Smart Building: technologies that are revolutionizing your offices

The origins of smart office technology

While the first automation systems for office buildings date back to the end of the 70s, these first “smart offices” were sorely lacking in connectivity. It was only in the early 2000s, with the explosion of the Internet, that the term “smart building” really emerged.

Today, the concept of smart building includes a global optimization of the building management system (BMS), in which IoT (Internet of Things) connectivity opens up numerous opportunities for improving performance and reducing costs.

For office buildings, the interest of IoT technologies is mainly based on automation capabilities: connected signage, smart thermostats, automated lighting, occupancy sensors, etc. These innovations improve the comfort of occupants while creating more sustainable and energy-efficient work environments.

How smart is your office technology?

From optimizing the building automation system to improving the employee experience, multiple technological levers can contribute to the transformation of a building into a smart office. In this article, we'll cover five technology categories to watch.

1. Space and resource optimization through smart office solutions

• Advanced presence detection‍

How often do we see reserved spaces that remain empty? This resource waste that frustrates employees who can't find a meeting room, and which is costly for businesses, is now a distant memory for headquarters located in connected offices. These premises are equipped with presence sensors that detect the actual occupancy of spaces and automatically release unfulfilled reservations after a defined period of time. With the rotation of spaces thus improved, conflicts related to no-shows are drastically reduced, increasing the rate of effective use of spaces.

• Centralization and real-time communication

‍Bringing together room reservations, visitor and services management in a single platform to streamline processes and communication between stakeholders (reception, security, employees) is an important characteristic of smart office technology. Organizing meetings or events becomes fluid and flexible thanks to real-time synchronized reservations, automated visitor reception and host notification, as well as the creation of temporary virtual badges.

• Smart lighting‍

Traditional lighting systems often cause energy waste. Smart lighting systems remedy with motion sensors that enable automatic intensity adjustment based on occupancy and time. With integrations like that of Witco and Distech Controls, each employee can control the lighting from their smartphone.

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2. Digital signage

• Interactive touch screens in the lobby

With the right connected equipment, it becomes easy to broadcast useful information in real time to employees and visitors entering your office building. Everyone, according to their needs, can navigate on these HD touchscreen kioks: display maps, find directions, search for a person, check available rooms, make an instant reservation, get Wi-Fi access, etc. A multitude of possibilities to communicate and inform effectively, while making savings in the long term through reduced printed materials and instant remote updates.

• Tablets at space entrances

Have you thought of installing dynamic signage that can be updated in real time based on bookings? These tablets provide reliable information, as well as easily accessible tactile equipment for reporting any incident, which will be automatically geolocated. Some of these devices, such as RoomPad, can be set to stream various content as soon as they go into standby mode, increasing your communication capabilities without adding new screens.

• Video walls

Video walls are installations that have the power to capture occupants' attention through varied content programmed according to different times of day and automatic alternation between different types of information. These large display surfaces animate spaces by broadcasting diversified information such as detailed maps, venue news, etc.

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3. Smart environmental management

• Connected heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)

How many company headquarters regularly heat empty spaces? Fixed programming leads to a waste of energy that can represent 30% overconsumption. Implementing adaptive systems, integrating occupancy sensors, allows automatic temperature adjustment based on occupancy and weather conditions. Beyond the comfort provided by a regular temperature, IoT also optimizes the economic and ecological aspects of buildings through reduced operational costs and carbon footprint.

• Personalized control of the work environment‍

Finding the perfect temperature for your liking in all seasons can be complex. IoT significantly improves individual comfort by connecting employees to their work environment. Using a mobile application such as Witco, they can manage the temperature, but also the lighting and blinds of the spaces they reserve.

• Real-time air quality control

‍Indoor air can be up to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air, causing fatigue and loss of concentration. It’s possible to guarantee healthy air for employees through the use of IoT sensors that continuously measure the levels of CO₂, humidity, VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and other pollutants. Depending on the real-time readings, ventilation is activated, or any other automated air purification measure.

