent, provide amenities and In the aftermath of the coronavirus
energise and inspire their staff. pandemic, the emergence of smart
buildings is set to fundamentally reshape
Smart buildings do all of these things, the way office complexes are designed,
and more. Leveraging cutting-edge built and operated. This report shows
technologies, such as the Internet how developers can position themselves
of Things, Big Data and intelligent to benefit from the changes taking place.
software, smart buildings enhance the
experience of occupants, create more This report was written by the
desirable places to work and, critically, workplace technology team at
help companies to manage people UnWork led by Philip Ross, and
and workflow. In a smart building, developed in partnership with
building systems sustain optimal levels Schneider Electric.
of performance, helping to make them
highly energy efficient; the experience
of building users is personalised to their
individual preferences; and real-time
data is captured on the performance
of the building and its work spaces – 21˚c
essential in the post-pandemic world in
which we now exist.
This report sets out the advantages that
smart buildings offer to occupiers and
developers of commercial real estate
in a post-covid world. It identifies key
©UnWork.com Ltd, 2020. All Rights Reserved4 Smart Working
2. Executive Summary
Major advancements in storage, aggregation and analysis of
data in the built environment have ushered in a new frontier in
building design and operation, prompting unprecedented levels
of efficiency and a human-centric experience that is intuitive,
seamless and personalised for all.
On top of this, the way buildings are Assessing Building Intelligence: The Activ8 Model of Smart Buildings
used by occupiers is being transformed
as competitive pressures and new ways While occupiers and developers of changing business requirements -
of working create demands for different commercial real estate are increasingly such as the need for employees to
types of space. Increasingly, companies aware of smart buildings, socially distance themselves from
are looking to locate to buildings that understandings and definitions of the one another more easily.
are flexible and adaptive, that help different aspects of building intelligence
4. Experiential. Office users
them attract the best talent, that offer an differ widely. This report sets out a new,
have greater control over their
excellent user experience and that are outcome-orientated model for assessing
environment in a smart building,
simple and efficient to run. how smart a building truly is.
allowing them to tailor comfort levels
to their personal preference using
Enter the smart building. Smart buildings The Activ8 model details eight outcomes
their mobile devices.
are those that utilise cutting-edge that can be used to understand the
technology to enhance the experience benefits of building intelligence. 5. Healthy. Smart buildings monitor
of occupants, sustain optimal levels of health-related factors like CO2
performance and reduce the costs of levels, VoC, noise levels and
building operations. In a smart building, 1. Insightful. Smart buildings humidity, notifying stakeholders
different technology systems work provide actionable insights into when an alarm is triggered. Some
together through open IoT platforms to how a building is operating. In of these can even be autonomously
make the building highly efficient, flexible a smart building, real-time data adjusted, measuring well-being
and a more desirable place to work; they is reported and used to inform and helping to reduce the costs of
leverage advanced digital infrastructure decisions on building operations. sickness absenteeism.
to enable an array of different hardware Portfolio managers can see their
6. Productive. Smart buildings
devices to capture data as a single operations across the globe and
facilitate better, more effective
interconnected ecosystem. compare performance, giving them
use of space and environments
actionable insight on how to drive
to prompt better engagement
But this is no new phenomena, the smart efficiencies and improvements.
from staff, in turn boosting their
building market has expanded rapidly
2. Sustainable. Smart buildings productivity.
in recent years, surpassing the $50bn
enable facilities managers to
mark in 2018 and is predicted to reach 7. Efficient. Smart buildings meet
easily monitor and control the
$109.48bn by 2026. 1 the needs of their stakeholders in a
performance of the buildings
hyper-efficient way and transform
against their sustainability
a company’s real estate into an
strategies. Combined with
enabler of business growth.
appropriate supply and demand
energy management strategies, 8. Resilient. In a smart building, all
many smart buildings are even net- systems within a building, including
positive, creating more energy than the electrical distribution system,
they consume. are flexible enough to react in
near-real time to the complex set of
3. Flexible. Smart buildings are
conditions. They adapt to constantly
2026 – $110 bn
better able to accommodate agile,
2018 – $50bn
changing needs and expectations
dynamic models of work, such as
of occupants, ensuring longevity
activity- based working, by allowing
and resilience to threats.
spaces to be easily re-configured.
This enables the workplace to adapt Together, the components of the Activ8
The smart building market reached a value to technological advances and model represent a set of criteria for
of $50 billion in 2018. By 2026, this figure is developers and occupiers to use when
projected to reach $110 billion. designing, specifying and procuring
smart building technology.5
1. Insightful 5. Healthy
2. Sustainable 6. Productive
3. Flexible 7. Efficient
4. Experiential 8. Resilient
©UnWork.com Ltd, 2020. All Rights Reserved6 Smart Working
The Smart Advantage
This report demonstrates that a smart
building offers considerable advantages
For businesses, there are considerable
over a conventional one for developers,
landlords and occupiers of commercial
strategic advantages to working in a
real estate.
smart building, including better business
Smart Assets
In a smart building, intelligent energy
performance, improved workforce
management solutions can be deployed
to optimise the performance of building
wellbeing and a better working experience
systems and carefully manage energy
consumption, enabling smart buildings
for their employees.
to achieve high levels of energy
efficiency. Onsite energy production,
advanced analytics software and new Data captured by a range of workplace Smart Buildings, Smart Cities
types of intelligent building materials sensors can report the occupancy of
even allow some smart buildings to be workplaces in real time, measure how Smart buildings are the enabler of
net suppliers of energy to national grids, effectively the space is being used and smart cities, cities that use data to
rather than mere consumers. enable better decision-making by heads generate and realise efficiencies in the
of real estate and facilities managers. provision of services; Smart buildings
Huge volumes of data produced by engineered to use energy more
building systems and sensors can be Moreover, new analytics techniques efficiently, for example, can generate
analysed by smart building software are being pioneered that can correlate vast savings in the running of urban
to provide actionable intelligence data captured in work environments infrastructure.
