Office smarts
Tech stars in commercial buildings
The big data revolution may already have made it to your office bathroom. The sensor-activated lights often found there, are just one component in the growing ’’software ecosystem’’ of commercial spaces.
Primarily seen as an opportunity to minimise building energy costs, these smart systems also help building owners future-proof.
Ras Jayawickrama of Schneider Electric said technology is there, but its uptake suffered from building owners’ shortsighted attitudes.
‘‘[Building owners] forget to consider the entire lifecycle… we’ve got to be thinking about putting in innovation and technology that will tune that building 15 years down the track.’’
Jayawickrama said hotels had been faster than most in recognising the cost benefits of remote controlled systems.
‘‘In a hotel, you multiply savings by 250 rooms… the cost adds up.’’
Schneider Electric has 300 workers in New Zealand and has designed smart technology systems for companies like Nestle and Fonterra. The Internet of Things, IoT for short, refers to the increasing number of objects connected on internet networks, believed to have started in 1989 with a toaster powered by a computer.
Physical devices that can be controlled through the internet include bathroom light switches, hotel HVAC systems, and roof panels that can adjust to let light into warehouses.
Victoria University school of architecture professor Michael Donn, said research has shown that New Zealand commercial buildings could reduce their output levels by 40 per cent with ‘‘relatively simple refurbishment’’.
Aspects of these refurbishments could be controlled by smart systems, allowing airflow from outside, or adjusting natural light, he said.
A report done by Schneider Electric found ‘‘appetite yet hesitation’’ in moving towards smarter, more efficient workplaces.
The study found 83 per cent of workplace leaders agreed smart workplaces were important, but only 43 per cent would actually invest in one.
Donn said many building owners often did not want to spare the space for changes.
‘‘It’s often cheaper to build a thin facade, so you can rent all the way to the edge of the site, than to put in sun shades and complicated window systems that take up space.’’
Compared to thirty years ago, the average office worker occupies half as many square metres in an office - driving up the cost of cooling, he said.
According to Deloitte’s annual tech trends report, investments in sensors, smart devices, and ‘‘software ecosystems’’ would help offices eventually adopt mixed reality products.
‘‘The time to begin exploring this dynamic new world, and the digital assets it comprises, is now,’’ the report stated.