The evolving nature of smart workplaces

Office spaces of old were designed to house the basics – workstations, chairs, functional air-conditioning and maybe a pantry if budgets permitted. Times have changed now and so have the office spaces. With the technology-driven Industry 4.0 that had already been transforming the way organisations function, the pandemic added another layer of disruption. With remote and hybrid working models having become a thing of normalcy, technology integration has become a question of ‘how much’, not ‘if’.

So, what goes into making a workplace smart?
All experts agree that the way to smart is tech. But there are other parameters that are equally crucial.

“The design of an office directly affects the productivity and wellness of a company and its employees,” says Gaurav Sanghavi, Co-Founder, Pentaspace Design Studio. “Therefore, it is imperative that offices set up the best possible working environment they can to make their employees comfortable, relaxed and productive,”

In agreement, Amit Aurora, Partner, Group DCA, adds, “The parameters that define a workplace are basic functionality and user comfort. How a workplace interacts with people, how it connects with nature, how well-lit it is, and its ventilation: all these make the place well-designed and smart.”

Smart workplaces can have any number of definitions, according to Parth Shah, Co-Founder & COO, DevX, but there are three vital aspects: technology, of course, a critical factor; flexi arrangements;and utilities.

“Flexibility in space allocation, space differentiation and seating arrangements brings an instrumental change,” affirms Rahul Mistri, Principal Designer, Open Atelier, “Such factors can be positively influenced by incorporating technology, which is the key to bringing the ‘smart’ in any given space.”

As for utilities, Shah says, “As a co-working space provider, we invest to provide office furniture and optimise its use, we take care of building services like fire and air-conditioning, and we also take into consideration housekeeping and maintenance.” While most things can be added on, utilities often cannot be done easily. Hence, utility-driven design goes a long way in making a space smart.