on building performance. Building with overall business performance.
managers are then better able to make ‘Social physics’, the practice of using A multitude of technologies has been
informed decisions on the operations of vast datasets from smartphones, deployed as part of efforts to create
a building, or schedule pre-configured wearables and workplace sensors to smart cities. In Singapore, IoT and other
outcomes based on their desired model gauge how people interact and share technologies have been deployed to
of operation. The continual monitoring ideas, has been used to demonstrate the ease the flow of congestion, monitor the
of data produced by building systems effectiveness of workplace design on workings of streetlights and measure
also enables advanced detection individual performance, speed to market the cleanliness of public places. In
and diagnostics of faults, and allows and sales growth. China, spending on the government’s
a building to sustain a high level of expansive smart cities programme is
performance across its entire lifecycle. Workplace sensors in a smart building expected to reach $16 billion by 2024.2
can also be used by companies to
Advanced security technologies, measure their organisational health, Real estate developers can play a
like facial recognition, touch-free while also giving office users greater leading role in the creation of smart
technology and video analytics, can be control over their working environment. cities. At the EUREF Campus in Berlin
easily integrated into a smart building to Data on indoor air quality, light and noise for example, home to more than
ensure the safety of building occupants levels and levels of physical activity 150 enterprises and 3,500 workers
and users. These sorts of technologies can all be assessed by smart building each day, developers consolidated
can then work alongside other building sensors, which companies can use to 5.5 hectares of office buildings and
systems to deliver a more holistic make positive interventions that improve amenity space onto a single BMS
concept of security. For example, upon health and wellbeing outcomes. system and smart microgrid, saving
identifying an intruder, a smart building over 100 tons of CO2 since 2013 and
can redirect security cameras, engage meeting the German government’s
control systems to prevent building 2050 climate targets 30 years early.
access and direct security personnel to Creating clusters of smart buildings
the threat. that can exchange information between
each other in this way will expedite
Smart Workplaces the creation of smart cities and allow
For businesses, there are considerable developers to redevelop the urban
strategic advantages to working in a landscape.
smart building, including better business
performance, improved workforce
wellbeing and a better working
experience for their employees.7
Delivering a smart building – Seven Steps to Achieve Smart
1
Choose smart from the start. Smart buildings with
the best outcomes are born from conception. If you
want to make your existing building smart, look to
vendor partners who have open platforms and easy-
to-install sensors to enable simple connectivity.
2
Procure smart and challenge the status quo.
Identify experts that can help sell your concept to key
stakeholders and work with your consultants to drive
smart choices of technology, gain cost certainty and
keep your chosen solutions on track.
3
Don’t forget the basics. Power demand and
supply, an iBMS and resilient building systems that
interconnect can save time, manage risk, deliver cost
efficiency and lifecycle value. The most commercially
attractive buildings are those with built-in resiliency
where systems are constantly open for updates and
improvements.
4
Be as smart as your building needs to be. Focus on
the technologies and base build inclusions that deliver
maximised tangible benefits while still delivering the
required concept of operation.
5
Dealing with data. Focus on the data that is needed
for reporting – efficiency, business improvement and
performance – and ensure that your technology partner
or integrator is aligned to this.
6
Don’t rule out your lifecycle. Understand the
relationship between CapEx and OpEx choices.
Smart decisions at the base build stage of projects
will open the door to smart facilities maintenance
further down the line, pushing cost savings while
driving ROI and system optimisation.
7
Choose a strong smart partner. Developers should
seek to partner with global players that manage risk and
reward equally and have well documented experience
in smart infrastructure. Providers that forge leading
alliances with other technology players and work
regularly with the contractual chain in partnerships can
be pivotal to a successful deployment.
©UnWork.com Ltd, 2020. All Rights Reserved8 Smart Working
3. The Changing Role of Corporate
Real Estate
The way businesses use their office space has transformed in
recent years. Whereas in the past firms tended to look at their real
estate as an intractable though necessary cost of doing business,
they now appreciate how investing in their workplaces can support
business aims - and help them adapt to the toughest external
challenges
3.1 The Workplace of the Future 3.1.1 Treating People with Care
By providing employees with the Firms are increasingly aware of the
right environment, tools and facilities role their workplaces play in attracting
to work more productively whatever and retaining the best people. Use of
the changing external conditions, a office design to send signals about
company’s work environment can treating people with care and respect
become a catalyst for innovation and is part of that equation, especially in the
growth. As more companies have aftermath of the pandemic. According
realised this, they have started to put to data from Oxford Economics, the
more thought into the design of their average cost of replacing an employee
work environments. Traditional models is around £30,000, with most of this due
of workplace design that attempt to pack to lost output while the new employee
as many desks into an office as possible is brought up to speed.3 Taking
are being superseded by more dynamic, into account the value of a leaving
agile models that focus on collaboration, employee’s knowledge, reputation and
wellbeing and knowledge sharing. Facebook’s Menlo Park campus in relationship with clients, some studies
California, is another office where put the total cost of losing an employee
Activity-Based Working (ABW) is an employees can meet and interact at 1.5 times an annual salary.4 Many
approach to office design in which in one large contiguous space. The companies now view investments in the
employees do not ‘own’ a desk, but collaborative intent behind these large quality of their workplaces as a cost-
make a transition between a number of office schemes remains relevant despite effective way of retaining top talent.
