Key to this office not required

– Employees will not need a key to get into the office of the future when it opens in Berlin this year, featuring ample meeting space, plenty of copy machines always stocked with paper along with high-quality air processed to maximise worker health and minimise sick time.

Their smartphones will help guide them around their new workplace – and they may need the assistance because they will not have permanent desks.

With technology changing how and where we work, property de- velopers are tapping artificial intelligence to create more sustainable workplaces to help staff work more efficiently and comfortably.

Fierce competition for talent is turbo-charging the trend in Berlin. While the city used to be a bit of a business backwater, in recent years it gained a reputation as a start-up hub. Office vacancy rates have tumbled to just 1.5% as rents are rocketing, making it an ideal place for developers to showcase these new offices.

Property owners in Berlin are taking a cue from the Netherlands, home to several intelligent and sustainable office projects.

Rapid growth of local startups such as Zalando and Delivery Hero is driving demand for office space in the German capital. Two new smart offices are under construction in the former no-man’s land of the Berlin Wall, next to the city’s main train station.

The Cube, being built by Austrian real estate company CA Immo, will be completed by the end of this year, and The Edge Grand Central by Edge Technologies is planned for 2020.