With the constantly changing eco-system in building structures, technology is the driving force behind all operations. Many a times, the building is not strong or flexible enough to allow adoption of any new technology or innovation that involves a broad transformation. Hence, as building systems become more complex, inputs of facility managers greatly influence factors such as carbon footprint, maintainability, sustainability and flexibility.
To further explore this very point, some of the great minds of the industry got together for the NCR edition of the Pathfinders round table. We tried to understand from them how the evolving technology is addressed by different functional groups and how it is the foundation of any building design and management as a whole.
Speakers at the roundtable:
- Bhumesh Gaur, VP, global real estate, American Express
- Brigadier Harpreet S Kaura, VP, National Administration, KPMG
- Deepak Ohlyan, VP, global facilities, Dell
- Jagvinder Pinny Mann, senior portfolio manager, Microsoft India
- Rahul Kumar, principal architect, Rajinder Kumar Associates
- Sanjeev Sethi, director, global workplace solutions, Adobe – JAPAC region
- Sukanto Aich, senior director, Philips Lighting India Ltd
What do the new possibilities in technology and automation mean for a building’s efficient building performance?
Brigadier Kaura: It is unarguable that buildings are continuously evolving, thanks to technology. Architects, consultants, contractors and facility managers should discuss concerns on the table from the first day itself. Especially facility managers, who deal with operations throughout the life cycle of the building. It is important to have them on board in the decision-making process, when it comes to adopting the right systems and technology such as building management systems, etc. Further, a cost-benefit analysis must be carried out to get all stakeholders to agree to the decided applications.
Rahul Kumar: As a designer, I have recently seen that the line between hospitality and corporate is blurring. The treatment of public spaces in these two segments have, more or less, become the same. Though, we all see mixed reactions towards the design language of workplaces like Facebook and Google, where we find lounges, gyms, collaborative spaces and recreational zones, there has been a great positive impact on the inhabitants of such work environments.
Sanjeev Sethi: There is an acronym – CIA i.e. Collaborative, Informal, Agile. It defines the offices of today. Over time, these strategies will lead to the development of multiple solutions to fragment and translate the workspace according to its utility in just a fraction of time.
Currently, what are the challenges that the industry is facing in implementing and integrating new systems?
Deepak Ohlyan: Technology to us means leveraging the IT teams within the system. We have completely digitised our facility management system. We have built a holistic application that has entirely replaced the use of logbooks. With this real time application, one can sit and take decisions while the technician does his rounds physically. We have created our own software and gadgets for managing the spatial planning around our offices for the employees. The sensors and tapping systems capture data and reflect the facts real-time. This directly eliminates the challenge of managing the seat capacity while planning a workplace. We have installed sensors on all our transport services. The dashboard gives us immediate notification if a lady is travelling alone in the company vehicle. Thus, it also directly contributes to worker safety and a better service management. There is a team dedicated for mapping and monitoring the transport network. So basically, it is about how to collect and manage data through technology to make operations simpler for the benefit of the company and its employees.
Sanjeev Sethi: Exactly, this is a powerful concept. At our company, when any cab is occupied, the colour of the cab on the monitor changes. This requires only a couple of people to watch over the dynamics through this application, eliminating the requirement of more people for a similar task and, at the same time, safeguarding the security of travellers.
Bhumesh Gaur: I agree with Deepak Ohlyan about spatial planning in India. There is a need for better seating and workspace management. Offices, being a social space, accept collaborative and dedicated spaces for employee well-being and connectivity. We do have seat sensors installed to manage the space planning but the employees tend to manipulate data by falsifying devices. We also have lighting sensors around the office for a more sustainable and efficient output.
Sukanto Aich: It is to address this very challenge of space planning, as mentioned by Deepak Ohylan and Bhumesh Gaur, we have a new technology in place that does not require placing any additional sensors. We all have the general light sensors that respond to movement and temperature. We have moved on to the next level, where these sensors are integrated with the building management system and can be operated from a single source. These devices not only monitor the usage of light in a space but also the number of people occupying the room and the number of hours it’s been utilised. Thereby, generating real-time data, which directly contributes in managing space, helps with planning, occupancy and services.
In addition to this, researchers are also studying the impact of blue light on the human body, which could help stimulate energy levels of employees by changing colour or intensity. Spaces with blue light showers can be created in coagulation with break-out areas or lift lobbies, to increase employee productivity.
Jagvinder Pinny Mann: I feel the next big thing, that we need to see and incorporate in our office spaces, is uplifting the employee well-being through technology. In Microsoft’s Beijing campus, it actually helped us retain employees in the workplace through merely improving the indoor air quality because the city is so terribly affected by air pollution that even their houses weren’t able to provide safe breathable air. NCR being hit by a similar condition, we look forward to implementing and evolving better conditions for employees here as well.
Is the involvement of facility managers in the conceptualisation or drawing stage practiced in the design industry?
Rahul Kumar: The companies give us, the designers, a very distinct brief. Most often, these briefs already include the dos and don’ts that have been derived from the benchmarks of previous projects. That gives us the basic idea for the parameters of our design and eliminates the pain of trials and errors, in terms of choice of technology to implement for best benefits. The interaction between the engineering consultants, the builders and the managers has become a regular practice recently. Even within the organisation of the client, there are increased interactions and engagement of a number of functional experts from across various departments.
Sukanto Aich: It is always the best practice to bring all the functions to the table. Innovation and applications have great power of increasing energy and well-being in employees. The right technology is available to us already; it is up to us to choose what is relevant and what isn’t. Lighting, similar to other segments, can boost employee productivity with the installation of admissible fittings. Moreover, it is always a pleasure to engage with other industry groups for best environmental outputs.