different settings for work according to restrictions and concerns around
the tasks they are doing. As employees Covid-19, although it is likely that social The increasing interconnectedness
are not tied to any particular space in engagements will be more tightly between talent and workplace strategies
an ABW environment, there are more managed and curated in the future. has made companies more discerning
opportunities for staff to interact and about the locations they select. While
mingle – although post-pandemic social Similarly, a trend for companies with low-cost, out-of-town office locations
distancing rules will influence how these multiple business units is to co-locate were once seen as an effective way of
interactions are managed safely. them in fewer locations to encourage controlling real estate costs, they are
collaboration and break down silos. now being shunned in favour of central
In some cases, entire buildings have Specialist incubator and accelerator business districts and urban talent
been designed around creating staff spaces, where employees can work on hotspots that allow employers to tap
encounters that might lead to the new projects and ideas alongside start- into deeper pools of talent. Innovation
development of new ideas. For example, ups, partner companies and outside districts are emerging in cities with a
Samsung, for its North American HQ experts are becoming more common. high concentration of young tech talent
in San Jose, worked with architect and a vibrant ecosystem of start-up
NBBJ to create a workplace that would businesses. Identifying and securing
encourage collaboration between space in these sorts of locations is
employees. Building 20, a facility on becoming vital to sourcing top talent.9
3.1.2 Wellness and Amenities
Competition for the right talent will
remain intense despite the economic
fallout from Covid-19, as growth in
the global labour market slows down.
Between 2015 and 2030, the world’s
working age demographic will only
grow at half the pace it did between
2000 and 2015.5 In the UK and other
developed economies, despite rising
unemployment in the general working
population, demand for specialist talent
– such as in the technology sector – will
outstrip the growth in supply. This will not
only drive the costs of talent up, but also
lead companies to invest further in their
workplaces so they can appeal to the
best people.
Tech has responded to talent shortages
by kitting out their workplaces with
gyms, wellness and fitness centres, as
é
C af
cy
upan
well as game and music rooms. These
Occ
21˚c
ing
ture
Park
pera
s
ustic
types of spaces could become standard
ing
Tem
Acco
Book
:30
ing
Gym
0 – 15
Book
features of offices in other sectors.
12
13:0
ting
Room
der
Ligh
fin
e
Spac
Way
Across the board, there will be an
Desk
ence
Ambi
emphasis on creating environments that
s
ague
Colle
maximise the output of staff. Wellness
initiatives that reduce employee ill-health
can significantly increase business
performance. Health and wellbeing will
be higher than ever on the workforce
agenda post-Covid-19. According to
estimates by PwC, absence through
sickness costs UK businesses £29 billion
per year.6 We can expect more access to
natural light, improved air quality, better
sanitisation of work settings, safe food
consumption; and socially distanced
movement around the building in the
post-pandemic era.
Supporting this increased focus on
employee wellbeing is the WELL
Building Standard, a certification that
rates buildings on seven different
criteria related to health and wellbeing,
including indoor air quality, access to
natural light and how much a building’s
design encourages physical activity.7
As wellness becomes an even greater
factor to large occupiers, WELL and
similar accreditation bodies are likely
to incorporate important factors related
to limiting the spread of infection to
occupiers’ selection criteria for new sites.
©UnWork.com Ltd, 2020. All Rights Reserved10 Smart Working
3.1.3 Agile Workplaces and Flexible
Real Estate
As companies increase the share of their
footprints in cities and invest more in creating
spaces that inspire and energise their
In the post-Covid-19 environment,
employees, they will have to find innovative
ways to secure the most value from their
many corporates will turn to an
workplaces. Models of workplace design
based on non-assigned seating, such as ABW,
office-as-a-service model that offers
allow companies to unlock significant space
savings by freeing up under- occupied space
higher design and safety standards.
while also providing office users a choice of
settings from which to work. By overturning
the idea that every employee ‘owns’ a desk,
even when they are not in the office, firms are
able to create highly efficient offices and better
manage the costs of locating closer to the
centre of cities.
Flexible locations, such as coworking spaces
and serviced offices, are also becoming an
increasingly important part of real estate
strategies as companies look to scale their
space commitments more dynamically
according to changing business needs, rather
than locking themselves into long leases. In the
post-Covid-19 environment, many corporates
will turn to the flexible space market as part of
an office-as-a-service model that offers higher
design and safety standards to keep the virus
at bay and provide for greater flexibility.
Companies are increasingly aware of the
competitive advantages that can be secured
from adopting a well-considered workplace
and real estate strategy. This shift has changed
the types of work environments firms create,
and the kinds of buildings to which they opt to
locate. The office was previously considered
a dumb container for work, with people
commuting to buildings where they spend
most of their day behind a desk. Now these
assumptions are being challenged. Remote
working is a growing part of the workplace mix
post-pandemic and buildings are becoming
fluid workplaces, with agile work driving a
more efficient use of space, higher productivity
and better performance.11
Buildings are becoming fluid workplaces,
with agile work driving a more efficient use
of space, higher productivity and better
performance.
10
©UnWork.com Ltd, 2020. All Rights Reserved12 Smart Working
What is a Smart Building?
Smart Building Technologies 6
1. The Internet of Things (IoT).
Thousands of sensors and other
connected devices are embedded
into the fabric of the building and
exchanging information over the
Internet. 5
2. Predictive Analytics. Using data
from IoT devices, intelligent software
forecasts how the building and
its different systems will perform
throughout their lifecycles. 3
3. Open Standards Architecture. All
connected devices are speaking
the same language, allowing them
to ‘talk’ to each other and exchange 2
information.
