Most BMS-systems (building management systems) in commercial real estate were designed at a time when a completely different level of technology was in place, and when automation tasks were reduced mainly to managing security systems. Currently, the requirements for automation systems have changed since, on the one hand, technology has significantly progressed, and on the other hand, the very concept of the process of managing commercial real estate is being reformatted, with the impact of the pandemic factored in, says Andrey Kuzminov, IT director of O1 Standard.
Costs or savings?
When discussing digitalization, several different aspects need to be considered in relation to building management, namely:
Management of a building’s life support systems.
This requires a more advanced approach than standard security management. The management company is expected to monitor resource consumption and develop measures to reduce their consumption. At the same time, cutting back on resources should not adversely affect a person’s comfortable experience in a building. On the contrary, there is an interest in systems that monitor air quality and its oxygen saturation, the introduction of zonal lighting and temperature control systems, and so on. In most cases, these improvements require funds to upgrade the existing systems.
Management of inquiry systems in management company – tenant interaction.
Despite the rapid advance of digital technologies in all spheres of our lives, the telephone and the Excel spreadsheet still play a decisive role in the interaction between tenants and the management company. Meanwhile, the pandemic has revealed the importance of having convenient means of remote communication, and standard communication methods are not always the best solution. We have already opted for transferring our entire inquiry system to a mobile app, which both prevents communication errors and increases inquiry processing speed, allowing to analyze the quality of operational processes within the company.
Analysis of user experience in improving the quality of people’s stay in a particular location.
Increasing competition and growing complication of the game rules in the retail real estate market have already forced our colleagues to face the need to improve visitor’s experience in shopping centers. For office properties, this is still an undeveloped territory, which requires the management company to reach its end user, while managing companies traditionally limit the circle of their “interested parties” to the building owner and the tenant’s administrative management.
The implementation of all these systems requires an integrated approach and, typically, significant investments. Given the instability of the office real estate market in the last several years, the need for investments is becoming the main obstacle to the development of digital technologies in management.
“Green” digitalization.
Today, tenants are beginning to seek the introduction of green technologies in building management systems. At the same time, the interest in these technologies is not limited to the savings that they lead to. It also comprises enhanced space quality and improved user health. For example, a modern BMS should not only monitor resource consumption and control the viability of engineering and security systems; it must also monitor air quality and its oxygen saturation indicators – the key factors in creating a comfortable and productive environment.
Judging by how this trend is developing in Europe, modernization of BMS systems is in full swing. Sensors monitor changes in air quality, water and temperature in an online mode, and these parameters can be quickly adjusted. For example, if there is smoke from the suburbs or something nearby catches fire, sharply increasing the amount of carbon dioxide. There already are completely autonomous full-cycle systems that read internal parameters (say, air quality deterioration due to building repairs), monitor the weather forecast, check the level of exposure to ultraviolet radiation and the level of environmental pollution. A complex algorithm created on the basis of this data allows for an adjustment of these indicators inside the building. The influence of the external environment is minimized in the business center, thus creating a kind of an “ideal cocoon.” At the same time, it has been scientifically proven that the quality of the building environment and the user’s personal comfort level are important factors in shaping their productivity and work performance efficiency.
What about the pandemic?
Contactless technologies that have burst into our lives in connection with the pandemic are a separate issue. In business centers, these are, first of all, various auxiliary systems that allow you to move around the building without touching any buttons (hands free): walkways, turnstiles, elevators. All of these can be opened/called using a mobile phone, which “knows” which floor to take you to.
Before the pandemic, technologies of this sort were available only in new class A buildings, but today many owners and management companies are primarily concerned with contactless entry and safe movement around the building. Some introduce digital smartphone passes, others use Face ID (face recognition) technology. The development of this market has led to a reduction in the costs of such projects. They can also be installed quickly: it takes one month to mount the system in one building. At this time, at least 15-20% of the facilities on the market already use these digital technologies in one form or another; and this trend will continue to develop more or less actively both in Moscow and in the regions.
Man is once again the “measure of all things”
“Smart technologies” in office buildings are no longer a tribute to fashion, but a global trend. When numerous people are engaged in at least partially remote work, office quality requirements are higher than ever. If employees spend only part of their working time at an office, it should be convenient, comfortable, safe, equipped for teamwork and, most importantly, broadcast the tenant’s company values. Given the growing importance of IT in modern business, companies that develop new products and services and expect peak performance from their employees, who should go beyond standard solutions and create breakthrough products, cannot position them in an outdated building. Therefore, giants like Sberbank or Yandex are building their own headquarters – they understand the value of investing in a high-quality “smart” office. However, not every company can afford to build an office to its own standards, so owners and management companies should consider the more large-scale introduction of digital technologies in their buildings in order to increase their competitiveness in our rapidly changing world.
