Firms betting on tech to make re-opening of offices safe
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The next time a company accountant is tallying up operational expenses for their office buildings there could be several new items on the list: sensors, ultraviolet lights and maybe even plants with algorithms.
Companies and property owners now face greater responsibility in protecting workers and tenants as they open office doors following the pandemic.
Grant Morgan, CEO at biosafety startup R-Zero said this opened up new business opportunities for businesses that provide products or services related to hygiene and safety. It will be expected by employees and tenants of buildings, he stated.
We thought there might be psychological scar tissue in the eyes or in the mind of the general public. People won’t want to return to these areas without being aware that something is different.
R-Zero was created during the pandemic. It launched its first UV disinfection machine for disinfecting rooms last year. While the machines are usually used to disinfect hospitals, R-Zero created a version that can also be used at offices.
This is only one example of new technology and infrastructure companies must consider, which was not the case 18 months ago.
Julie Brandt (executive vice president of elevator manufacturer Otis) said that there has been “a significant uptake” in people moving around buildings more safely and effectively.
According to Brandt, “The property owners and developers are very concerned about their tenants getting back in the buildings.” She also said, “The elevators play an important role in moving people around their spaces.”
While many may assume the elevator cab’s enclosed environment is conducive to infection, others might be more quick to dismiss it. Otis conducted a study on the airflow inside elevators with Purdue University. It found that well-ventilated elevators pose a lower risk than riding on buses. Otis suggests adding air purification technology to improve protection and wearing a mask.
Otis deployed cab purifiers and mobile apps that summon elevators to specific floors. This is to ensure elevators are properly ventilated. These developments are part of Otis’ investment in the internet to monitor elevator maintenance and use.
Brandt explained that the IOT systems allow them to collect richer data about the elevators. This data can be translated back to property owners and developers to share the dynamic of their buildings with them and to create more engaging experiences for their tenants.
Crowd control
A core challenge for many companies and property managers is controlling the swathes of people descending on the building. Companies will have to learn how to control crowds.
Density in San Francisco, is an innovative start-up that uses infrared lasers to track human movements. This system creates 3D images and plans of open floors to allow for analysis and comparison of how spaces are being used.
CNBC spoke with Andrew Farah, Chief Executive Officer. He said even companies that were pre-pandemic didn’t know how they used their offices.
The expectation that the vaccine would be distributed was becoming more feasible, so C-level executives started asking simple questions to real estate professionals. “How many people are coming back?” The real estate agents replied that they were not certain but had done surveys.
C-level staff realized that there was no way to know what they were using.
Farah stated that Density sensors offer a privacy-sensitive alternative to other cameras, such as those used in offices or lobbies looking for people gathering. Farah stated that the data was “anonymized from source”, meaning that no identifiable information is ever collected.
It does not collect ethnicity, gender or age. It is impossible to fingerprint you by design. What’s more, even if it’s compromised we don’t have any customers at risk.
Air quality
Effective ventilation of office space remains paramount for keeping buildings as safe as possible but it can be stretched further.
Oxygen at Work, a Swiss startup that provides tropical plants for offices and the accompanying sensors to monitor air quality and humidity. Data analytics is used to analyze this information.
Manuel Winter, chief executive of Oxygen at Work said that data analytics can be used to help strategically place plants in offices to enhance ventilation. This includes reducing CO2 and increasing humidity. Studies have highlighted that certain humidity levels in a room can help minimize virus transmission.
“This is where safety in terms of virus safety becomes very relevant. A decrease in humidity can lead to an increase in viruses, bacteria, and other germs. Winter stated that aerosols floating about will absorb humidity and become heavier, falling faster to the ground.
The virus will sink faster, and the floating time will decrease. Germs are incapable of living for very long in high humidity.
Winter said that clients have shown increased interest in this year’s office reopenings. The demand for new technology is evident in investor and sales interest.
Farah from Density stated that it made more sales this quarter than the same period last year. R-Zero has also raised $41.5 million.
Morgan, R-Zero, said, “One of our realizations at the outbreak of the pandemic, as we dug deeper into this space was that we have done an especially terrible job keeping humans safe indoors and in the natural habitat. The evidence is clear.”
I believe there will be an increase in demand for safer, cleaner and more hygiene-friendly indoor environments.
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