Clearview National January 2019 - Issue 206 | Page 22

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SMART BUILDINGS NEED SMART PLANNING
» » SMART BUILDINGS MUST BEGIN
with smart planning and designers must play
their part by considering connectivity at the
beginning of the design process.
That was the foundation of a talk
on ‘Building Better Buildings Through
Connectivity’ given by Spencer Allen, GEZE
UK’s National Sales Manager for Window
Technology, which took place at the Smart
Building Show, London.
Placing people at the heart of design,
construction, operations and development
decisions, will in turn create “added value”
by boosting productivity and generating
cost-savings in human resources and building
management, he outlined.
Controlling a building’s systems – its
heating, lighting, ventilation, air conditioning
or other application, will offer improved
efficiency, reduction in energy consumption
and an extended life cycle of products used
throughout the building.
But the greatest return on investment could
be seen by providing better workplaces for its
occupiers, he stated.
A staggering 90 per cent of an organisation’s
expenditure is spent on its people – by way
of salaries, ‘on-costs’ and benefits according
to Knoll Workplace Research. This compares
with only 10 per cent spent on operations and
energy consumption.
“The need to look after our people is
evident,” he said. “Maintaining the health
and satisfaction of employees will result in a
greater return on a significant investment in
any organisation’s running costs.”
It is estimated that we spend as much as 90
per cent of our time indoors (source: WELL
Building Inst PLC 2015) so indoor space is
crucial to our well-being.
“Since its launch in 2014, the WELL
Building Standard has been integral in
highlighting a growing aspiration across the
built environment to develop spaces that
uphold the well-being of the people using
them day-to-day. A WELL Certified™ project
has the potential
to add measurable value to the health, well-
being and happiness of building occupants.
It can also generate increased savings and
productivity to the building owner or
manager,” said Spencer.
Much of this can be achieved through
better ventilation, he suggested.
“Natural ventilation will save a property
between 10 and 30 per cent in energy
consumption, help remove air pollutants by as
much as a third to allow for better breathing
environments, provide low maintenance and
easy-to-access operation of windows, helping
staff feel “in control”, and more satisfied in
their working environments.”
He highlighted how technological advances
had brought about greater opportunities for
connectivity and how intelligent hubs like
the GEZE Cockpit could integrate natural
ventilation with the management of automatic
doors, smoke and heat extraction, escape and
rescue route management and access control.
“But this requires a vision,” he insisted.
“The forethought of designers in considering
the end game, the proposed use of the
building and the desire to create a workplace
that puts people at the heart of how it should
operate.”
For more information about GEZE UK’s
comprehensive range of products and
system solutions call 01543 443000 or
visit www.geze.co.uk
22 » JAN 2019 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M