Bringing a New Understanding of Space and How to to Use Workspace Effectively

Moving on from the pandemic, digital solutions are taking on more prominent roles in the use and management of workspaces. Rather than, say, simply tracking movement of people or assets, they are now turning to new applications that enhance the complete worker or visitor experience.

Table of Contents

• Why has the way we use space suddenly become so important? 
• How to make smart workspace? Implement smart solutions!
• Spatial Intelligence as the foundation of change 
• Gaining new awareness and insights with Kontakt.io

The definition of a truly “smart” building is evolving to include new metrics. This doesn’t mean that the conventional understanding of smart buildings is being replaced, just expanded. Things like occupancy monitoring, foot traffic measurement and other metrics will always be needed to ensure that stakeholders have real-time insights into the current status of various spaces.

But lessons learned during the pandemic are being applied as building owners, property managers and others were able to use months of empty office spaces to rethink some basic assumptions about how we use space. Offices are no longer viewed as a place to get things done, but a space where employees live and work while getting things done.

Highlighting the difference between those two views is aided by the easy availability of data that presents graphic presentations of how space is used. This data replaces assumptions, guesses and estimates with a clear and accurate picture of how spaces are really used. This has become key in accommodating the new trend of hybrid workspaces, which depend not only on instant access to occupancy levels but historical data on space utilization.

Kontakt.io is playing a crucial role in this new approach that prioritizes providing occupants with comfortable, useful, and safe indoor experiences by providing the human-building interfaces that let spaces work for people.

Why has the way we use space suddenly become so important? 

The pandemic ended our traditional relationship with workspaces and forced a rethink about how we use real estate, the second-largest expense line for most companies. How to make smart workspace?

• We’re not as naturally efficient at using space as we think we are — only data that comes from the right technology can lead to full optimization.
• This requires insights into how spaces are used that are well beyond the limitations of simple observation or office tools designed to reserve spaces.
• Smart, efficient use of space is now a must and this requires the ability to predict future usage based on near real-time and historical performance and to recognize patterns.

How to make smart workspace? Implement smart solutions!

The first smart building solutions were focused on simple operational improvements and automations and now how those upgrades actually improved the experience of using the building. Also, circumstances have created a unique opportunity for a reset in our assumptions about how we interact with workplace environments — we’re transitioning back to the office and the time to reset how we use our space and create new routines is now, before the previous status quo takes over again by default.  

• Today’s workplace is fundamentally different than it was as recently as two years ago. Adaptations that enable remote virtual communication have highlighted inefficiencies in real estate costs and commitments. 
• The return-to-work movement has created an opportunity to not only recalibrate commitments to actual requirements, but to redefine the role and definition of the workspace to better align it with the needs of occupants. 
• Digital solutions are now available that can be applied to the challenges of reimagining office environments for the benefit of occupants.

Spatial Intelligence as the foundation of change 

Adapting to the new reality of office spaces and leveraging the solutions available first requires a change in approach. Spatial Intelligence is the foundation of this new understanding. 

• The pre-pandemic understanding of space utilization has no place in modern space management. The norms and routines that we all knew so well are gone. 
• Spatial Intelligence is based on accepting that what used to be defined by set patterns — the rhythms of traditional office life — is now ruled by flexibility, choice and irregularity. Spatial Intelligence helps to optimize the use of office space and improve outcomes for all at the same time.
• Everyone benefits from introducing a clearer understanding of how space is used — staff, visitors and other occupants enjoy better indoor experiences while property owners and managers get the data they need to further optimize utilities, reduce carbon footprint and deliver value through tenant-first building services.  

Gaining new awareness and insights with Kontakt.io

Kontakt.io digital building services illustrate indoor interactions between equipment, people and spaces, making a number of use cases possible, including:

• Spatial awareness. Understand how your space is used, where bottlenecks form, how much of your capacity you’re using and more. 
• Environmental awareness. Track and respond to variations outside the norm for temperature, lighting conditions, humidity, and air quality for a safer and more comfortable work environment.
• Location awareness. Track the number and locations of multiple physical assets, employees and more in real time for live insights into occupancy rates and where important devices and machines are.

From tracking room and even seat-level occupancy in real time to real-time access to exact footfall traffic in any monitored area and more, we provide the data-driven insights that replace guesswork and estimates with an accurate snapshot of how space is used at any given moment and over time.

• Interfaces that enable employees to enjoy the benefits of buildings that work for people. 
• Indoor spaces that assist occupants in their daily mission to accomplish their work goals and provide them with a comfortable, safe and sustainable indoor environment.
• The data that stakeholders need to make informed decisions about how much space they really need and if it’s being used to its full potential.

Everyone now has access to IoT-based infrastructures that make it easier than ever to collect data that can be leveraged into Spatial Intelligence. Just two years after the major disruption that created the need for it, Spatial Intelligence has already proven itself to be of critical importance in a number of performance metrics.

Investing in technology and a renewed focus on employee well-being have both been given new importance in the post-pandemic era but they have rarely intersected as they do here. Leveraging the power of new technologies to create better interactions between employees and their workspaces is now available, affordable and easily deployed.

We are creating a new understanding of the workplace that is human-centric. Our digital building services transform workspaces into environments that promote the safe, productive and sustainable use of real estate.  This will help you to answer the question how to use workspace effectively.

Until now, most Smart Building solutions have failed to take the final step that makes automated processes and other tech-driven features work to the advantage of people who work there. At Kontakt.io, we believe that this is where the true benefits are — the point where all those impressive technical capabilities result in concrete, measurable improvements in the experience of the building occupants. Learn more about smart building solutions by scheduling a talk with our team today.