As remote work and the sharing economy become more ubiquitous, the walls of the traditional office will begin to disappear.
Today’s commercial landlords will need to become more agile and “smart” if they are to keep up with the changing nature of the way we work, not only the places we work in.
A recent study by Deloitte confirmed that sensory deployment in the commercial real estate industry is likely to grow at a compound annual rate of nearly 80 percent between 2015 and 2020, with almost 1.3 billion sensors in place by then. By 2020, nearly 50 billion connected devices will have the capability of plugging into an office building.
We predict that by 2030, every major office building in a city will evolve to become a “smart” building platform – much like how iOS has evolved to be the standard for an iPhone today.
A Seamless & Anticipatory Workday
The office building of the (near) future will feature a smarter controller, one that orchestrates all of the interactions between the building and its tenants.
This new “building superintendent” must anticipate the needs of its inhabitants, connecting them to a network of on-demand space and services that can keep pace with the changing requirements of their business. Similar to the App Store, this “Services” store will provide access to a marketplace of digital services that remove the typical friction points associated with the workday experience.
The current gold standard for the “smart” building is The Edge in Amsterdam. A day at The Edge begins and ends with a smartphone, when a vast suite of sensors in the building gathers data and automatically adjusts temperature control, optimal lighting, and even the temperature of your coffee — tailored based on individual preferences of building tenants.
To approach the level of integration available at The Edge, a technology platform and standardized infrastructure must be developed to centralize communications, aggregate data and bring the experience of the building to the fingertips of its users.
Workers within the smartest office buildings in the future will not only be able to services and amenities on-demand, but the operating platform will learn and predict their needs over time.
Going Beyond Smart: A Hospitality-Infused Workplace Experience
When the predictive and personalized technology environment becomes the standard, the new bar for a “trophy” building will be raised. We believe that the fully-enabled commercial office building of the future will operate more like a full-service, lifestyle hotel – one where human-to-human relationships are better enabled by five-star services and amenities so that the office workplace can become the new “remote workspace.”
This article is the first in a Convene mini-series, “The 2030 Workplace Mandate,” which explores the evolving relationship between commercial landlords and the next generation of office building tenants. Want to learn more? Read Convene’s e-book on the Future of Work.
About Convene
Convene (www.convene.com) changes the way the world works by transforming the way businesses work. By partnering with the largest landlords in commercial real estate, Convene designs and services the next generation office building – one that feels more like a full-service, lifestyle hotel. Convene’s integrated “workplace-as-a-service” platform gives building tenants and enterprise clients access to a growing network of premium meeting and event spaces, flexible workspaces, hospitality services, and curated experiences for users, all connected by Convene’s proprietary technology platform. Founded in 2009, Convene has locations in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., with plans to expand globally. The company has been named one of America’s 100 Most Promising Companies by Forbes, one of America’s fastest growing companies by Inc. Magazine, and the #11 Best Workplace in New York by Fortune Magazine.
Photo credit: Convene
