About Deben Moza, Executive Director & Head – Project Managament Services, Knight Frank:
Lead the development and implementation strategy and have overall P&L responsibility of the business for the country. As ED & Head PMS, Deben Moza is responsible for setting the vision for business strategy, client retention, business development, sales, operations, HR, client service to align with the overall business vision.
As part of the India leadership team, he is involved in making key decisions and policies. His role is to provide strategic direction based on knowledge of operating business issues, competitive analysis and broader market research data to drive a competitive advantage and retain the company’s position as the market leader. Deben Moza’s role has a significant international dimension in referring businesses to other regions and as a key member of PM global business development team.
How are workplaces adapting to the news trends of the low-touch economy?
Innovations were already headed in the low-touch direction, and have only been hastened by the pandemic. Previously, the perception of low touch was luxury – doors that automatically slide open, lifts that can be used with cards, and what have you. Now, instead of a luxury, this tech is a necessity for safety, which has caused a ubiquitous acceptance of low-touch into the everyday.
From the moment one enters any social space populated by multiple users, every surface becomes a threat. Responding to the same, the physical workplace is looking at an increase in collaboration, de-densification, and de-centralisation. A larger share of the responsibility is now on the employer and the developer, to provide spaces that their staff and clients find safe, tech-enabled, and welcoming. This, however, is not a trend; this has fundamentally affected how work operates at an organisational level. It will be a challenge to go back to the high-touch environment that we classify as the “normal.”
However, The “clip-on” solutions prevalent in every office today are likely to disappear very soon. These solutions are the quick fixes, either as cost saving mechanisms, or in optimistic anticipation of a return to the pre-covid normal. Everyone has seen the sudden appearance of plastic screens and flimsy stickers that dictate where and how a certain space may be used. This will go away – but not backwards. Real estate will not go back to the way we were used to it, it will settle into the new normal of safety first.
Given the accelerated pace of transformation, what emerging technologies is the construction industry working with?
Any tech that enables collaboration. Industries have adopted in bulk, productivity tech and enterprise virtual reality which has reduced the need for in-person interaction significantly. Even in real estate and leasing, CRE managers are looking at digitally enabled spaces.
On ground, we have a greater adoption of technologies creating digital twins of entire buildings that allow remote monitoring, to an increased demand for IoT enabled office spaces that do not require a physical interface for maintenance as frequently. None of this technology is new, per se. It is finding acceptance and application, but it has been around for a while, and is looking at massive growth in the near future. For instance, The entire enterprise VR sector itself is looking at a projected jump of over 300% over the next few years, with even run-of-the-mill businesses accepting technology much faster than the cutting-edge market leader pre-covid.
What is the reality behind India’s sustainable practices? Has it taken a back seat?
At present a lot of the industry’s attention is taken up by the responding to the pandemic. Once the rush to figure out the new normal has slowed and workplace designs and organisational policies are settling into place, real estate growth is likely to align itself to sustainability.
Sustainability, in CRE, cannot be called a key factor. While sustainability was initially a great branding factor, a 2021 Knight Frank survey identified that only 30% of CRE decision makers have new carbon emission policies in place. A lot of the existing “sustainable” ventures are what we term “greenwashing”: shallow, superficial elements intended to up the value of real estate.
Instead, there should be a larger onus on the developer to produce and deliver sustainable solutions, and on the client to allocate spend to acquire such spaces. A key gap here is in education and awareness, especially about how a strategic focus on sustainability can help achieve an organisation’s wider ambitions.
When sustainability is built into CRE portfolios, be it through global accreditations like LEED or WELL; or even as a matter of corporate policy, employees will automatically see a boost in their health and wellness. As an example, many concerns with covid spread came as a result of improper ventilation in closed offices. This is one of the key pillars in any green accreditation: air changes, air flushes, air filtration, and clean air are built into green buildings. Simply, sustainability and employee wellbeing are not opposites vying for corporate resources.
Knight Frank India has signed commitment with IGBC Mission on NET ZERO towards the vision -India to become one of the foremost countries transforming to Net Zero by 2050.
Can you see any elements in workplace design that will disappear?
Many “anchored” assets are likely to disappear in workplace design and operations. For instance, fixed technology like desktops and desk phones, which keep users tethered to a single workspace will soon become obsolete, with smaller, portable machines becoming more powerful and efficient. In the same vein, personalised desking will likely be replaced by hot desking and collaborative spaces.
Single use spaces will also slowly be taken over by flexible, multi-purpose spaces supporting a host of activities.
Workplace design is going to be impacted by what organisations now deem to be the point of a workplace. With multiple sectors figuring out that they can, indeed, work remotely, the workplace is not going to remain a 9-5 hub for bent heads at desks, it is going to become a space that fosters organisational culture and human interaction that strengthens social ties.