Modern Building Services

14 MODERN BUILDING SERVICES MARCH 2023 FEATURE WORKING BUILDINGS T he pandemic may only have accelerated pre-existing trends such as hybrid working but it came in the form of a massive curveball, forcing a radical rethink of health and safety measures even as the demand for office space first plummeted. Nearly 20% of space in the office markets of South East England may become redundant, according to a survey by Lambert Smith Hampton, the equivalent of over 50 Gherkin skyscrapers. Another challenge is adapting to the climate crisis. Buildings consume about 40%of the world’s energy 1 and office buildings in particular consume 10%of the UK’s energy 2 . This is unsustainable and the UK is moving closer to a stringent Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard, a cross-industry initiative to build new, and retrofit old, buildings in line with climate targets. On top of this, the next generation of workers is more socially and environmentally conscious than any of their predecessors. Low Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) ratings will become unpopular and therefore unaffordable. To attract businesses back to the office, property managers must be able to demonstrate a measurably superior working environment across all the most important metrics, namely wellbeing, costs and sustainability. Is the solution technology? Be happy The world’s first Internet of things (IoT) device was invented by university students in the 1980s to check if nearby vending machines were out of Coca- Cola. Now the technology is used for a range of purposes such as tracking movement and measuring temperature and humidity. These were invaluable during the pandemic, for instance measuring airflow could be used to optimise health and safety. Post-pandemic, questions of health and safety still remain a priority for workers, making them a priority for employers. Those who can guarantee a safe, clean working environment will attract and retain the best employees, giving property managers and asset owners a good incentive to compete in this space. Research reflects anxieties and opportunities in this arena. One Harvard study 3 found that poor air quality can decrease cognitive performance by up to 50%: structural inefficiencies bleed into psychological inefficiencies. IoT sensors are better than ever at monitoring and, if need be, adjusting well-known distractors such as lack of natural light and background noise levels. IoT’s capacity to increase office wellbeing is a fact reflected in its uptake by the healthcare industry where IoT collects patient-generated data. According to research by Instant Offices 4 , 45% of UK workers would happily share personal information via biometrics and user interface technology in order to improve their health and wellbeing. As these innovations are honed, property managers will come to find them an indispensable tool in boosting workplace satisfaction, decreasing absences and staving off unwelcome megatrends like the great resignation. Tom Harmsworth , UK Managing Director of WeMaintain, discusses the role of office buildings under themicroscopemore than ever and propertymanagers face amultitude of challenges. For happier, cheaper and greener offices we need technology