Smart Space Solutions

16 September 2019

Smart space strategies are leading the way in how we operate our buildings and the deployment of IoT technologies is aiding in this creation of smart spaces and smart buildings.

Smart space strategies are bringing a wealth of benefits to businesses from energy and operational efficiencies to carbon and cost reduction. The importance of wellness is also taking centre stage and with it the emergence of environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies, good news for the environment and business we say, but why?

The traditional BEMS is taking a back seat to ‘smart spaces’ as businesses focus not only on the operational efficiencies within the buildings but the carbon emissions and employee wellness. Environmental and social considerations are key for businesses moving forward and this is what smart spaces and smart cities are focussing on.

Gartner famously put smart spaces in its top 10 strategic technologies for 2019, and they were right to do so.

Smart spaces are interactive environments where humans and technology can openly communicate with each other in a physical or digital setting. This enables “a more immersive, interactive and automated experience for a target set of people and industry scenarios.”

So how do we turn our traditional commercial buildings into smart spaces?

The deployment of IoT technologies such as the CODA device family is aiding in the ability to deliver smart spaces and smart cities as well as also facilitating the beginning of a very real and effective ESG strategy.

IoT technologies help businesses understand buildings, carbon footprint, energy efficiency and also provide insights into how they can manage and plan occupancy for wellness and environmentally-conscious employees.

Smart spaces coupled with IoT deliver a multitude of benefits from carbon and cost reductions to operational efficiency, health and safety to employee wellbeing. Smart spaces consider the environmental impact buildings have on the external as well as the internal environment.

Since the development in smart spaces, businesses are starting to realise the operational benefits that IoT devices can bring. With a focus on employee wellness, the benefits to businesses include but are not limited to, improved productivity and employee retention; it can have a huge impact on the feel-good factor for those working within a building. Whilst the benefits are not easily quantifiable, the view amongst businesses is that controlling building and equipment operations for wellness (as well as operational and energy efficiency) is a key criterion.

Smart Spaces, employee wellness and developing your ESG strategy.

Coming out of smart spaces, where the focus is on employee wellness and environmental efficiency is a move towards environmental and social governance. Businesses are now looking to develop environmental and social governance (ESG) strategies, which are driven by the ethical employee and ethical investor community.

Having a clear ESG strategy enables businesses to tap into a currently unexplored opportunity including staff and client retention and attraction, brand reputation, financial growth and investor interest.

The environmentally conscious prospective staff, clients and investors are choosing businesses based on their ESG strategies. IoT technologies are ahead of the game in facilitating these strategies, their position within smart spaces is being pinned as the go-to solution to control and reduce businesses carbon impact and deliver an attractive and environmentally conscious working environment for employees and for businesses looking for investors.