Leveraging digital technologies

Essentially, the Aurecon Smart Centre is a digital platform that connects a range of sensors that are located throughout the building. These sensors can be found in places like the main walkways, stairwells, bike racks, office areas, lunch break-out rooms, recreational areas and meeting rooms. They are linked to an online platform that allows the user to identify and interpret a range of useful data to recommend how the building should be modified.

Through its data insights, the centre is providing greater understanding of key concepts associated with buildings of the future:

Space and facilities optimisation

The Smart Centre enables monitoring of a variety of simultaneous dynamics: how many people are working from home, how the teams are interacting, when they are interacting, how many people are using meeting rooms, etc.

Especially as working environments become more flexible, ideas around optimal use of space and facilities need to be redefined and communicated. Ultimately, the Aurecon Smart Centre platform helps the Aurecon team to ensure the centre and all employees are best positioned to meet their vision of collaboration and staff engagement.

Comfort and well-being

Studies show that businesses that invest in their staff’s comfort and overall wellness have higher levels of productivity and overall company satisfaction. Aurecon found ways to locate the columns as far away from the facade as possible. This maximised views from desks and natural light.

Aurecon’s requirement for an open stair through five floors of the building, to encourage movement and interaction, also introduced issues, including the potential for fire to spread between floors and for smoke to block safe escape routes.

Aurecon’s fire engineering, mechanical and structural teams, developed a solution that takes advantage of the existing under-floor air conditioning system to extract and contain smoke. This avoided the cost and time required to install extra mechanical systems.

An external terrace with outdoor furniture and BBQ facilities for staff enjoyment and client events overlooks Docklands parklands and is also Wi-Fi enabled as an outdoor working space.

The Smart Centre allows the Aurecon team to review these initiatives, by looking at scenarios such as: comparing stair vs. lift use; measuring bike facility usage; monitoring indoor air quality; using wearables to promote health initiatives; understanding drinking water consumption; and optimising daylight, temperature and humidity levels. Together, these factors can determine the success of a building’s design for the people who work in it and occupy its space.

Productivity

Productivity metrics enables understanding of the way people connect and find the resources they need. By monitoring staff preferences and patterns of movements throughout the office, it is possible to analyse the use of designated areas like social spaces and break-out rooms.

This data compiles an overall picture of the type of environment that best fosters productivity and collaboration between co-workers.

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