7
4. App-enabled Building Services. 1
The mobile phone is the pivot in a
smart building; occupants can control
9
their environment, book amenities
and access wayfinding all through a
mobile app.
5. Intelligent Building Management 4
System (iBMS). Functioning like the
building’s brain, the iBMS connects
to all systems and devices and then
takes informed decisions to improve 18°c
the building’s operations.
10
21°c
813
A Smart Asset
6. Sustainable Buildings. By carefully
monitoring the usage of electricity
and water, the building optimises the
performance of its different systems
and is highly energy efficient.
7. Actionable Intelligence. Intelligent
software monitoring the performance
of every building device detects
faults, schedules maintenance 21°c
and sustains optimal levels of
performance.
8. Smarter Security. Technologies
like robotics, video analytics and
advanced access controls keep
building users safe.
11
A Smart Workplace
9. Data in the Workplace. Data on the
occupancy of different workspaces
is captured and reported in real time,
enabling the building’s manager to
identify spaces where an intervention
is needed.
10. Getting Smart About Wellness.
Sensors and wearables report
on how the working environment
is supporting the wellbeing and
productivity of building users.
11. Enhancing Employee Experience.
Using an app, building users are able
to locate colleagues, control their
environment and access building
information.
©UnWork.com Ltd, 2020. All Rights Reserved14 Smart Working
4. The Smart Building
As the role of corporate real estate changes, the types of buildings
that companies occupy are changing too. A greater appreciation of
the contribution that the workplace can make to business success
has made firms more discerning about the kinds of sites they select,
and more mindful of the benefits that particular buildings offer.
Increasingly, occupiers are opting
for buildings that provide more than
4.1 The Activ8 Model of Smart Buildings
the traditional lease, create a human-
In the interviews conducted as part of changing business requirements
centric experience, improve efficiency
this research, there was no single or more easily.
and are simple and efficient to run.
consistent definition or criteria as to what
constitutes a smart building. However, 4. Experiential. Office users
Enter the smart building. Smart
there was a general recognition that have greater control over their
buildings are those in which different
assessments of a building’s smartness environment in a smart building,
technology systems work together to
should be done by examining the benefits allowing them to tailor comfort
reduce the costs of operations and
it produces for its landlords and tenants. levels to their personal preference.
enhance the experience of occupants.
Smart buildings are more efficient,
This report sets out a new, outcome- 5. Healthy. Smart buildings monitor
flexible and adaptive, making them
orientated model for assessing building health-related factors like CO2 levels,
more attractive and desirable places to
intelligence. The Activ8 model details VoC, noise levels and humidity,
work. In contrast to earlier notions
eight outcomes that developers and notifying stakeholders when an
of the ‘intelligent building’ that arose
occupiers of commercial real estate can alarm is triggered. Some of these
in the 1980s and focused on narrow
use to understand the benefits of smart can even be autonomously adjusted,
concepts of operations, today’s smart
buildings. measuring well-being to reduce the
buildings deliver far greater benefits
costs of absenteeism due to illness.
and a complete concept of operations
1. Insightful. Smart buildings provide
for developers, landlords and
actionable insights into how a building 6. Productive. Smart buildings
occupiers of commercial real estate.
is operating. In a smart building, facilitate better, more effective use of
real-time data is reported and used space and environments to prompt
Rising interest in smart buildings
to inform decisions on building better engagement from staff, in turn
from occupiers and developers of
operations. Portfolio managers can boosting their productivity.
commercial real estate space has seen
see their operations across the globe
investment in the space reach
and compare performance, giving 7. Efficient. Smart buildings meet
$7.0 (£5.8) billion in 2015. By 2019,
them actionable insight on how to the needs of their stakeholders in a
IDC forecasts that spending on smart
drive efficiencies and improvements. hyper-efficient way and transform a
buildings will exceed $17.4 (£14.4)
company’s real estate into an enabler
billion.8
2. Sustainable. Smart buildings of business growth.
enable facilities managers to easily
monitor and control the performance 8. Resilient. In a smart building, all
of the buildings against their systems within a building, including
sustainability strategies. Combined the electrical distribution system,
with appropriate supply and demand are flexible enough to react in
energy management strategies, near-real time to the complex set of
many smart buildings are even net- condition. They adapt to constantly
positive, creating more energy than changing needs and expectations of
they consume. occupants, ensuring longevity and
resilience to threats.
3. Flexible. Smart buildings are better
able to accommodate agile,dynamic Together, the components of the Activ8
models of work, such as activity- model represent a set of criteria for
based working, by allowing spaces developers and occupiers to use when
to be easily re-configured. This designing, specifying and procuring
enables the workplace to adapt smart building technology.
to technological advances and15
4.2 The Technological Enablers of Smart Buildings
Leveraging the latest technology is wearable devices are all part of the applications of IoT technologies will have
essential to realising the Activ8 benefits expanding IoT ecosystem, which already an economic impact worth potentially
set out above. Emerging technologies, connects billions of devices. At the end $11 trillion to the global economy.10
such as IoT, the next generation of of 2018, there were an estimated 22
intelligent Building Management Systems billion internet of things (IoT) connected The installation of connected devices in
(iBMS) and new device protocols, are devices in use around the world with buildings is one of the key applications
fundamentally changing how buildings forecasts suggesting that by 2030 this of IoT technology. Sensors that detect
are designed, built and operated. As number will swell to over 50 billion.9 the presence of a person, light levels
a technology consultant at a major and humidity are already being
engineering firm we spoke to as part of IoT devices are being used by installed in new developments. The
this research said, “the technology has businesses to automate decisionmaking, Edge, a 40,000m2 office building
overtaken our expectations – creating use increase efficiency and reduce in Amsterdam, is by many accounts
cases for smart buildings that we hadn’t operating costs. General Electric is the world’s smartest building. 28,000
previously imagined.” Developers using sensors to remotely monitor the sensors track the movement of people
of real estate need to understand these performance of its jet engines allowing through the building.11 The office
technologies and what impact they will the firm to detect and deal with minor buildings of the near future will have
have on workplaces and buildings. faults before they become major ones. In hundreds of thousands of sensors
buildings, similar sensors for managing installed, monitoring everything from the
4.2.1 The Internet of Things the performance of building systems are performance of individual light fittings to
starting to be installed. the health and wellbeing of employees.
