Edge Partners With Signify
TrendsTechnology April 27, 2021 TiL Editors
A new generation of smart offices drives sustainability, wellness, and people productivity.
What is the impact of an optimal workspace – or a suboptimal one? In the past year, workers across the globe have learned to improvise offices where they can, perhaps for the first time, and give real consideration to the impact of a badly designed chair or an environment that’s filled with distractions.
Ruud van der Sman, Senior Smart Solution Manager at EDGE, knows firsthand what it takes to create a workplace that works for people. A real estate developer of innovative, healthy, and sustainable buildings, EDGE has partnered with Signify on some of its most iconic projects. And as we look forward to getting back to the office, a new generation of smart office buildings will soon be ready to open their doors, equipped with connected LED lighting systems, embedded sensors, and software from Signify.
EDGE takes a holistic approach to developing buildings, with smart connected lighting systems, sensors and software playing a part in each one”
“Our goal is to reinvent the modern workplace as a driver for health, sustainability and innovation,” explains Ruud. “To do that, we combine decades of experience in real estate with proven innovation and results in big data and smart technology and systems.”
EDGE takes a holistic approach to developing buildings, with smart connected lighting systems, sensors and software playing a part in each one of the developments’ experiential and performance goals.
Natural benefits of letting in the light
In Amsterdam’s Zuidas business district, the shape and orientation of the iconic building The Edge are optimized for natural daylight, bringing the benefits of sunshine to people working indoors.
When daylight levels fade, 6,000 energy-saving LEDs continue the building’s illumination, connected to a network of daylight, temperature, infrared and motion detectors through Signify’s Interact Office connected lighting system.
People working in the building can individually regulate the light and climate of their immediate environment through an app on their smartphone. Meanwhile, building managers can access real-time data on performance, energy consumption and maintenance operations. With this data, managers can keep the building running at optimum efficiency and continually reduce its carbon footprint.
With access to real-time data, managers can keep the building running at optimum efficiency and continually reduce its carbon footprint”
With three more smart building projects ready for 2021, more office workers will be able to enjoy the benefits of a work environment that’s tailored to the needs of the humans who work there. Equipped with sustainable, connected lighting and sensor technology from Signify, EDGE Grand Central Berlin, EDGE Amsterdam Valley and EDGE Amsterdam West are due to open their doors later this year. EDGE’s HQ offices are already housed within one of their own buildings – EDGE Olympic in Amsterdam – where they’ve installed the smart connected lighting system with sensors and software, so have firsthand experience of the benefits it can deliver to occupants.
“We chose Signify for the high quality of the sensors and their capabilities,” explains Ruud. “For us this is a tested and proven solution. We have tested the systems ourselves in past projects and collaborated with Signify on their development and requirement settings, as well as the communication capabilities. Therefore, we’re convinced these are the right sensors for our EDGE developments. Accurate sensor information allows us to provide better indoor environment quality to our tenants, and the high density of Signify sensors allow for a detailed building performance analysis enabling the optimization for sustainability.”
According to an insights report by commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield, office buildings have served four historical purposes: social and cultural; productivity; capital requirements (such as access to equipment); and centralized management command and control. The relative priority of these needs has fluctuated over time.
Examining these priorities is the first step in abandoning preconceptions of what an office should be and designing buildings that meet organizational goals in the here and now. For example, the campus-style workplace chosen by so many tech companies has a strong emphasis on workplace culture and socialization. Imagine for a moment how incredible this would seem to a worker in one of the purpose-built offices of the early 20th century, whose workplace was designed for access to physical equipment and centralized management control.
Not only should these buildings meet the needs of their organizations and people, in this age of climate action, they must also be sustainable. EDGE aims to create buildings that aren’t just energy positive, but create a chain of positive impact through material selection, waste, and embracing concepts such as circularity.
Photo credit: Signify