Get smart

Smart offices that maximise user occupancy and energy efficiency still seem like a dream to many employees in the UAE. But given depleting energy resources, smart developers of commercial buildings prefer to make that higher initial investment to ensure a long-term return on investment.

"A company's property portfolio can be its second-highest cost after manpower, making it important for the company to understand and devise the optimum use of this asset. Space utilisation is often described as ‘Swiss cheese' with pockets of wastage within a property portfolio waiting to be discovered," said Magdy Mekky, Vice-President and Managing Director, Middle East for Johnson Controls.

Nadine Nackasha, Director at BDP MENA, added, "We have undertaken such projects in the UK. Client awareness is still growing in the UAE and we expect that logic will make these offices the status quo."

Given the current leap in basic office automation technology, how does one differentiate a smart office from a regular one?

According to Nackasha, smart offices should start with the location of the office building. "The building must be accessible by foot or public transport for staff and clients. It must feature planned spaces for commuters, but constantly occupied over space-reservation systems. The company must provide flexible working hours to avoid rush hours or even encourage working from home," she said.

As if by magic
Once inside, smart lifts will stop at requested floors but minimise waiting times with calculations. Escalators will start only if you step on them. The building core will be efficiently designed and well-maintained, while envelopes will play a major role on load requirements for cooling by minimising glazing or using low-E glass or reflective glass. Meanwhile, corridors and lobbies will have lighting in common areas during working hours.

"Once inside the office space, lights are triggered by motion sensors. Other highlights include heating and cooling responsive to space use, wireless systems and sustainable sourced furniture and materials," said Nackasha. "More sophisticated building-management systems mean that faulty systems impacting on the working environment are pinpointed, reported and can be fixed quickly, emergency lighting is well-maintained and intelligent IT responses. Working methods include hot desking, collaboration spaces and break out areas," she added.

The building efficiency products company Johnsons Controls has created the Visible Living Lab, which is a forward-thinking web-based space management and real time occupancy tool. "By using radio frequency technology and smart cards, the movement of hundreds of occupants is monitored and analysed in real time. It provides an in-depth understanding of how users utilise their working environment, be it a meeting room or a desk. We are currently speaking to developers in the UAE with regard to our technology for efficient utilisation of commercial space resulting in faster and improved occupancy levels," said Mekky.

So does a smart office translate into energy savings? "Undoubtedly, yes," said Nackasha. "But this can take a few years since energy costs are still relatively cheap in the UAE." She offers some recent examples of smart office fit-outs in the UAE.

Successful examples
The Legrand Habtoor features occupancy sensors and photocells, cable management systems and flooring solutions, different programmable scene settings for lights, while encouraging air conditioning and shutters for different times of the day. The Total Office Abu Dhabi showroom uses an average of 40 per cent less energy than a typical showroom of the same size. It has also earned credits for optimising energy performance, use of low-emitting materials, including systems furniture and seating that have been Greenguard Certified for indoor air quality, providing views for 90 per cent of seated users, incorporating strong recycled content and use of regional materials.

"If you're using too much office space, there may be opportunities to renegotiate a lease, sublet unused space, or even consolidate to vacate premises. Alongside lease and property costs, energy spend is often too high, as businesses are funding the heating, lighting and cooling of unused space or workstations.

"With governments and private enterprises across the Middle East and throughout the world embracing carbon-dioxide reduction targets, there has never been a better time for organisations to understand how their property portfolio is being used," advised Mekky. He said that the cost for the technology varies from project to project depending on the size, age and application of the facility. Also, the benefits of embracing space optimisation, such as reduced property costs and energy usage, far outweigh the cost of consultancy fees and ensure a rapid return on investment.

Competitive pricing
"As energy prices increase, we will see an increase in demand for smart offices," said Nackasha. "This has lead to greater availability of smart systems at competitive prices, which will make use of smart systems attractive."

Mekky said that his company is looking at a concept called the Smart Workplace of 2030, which will see the permanent physical location of work as the Hive. Work will grow through cloud networks, while the Eco Office will become an intelligent growth zone where individuals with a common interest meet.

"One will also witness highly secured mega cities divided into smart zones," said Mekky. "Collective knowledge will form powerful collective intelligence, automatically scanned, recorded and classified."