IoT is the term used to describe a world
Combined with faster connectivity
in which devices are sensor- enabled,
and advances in cloud computing,
connected and able to share
IoT has the potential to transform how
information about their current state and
businesses operate. By 2025, The
environment over the Internet. Sensors
McKinsey Global Institute forecasts that
in cars, oil pipes, energy meters and
1. Insightful 5. Healthy
2. Sustainable 6. Productive
3. Flexible 7. Efficient
4. Experiential 8. Resilient
©UnWork.com Ltd, 2020. All Rights Reserved16 Smart Working
4.2.2 The Internet of Things and Predictive Analytics
The real promise of IoT is that data rise of virtual concierges in buildings that
captured by connected devices users can interact with as they do today
could be used to not just report the with Apple’s Siri or Google’s Assistant.
performance of various devices and The Schneider Engage Enterprise App
information about their environment, is already transforming the employee
but accurately forecast conditions into experience through services such as
the future. Using data from sensors, for smart parking, room booking and comfort
example, a smart building can begin to control.
create a picture of common occupancy
trends within an office to then make
predictive decisions about demand-
based energy usage.
Growing volumes of
Growing volumes of data from IoT
sensors are expediting the data from IoT sensors
development of new types of
computing that will further transform are expediting the
building operations. Neural networks,
for instance, are an emerging development of new
technology that use networks of
interconnected processing units types of computing that
arranged to mimic the makeup of the
human brain. Software running on a will further transform
neural network can identify patterns
and trends in large sets of historical building operations.
data to learn to anticipate future
events. By analysing data from
building sensors, and combining this
with external data, specialist neural
software could predict how many
building users will be present on a
given day and optimise services
accordingly.
4.2.3 Intelligent Building Management Systems
DeepMind, a company specialising in
applications of neural networks that Smart buildings are powered by the be fed into an iBMS to allow it to identify
was acquired by Google announced next generation of iBMS. In many of vacant parts of the building where
that it had implemented a world-first today’s office buildings, existing BMS ventilation and lighting systems can be
cloud control system to automate only support the operation of critical turned off.
the cooling of datacentres through plant systems. All other systems, such as
delegating power management to those controlling lighting, security and Operational efficiencies generated
its neural network.12 Elsewhere, IBM safety, are regulated by their own subset by the iBMS can significantly reduce
Watson, IBM’s cognitive artificial of controllers, supervisor panels and running costs in areas such as utility
intelligence system, is now being used applications, each with their own support consumption, management overhead
in the real estate industry to analyse networks. and building adaptations. Furthermore,
vast sets of data to improve building iBMS control software provides a simple,
operations. IBM has partnered with An iBMS, by contrast, connects to all visual solution that brings all building
facilities services provider ISS to building systems and services over systems together on one user interface,
enable Watson to analyse data from an Internet Protocol (IP) network. This allowing building managers to monitor,
millions of sensors installed in ISS- allows an iBMS to function like the adjust and reconfigure lighting, security,
managed buildings. ISS will be able to operating system of a building, with data HVAC, elevator, power and other
use this data to optimise its services from individual systems and devices building system devices as needed.
and understand how people are transmitted back to the iBMS. Using
using its sites 13 enabling software to this data, an iBMS can make informed
understand and respond to commands decisions and actions that improve the
spoken in natural language. As this operation of the building. Data from
technology improves it will enable the occupancy sensors, for instance, could17
4.2.4 Open Standards Architecture
One of the major inhibitors to the iBMS could be programmed to redirect
adoption of smart building technology cameras, engage control systems to
has been the lack of interoperability prevent access to parts of the building
between different building systems. and direct security personnel to the
Currently the makers of these building threat. One key advantage of open
control systems have begun to adopt standards architecture and open
open protocols, such as LonWorks or protocol systems is that they enable
ASHRAE’s open-source BACnet, that the integration of new devices, IoT
allow all systems to communicate in sensors and systems, as long as these
a common protocol language. These
common protocol languages define the
devices also communicate using an
open protocol language. A building that
10:42
arrangements under which devices and adopts open architecture standards is,
systems interact and communicate with therefore, effectively ‘future-proofed’, as
each other. new functions and devices can be easily
installed when enabling technologies
Open protocol systems can be are developed. Furthermore, open
programmed by asset managers to standards enable the use of powerful
preconfigure certain outcomes, (‘if software solutions that can link data from
system x does this, then system y should multiple locations to drive efficiency
take the output data and process it in across an entire real estate portfolio.
this way’). For example, if a security
system were to identify an intruder, the
4.3 Smart Buildings – A Day in the Life
As new applications of smart building Heads of Real Estate. Access to real objectives. Smart technologies that
systems and IoT technologies are time data from the various building data enable buildings to be net contributors
developed, the advantages that smart points provides CRE professionals of energy, rather than consumers,
buildings offer over conventional ones with unprecedented insight into how positively contribute to occupiers’
are growing in number. Investing in the building is performing. Live data sustainability goals. By providing real-
smart building technologies offers a on space occupancy, carbon usage, time reports on occupancy, the building
number of benefits for building users, amenity demand and fault detection can gives owners informed insight so they
occupiers and landlords. all feed into advanced analytical models, can adapt their strategy based on the
such as the digital twin, to utilise machine evolution of the real estate requirements.
