SmartCore Intelligent Building Systems for Offices
Improve employee health & wellbeing as well as productivity & quality of work with healthy lighting systems.
Offices are one of the most effective applications for circadian lighting. Such lighting improves levels of concentration, creativity and the capacity for performance. Light changes the way we use and experience space and turns buildings and offices into more human-centric and efficient workplaces.
Quality lighting is essential for quality work output. Many people working from home will have experienced the pitfalls of inadequate lighting, as the home is not set up for productive office work. However, many offices are also in need of a revamp; they are no longer fit for purpose - their lighting is old fashioned, costly and doesn’t take employee needs into account. This can lead to a lack of motivation, lethargy, increased mistakes, and a lower mood. Smart connected lighting in office spaces can help employees be more productive, motivated, healthier and ultimately happier at work.
The right combination of light intensity and colour is essential. A smart, healthy lighting system does more than just illuminate a room; it has a huge effect on our physical and emotional health at work. Dim, artificial or harsh lighting has been shown to cause problems ranging from eye strain and headaches to drowsiness and lack of focus. Certain types of lighting can also disrupt circadian rhythms, leading to increased feelings of stress.
Besides significant energy savings, low maintenance costs and safety benefits, smart connected lighting creates high levels of operational and facility efficiencies. Connected sensor networks can monitor any variables you may require, such as occupancy analytics, noise levels, or temperature.
Healthy lighting systems can adapt and adjust to various tasks that are carried out within the office, e.g. SmartCore can react to voice activation, ‘meeting mode’, ‘creative mode’, etc., adjusting not only the lighting level, colour and direction to suit the task but also integrating with the TV, blinds, HVAC, etc. to ensure the whole ambience of the room is correct for the task. Every room can be unique; sensors can monitor a wide variety of aspects that grant building managers a real insight into how a space is being used. Natural light can also be maximised as much as possible, saving money on artificial light where it isn’t necessary.
Why are smart offices important?
Smart offices aim to create a personalised experience for occupants that allows them to be more productive and improves their health and wellbeing. The ultimate measure of this is reduced sick days and increased staff retention. There is also pressure to create more sustainable office buildings due to the ambitious net-zero carbon targets set by many western governments.
A network of sensors, connected devices, and interlinked systems allows vast amounts of data about a smart building to be collected; in turn, this presents improved insight for people running the building, meaning actionable decisions can then be made. To understand more about how smart buildings save energy, click here.
JLL state that "over the short term, the adoption of new technologies will both facilitate remote working and also ensure workers' wellbeing and efficiency on their return to office buildings. Over the longer term, occupier demand is expected to gravitate toward technology-heavy smart office buildings, reflecting their ability to support companies' environmental, sustainability, health, and wellness initiatives." (JLL 2020).
The ultimate goal is to create an autonomous building that is truly human-centric.
Mitie's Living Lab – is an experimental workplace that provides short-term rest and meditation functions for company employees. Colour-and intensity-tuning circadian lighting, which aims to match the occupants' sleep-wake cycles, has been installed. Dr Marcella Ucci, head of the MSc in Health, Wellbeing, and Sustainable Buildings at the University College of London, says her pilot study to measure the impact on employees in a detailed post-occupancy study shows that productivity was boosted by up to 20%. Additionally, employees were 38% calmer and 10% more focused than their colleagues in the rest of the office (Lux 2017).
Gartner states that 'two-thirds of organisations have introduced new Wellness benefits to support employees' mental and emotional wellbeing' (Gartner 2020), investing in things such as lighting and air quality to improve the working environment.
This trend is predicted to continue. Wellbeing is currently viewed as one of the main drivers of smart buildings, but as JLL states, sustainability and energy efficiency are also key demands required from smart office buildings. This will mean that many existing buildings will have to upgrade to match this requirement and retain tenants.