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4. Security and smart access control

• Connected badges and smart locks

‍Whether it’s employee access rights or the temporary access of visitors, connected buildings have gone from heavy administrative management to centralized management, capable of granting or revoking accesses instantly. Several smart office technologies enable granular control by zones and time slots using remotely programmable RFID/NFC badges, connected locks that can be unlocked by smartphone, QR Code readers, etc. Offering complete traceability and the possibility of instant blocking of access rights, these systems (such as HID Mobile Access, STid, or even PackID by Orange Business) significantly limit the risks of intrusion.

• Stronger security system

Conventional security systems rely on isolated detectors with no communication between them. IoT integration allows intelligent correlation between intrusion sensors, fire detectors, gas analyzers, and cameras with facial recognition, creating a security ecosystem that analyzes patterns, confirms alerts, and triggers graduated responses according to the detected threat level.

• IoT emergency systems

In an emergency situation (fire, intrusion, gas leak), occupants may panic and head for blocked or dangerous exits, dramatically increasing the risk of injury or death. To counter this, the IoT system automatically triggers a coordinated evacuation protocol: instant unlocking of all emergency exits, activating adaptive guidance lighting that indicates the safest path in real time based on the threat location, and broadcasting personalized voice instructions in each area.

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5. Connected office equipment

• Smart meeting rooms

Up to 15 minutes can be lost in technical settings at the start of a meeting if office equipment is faulty! Many smart office solutions are available such as the integration of intelligent video bars with automatic detection of participants, connected whiteboards that instantly synchronize notes with the cloud, adaptive audio systems, etc. Offering such ease of use guarantees a premium user experience and reinforces the company's modern image.

• Smart printers

‍IoT printers automatically monitor ink, toner, and paper levels, trigger consumable orders before they run out, generate detailed usage reports by department or user, and transmit preventive maintenance data to anticipate failures before they impact productivity.

• Connected ergonomic seats

Prolonged sedentary work causes musculoskeletal disorders. Sensors built into the seats continuously analyze posture (weight distribution, back angle, sitting duration) and send discreet alerts via vibration or mobile notifications to encourage position changes. Offering such office chairs to employees not only demonstrates commitment to health at work, but also helps reduce health-related absenteeism.

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The future of Smart Buildings: Digital Twin and artificial intelligence

Digital Twin - virtual reproduction of the building

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The digital twin is becoming an increasingly efficient technology, in particular when adding virtual reality capabilities to 3D representation. This virtual replica of the building offers considerable advantages:

• Predictive analytics: anticipate problems before they occur (breakdowns, inefficiencies).
• Savings: optimize the use of resources and energy consumption by simulating different operational strategies.
• Employee experience: test office configurations and environmental conditions to improve comfort and productivity.
• Optimized maintenance: first simulate any complex intervention for detailed preparation before even carrying out field operations.

Building management system: acceleration in the era of AI and 5G

In the age of performance improvement through artificial intelligence and 5G,  systems no longer simply respond to real-time data but analyze and anticipate future conditions and needs through machine learning.

This evolution enables widespread adoption of "smart" technologies seamlessly integrated with cloud management systems. Companies can thus collect and analyze vast amounts of data on everything from energy consumption to employee movement patterns, providing valuable insights for decision-making.

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Investing in Smart Building to stay competitive

‍Smart office solutions are transforming the way we utilize workspaces. By gradually integrating these technologies, property managers can create environments that are more sustainable, comfortable, and efficient.

For occupants, customizable and adaptive work environments offer an optimal level of comfort, and multi-layer protection systems enhance their safety.

Managers benefit from detailed dashboards on occupancy and usage in real time. They have multiple tools to increase operational efficiency through automated resource optimization and predictive maintenance that reduces downtime.

Investing in these solutions not only represents an opportunity to optimize costs, in particular by reducing energy consumption and maintenance costs. But it’s also a major competitive advantage in attracting and retaining talent in a constantly evolving job market.

The Witco workplace solution, consisting of a solid service base (resource reservation, request management, news feed, visitor management, etc.) supplemented by hardware equipment and a capacity for integration with multiple partner applications, supports headquarters in their intelligent adaptation to the needs of their occupants while respecting the environmental challenges of our time.