Building Users. When users arrive learning and predictive analytics for
at a smart building, facial recognition maximised efficiencies. This data can be Building Management. Tactical and
technology means they do not have to stored and analysed alongside external operational decisions on the operation
use entry cards to access the building. data such as the weather, commute of the building are automated by the
Security systems recognise them and information and local news events to spot machine learning capabilities of the
open the access gates automatically, patterns that streamline the occupants iBMS, taking the guess work out of the
this can further integrate with employee working day. Data on the wellness and decision making process and limiting the
calendars to prompt the destination physical activity of employees captured scope for human error. By analysing data
control elevator to take the occupant from wearables and sensors in the office provided by individual building systems
to the correct floor without interaction, furniture provides a comprehensive and sensors, the iBMS optimises the
this makes the entire entry process measure of organisational health, workings of the building to reduce
touchless. Services, such as booking helping to reduce the costs of sick days operating expenditure, minimise carbon
a meeting space, ordering lunch or and absenteeism. All this data can be usage and enhance the experience
locating colleagues working in other displayed back to occupants and CRE of occupants. Advanced cause and
parts of the building, are all available leaders in the form of digital dashboards, effect modelling means the building
through a smartphone application ensuring the workplace is always data- can respond dynamically to changes
Through analysing corporate databases, led. in usage. The performance of every
the building also knows what employees individual device is carefully monitored
are working on, alerting users that Building Owners. Data from the and controlled by the iBMS, allowing it
colleagues or specialists in their network building allows owners to compare the to identify any issues and automatically
are working nearby. performance of their buildings against schedule maintenance before an issue
one another and against corporate leads to downtime.
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18 Smart
SmartWorking
Working
26°c
2
A Smart Asset
1. Smart Materials. Technologies
like bio-reactive facades and
1 nanotechnology make the building
much stronger and energy efficient.
2. Power Generation. Onsite energy
production makes the building a net
contributor of energy to the national
grid, rather than merely a consumer.
3. Environmental Sensors. Sensors
measure levels of ambient light and
adjust the building’s lighting levels
accordingly.
3
4. Energy Management. Software
analyses and predicts the
consumption and costs of energy,
6 and then optimises the performance
of the HVAC systems to increase
4
efficiency.
5. Connected Lifts. Sensors measure
the motor temperature, shaft
alignment, cab speed and door
7 functioning of the building’s lifts,
helping to identify when maintenance
might be needed.
20°c
6. Intelligent FM. Sensors highlight
to the building manager when
bathrooms need cleaning, coffee
19°c machines need refilling, or lightbulbs
need changing.
5
7. Smart Servicing. Service
personnel use Augmented Reality
(AR) to access information on faulty
equipment concealed behind
building fixtures.
8. Robotics. Robot security guards
patrol the building at night to locate
18°c 8 potential intruders.
9. Facial Recognition. Video analytics
is used to identify individual building
users and visitors, who then receive a
personalised experience.
9
21°c19
5. A Smart Asset
Smart buildings offer considerable advantages to real estate
developers, landlords and tenants, most prominently in regards to
sustainability and protection against the spread of Covid-19.
Employing intelligent energy management solutions in smart
buildings is a critical step in reaching positive energy buildings;
implementing these solutions allow buildings to rapidly reach
de-carbonisation targets and ensure that the supply of energy
keeps pace with demand. Actionable intelligence provided by
building systems means that a smart building’s iBMS can detect
malfunctioning equipment or wasteful practices, reducing running
and maintenance costs. Smart security technologies, like facial
recognition, temperature checks and video analytics help facilitate
a touchless workplace experience and can also help identify at-risk
occupants for contact tracing following an outbreak of illness.
5.1 Sustainable Buildings
Smart buildings are highly energy Meeting these challenges will require the
The European Union, for (gap) instance,
efficient, using technology to carefully creation of a smart electricity grid that
has set a goal to generate 32% of
monitor and optimise the usage of can use data on energy consumption
energy from renewable sources by
electricity and water. In order to keep to realise efficiencies and improve the
2030.
electricity grids functioning and achieve reliability of supply. In a smart grid,
ambitious de-carbonisation targets connected energy meters, appliances
set out by national governments, smart and sensors are used to give utility
buildings will be vital. companies data on energy usage habits.
Europe and North America are
This data can then be used to balance
power generation with energy usage and
32%
20%
supported by an ageing national generate operational savings. GB Smart
electricity infrastructure that requires Grid estimates that £19 billion of savings
significant investment to meet rising could be achieved from upgrading the
demand, putting pressure on utility existing network to a smart grid in the UK
companies to eke out operational
efficiencies or find better ways of
alone.15
40%
40%
supplying energy. Alongside this, The smart grid, however, relies on smart
legislative targets to reduce carbon buildings. Buildings account for around
emissions requiring electricity 40% of total energy consumption and
companies to source a specific portion 33% of GHG emissions.16 In the United
of their energy sales from clean sources
within a fixed time-frame have been
States, commercial real estate consumes
at least $179 billion of energy every
CO2 33%
36%
adopted in at least 67 countries.14 The year.17 Without investments in improving
European Union, for instance, has set the energy efficiency of buildings,
a goal to generate 32% of energy from achieving a more efficient, less carbon-
Buildings account for around 40% of
renewable sources by 2030. dependent electricity infrastructure will
total energy consumption and 33% of
be impossible.
