In the first article of this series, Building Smarter Workplaces for the Digital Age, we discussed Dr Jacqueline Vischer’s ‘Framework for Workplace Concepts’ and commented that the highest state in her model, Psychological Comfort, was dynamic and messy, subject to rapid societal and technological changes. The second article, Digital Disruption, Digital Hope, addressed technology change, where automation and the Internet of Things (IOT) are increasingly pervasive. However, the IOT for Smart Buildings (BIOT) has yet to fulfil its potential because of limited interconnectedness between systems (a topic we will address next month). Overcoming that limitation opens the possibility of tackling the continuing inefficiencies in space, energy and time in office buildings. In this article we look at the way we approach the design of workplaces and the importance of linking this to how we actually work. Automation can then be deployed to handle mundane chores and thereby free up people to undertake value-adding work. Traditional […]