GHG emissions.
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Smart and energy efficient: Ampere E+, the Paris
HQ for Sogeprom generates enough power
x5
through solar panels and energy recovery to live
temporarily off the grid CO2 x4
Developers of commercial real and higher sale prices, had greatly features an intelligent façade that
estate are finding themselves under reduced energy costs and contributed reacts to the movement of the sun to
more scrutiny from governments to to better rates of staff retention for limit solar gain and glare, helping to
invest in energy-efficient buildings. tenants.18 Furthermore, by using energy reduce the use of the HVAC system.19
New York, Boston, Philadelphia more efficiently, smart buildings
and other major American cities positively contribute to corporate social The 50,000 sq. m. head office of the
have established building energy responsibility targets. Cooperative Group at One Angel
benchmarks ordinances requiring Square in Manchester is one of
thousands of commercial buildings to A number of exemplary, highly Europe’s most sustainable office
track and publicly report their energy energy- efficient smart buildings buildings. It is rated ‘outstanding’ on
consumption. In the EU, Directive have been completed in the last few the Building Research Establishment
2010/31 promotes the ultimate goalof years. Ampère E+, the 15,000m² Paris Environmental Assessment
ensuring that all new buildings are headquarters building for Sogeprom, Methodology (BREEAM) scale. The
nearly zero-energy buildings (NZEB) is a prime example. The building building has its own source of heat and
by 2021, to produce almost as much is clad with sensors and actuators power generation onsite, allowing it to
energy onsite as they consume. to control and optimise HVAC, give back surplus energy to the UK’s
lighting, and blind control, as well as electricity grid.20
There are considerable gains to managing the distribution of energy
be achieved in terms of energy and fluids. By operating Schneider It is not just new developments
consumption in buildings through Electric’s EcoStruxure Building like these that can employ smart
better management of how building Operation software all datapoints building technology to improve
systems are run and managed. Damper and commands for these various energy efficiency. IoT sensors can
systems in buildings are designed to systems are centralised. Ampère E be employed in existing sites to
provide cool outside air, rather than generates power through solar panels significantly lower operating expenses
relying on chillers or compressors. on the roof and energy recovery on and energy consumption. American
In many buildings it is common, elevators which is then stored in used telecoms firm AT&T, for instance,
however, for chillers and compressors car batteries. Discharged energy retrofitted 240 of its offices, garages
to continue to operate even on cool represents between 5-15% of the and call centres with sensors built
days when outside air could be used, building consumption allowing Ampère by Enlightened, a California- based
despite this being highly inefficient. E+ to temporarily live off the grid provider of lighting and energy
depending on the needs. management systems. The sensors
Furthermore, smart buildings that are optimise lighting according to the levels
highly energy efficient offer developers, Al Bahar Towers in Abu Dhabi of ambient light to save energy. AT&T
landlords and tenants a number of also uses an iBMS to achieve high now saves $8 million on its energy bill
other hard benefits. In a seminal levels of energy efficiency, despite and expects to save a further $200
study by the World Green Building being situated in a climate where million over the next ten years as
Council, these buildings were found to temperatures regularly exceed 100 the sensors are introduced in more
command significant rent premiums degrees Fahrenheit. The building facilities.2121
Case Study: Kallang Pulse
Situated at Singapore’s Kallang Avenue, Kallang Pulse is the 18,500 m² East Asia
headquarters of Schneider Electric. It is home to over 1,200 employees and while
it did not officially open until March 2018, the smart office tower was certified
under Green Mark Platinum in 2017 for its commitment to sustainability.
The 25-year old retrofitted structure utilises some 3,000 connected devices in an
IoT network solution for all data reporting and analysis within the building. Data
on occupancy levels, carbon usage and building performance is available at a
granular level and fed into Schneider Electric’s own EcoStruxure Building
Advisor solution for a ‘single pane of glass’ approach to unified systems
management. All electrical devices can be manipulated remotely from the single
control panel while building data is reported and analysed in real-time through
pre-set modelling and is displayed on live dashboards to building managers.
EcoStruxure Building Advisor operates an advanced suite of technologies and
data tools such as predictive analytics, condition-based maintenance, optimised
asset availability to both improve the user experience and ensure efficient running
of the building. In a clear testament to this approach, the building is set to reach its
carbon neutrality target by 2021, with 98% of daytime energy coming from solar
power.
Analytics software can also be Developments in nanotechnology
used to monitor and control energy could impact the properties of building
consumption. EcoStruxure Building materials by allowing modification at
Advisor, a solution from Schneider the molecular level. Types of concrete
Electric, interacts with building control have already been developed using
systems to analyse and predict the this method that are many times lighter
consumption and costs of energy, and stronger than traditional concrete.
as well as the comfort needs of the In the future, the same technique may
building occupants. Data from weather be able to make building materials
reports, rate tariffs and demand more thermally efficient.
response events can be included to
further optimise the performance of
HVAC systems automatically.22
New types of building façades
and materials allow further energy
efficiencies to be achieved. BIQ
House in Hamburg has a bio-reactive
façade that generates hot water using
glass panels filled with microalgae
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5.2 Actionable Intelligence
Smart buildings provide huge volumes
of data on the performance of building
The bathrooms at Dubai Airport have
systems and services. Using specialist
software, analysis of this data makes
been fitted with sensors that report when
them easier to manage and maintain.
bathrooms are experiencing high volumes
In a smart building, building managers
are provided with control software that
of traffic and need cleaning. This enables
gives them a simple, visual solution to
manage all systems on one interface.
better scheduling of cleaning rotas, helping
This software can be accessed
remotely, allowing portfolio owners
to save time, supplies, staff and energy.
to manage multiple properties from a
single location.
IoT devices can further enable the technicians to access detailed models
Continual monitoring of all building detection of system faults and the of components via a tablet or pair of
systems ensures that high levels avoidance of costly breakdowns. To smart glasses. Inspections or quality
of performance can be maintained better schedule maintenance and controls can use BIM AR to check
across a building’s lifecycle. In any repairs, lift-maker ThyssenKrupp the performance of components
building, the operation of one building Elevators partnered with CGI and concealed behind other fixtures,
system inevitably has consequences Microsoft to deploy an IoT solution further assisting facilities operations
for another. One component or which monitors the performance of the and smart maintenance.
system that deviates from optimal company’s lifts. Embedded sensors
performance may cause other measuring everything from motor
elements to overcompensate or begin temperature to shaft alignment, cab
to underperform. Consequently, it is speed and door function have now
common for a routine commissioning been installed. This data is fed into
to take place every five years so that machine learning algorithms, which
systems can be recalibrated and can predict when maintenance will
returned to optimal performance. In a be required. The system has helped
smart building, however, the continual ThyssenKrupp Elevators, which runs
monitoring of operations allows the 1.1 million lifts worldwide, and its
building to sustain high levels of customers reduce expenditure on
performance at all times. repairs and servicing.25
EcoStruxure™ Building Operation, Efficiencies in the management and
a Schneider Electric solution, is a operation of buildings can be achieved
software platform that integrates the through the deployment of smart
data collected from multiple building sensors. The bathrooms at Dubai
systems to report a smart building’s Airport have been fitted with sensors
energy, process and resource that report when bathrooms are
performance. 23 Schneider Electric’s experiencing high volumes of traffic
EcoStruxure Building Advisor solution and need cleaning. This enables better
monitors the workings of building scheduling of cleaning rotas, helping to
systems and components and uses save time, supplies, staff and energy.26
artificial intelligence to detect any
faults, potential inefficiencies or For servicing technicians, methods
energy-saving opportunities. At one for overlaying digital displays of
facility, the software detected that smart building components onto the
a preheating coil and a cooling coil real world using Augmented Reality
were operating simultaneously. This (AR) can be used to aid maintenance
insight enabled the service technician and identify faulty equipment. When
to pinpoint and repair a leaking combined with Building Information
chilled water valve, leading to a cost Modelling (BIM), the standard for
avoidance of $46,000 (£40,000) designing buildings using detailed,
per year and a positive return on digital representations of their
investment within one month.24 component parts, AR displays allow23
5.3 Smarter Security
Late night visitors to The Edge in
Amsterdam may encounter a security
guard shuffling along the building’s
corridors. But unlike security personnel
in other buildings, the ones at The
Edge are not human, they are knee high
robots that come out at night to
autonomously patrol the office building.
These machines can identify and
challenge potential intruders, and are
one example of the security benefits that
smart buildings can offer to landlords
and tenants.
In addition to robotics, a number
of other advanced security systems
are arriving on the market that can
be easily implemented in a smart
building. Smart cards that use Radio- Case Study: IntenCity, France
Frequency Identification (RFID)
technology, for instance, can be used Schneider Electric’s new office in Grenoble, France, is set to be one of the most
to capture the location and movements sustainable commercial office buildings in the world. It embodies the ultimate
of individual building users. Near Field smart building and is a testimony to the future that Schneider envisions for itself
Communication (NFC) technology and for its customers, prioritising green energy, efficiency, sustainability and
(used in contactless payment apps like occupant comfort.
Apple Pay) can be used to allow building
users to enter the building using their Expected to go live at the end of 2020, IntenCity will be a showcase for building
smartphones. performance, energy autonomy, renewables production, monitoring and control.
It will be an active participant in Schneider Electric’s Exchange, an open sharing-
economy ecosystem for IoT energy management and automation solutions.
IntenCity will achieve several firsts including the first five-storey, fully energy-
autonomous building in the world and the first to exceed 100 LEED points, with a
target of 102 under LEED version 4. It will tout an energy consumption proportion
to space of 37kWh/m² vs – the average in Europe is 150kWh/m².
security surveillance data and flag up the building management system, or
any potential incidents to security iBMS. EcoStruxure Security Expert from
personnel in real time. Sophisticated Schneider Electric protects building
video analytics solutions can detect occupants and assets through an
Facial recognition technology, an area
unauthorised access to a prohibited integrated, role-based physical security
that has advanced considerably in
area, abandoned baggage that may access control and intrusion detection
recent years, can be used to identify
require investigation, or a person who system. Developers who can offer
banned persons or record exactly who
is injured and requires help. In buildings prospective tenants comprehensive
is in the building at a given point in time.
with large numbers of surveillance physical security through investing in
It can also be employed to soften the
streams, it is impossible for security smart security solutions can make
visitor arrival and check-in process.
personnel to monitor and detect all their spaces more desirable and
The reception staff in a smart building
incoming security issues. Intelligent command considerable rental
could be alerted to returning guests
video analytics solutions enable premiums.
and important persons, providing
developers of commercial real estate to
personal details to a reception’s display
ensure the security of their buildings.
screen and notifying their host of the
Security is an increasingly important
guest’s arrival as they approach the
topic for businesses, which are more
building.
aware than ever of the threat of
industrial espionage and information
Smart buildings can also leverage
theft. It is particularly important to unify
video analytics software to analyse
a buildings security infrastructure with
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