Digital technologies disrupt the old office

Digital technologies disrupt the old officeAs digital technologies change the way people work, building owners are looking to create personalised, connected workplaces that elevate the tenant experience, says Executive Channel Network’s Charles Parry-Okeden.While futurists predicted we’d all abandon the office, instead it has become a new catalyst for innovation, and a central spoke in a collaborative network of human capital.But this shift in the way we work is challenging building owners to rethink the workplace – and that starts with the lobby.”Advances in digital technology have made large-format screens an affordable addition to any office,” says Parry-Okeden, the global chief executive officer of office media specialist ECN.”Digital screens are being as used as a productivity-enhancer, and as a unique way to engage with knowledge workers.”Ninety-seven per cent of executives notice video screens in their office buildings, a survey undertaken by ECN last year has found. A further 85 per cent value the content they glean from these screens.”We’ve deployed more than 2 digital directory boards into office towers around the country in the last few years,” Parry-Okeden says, adding that Goodman Group upgraded many of its buildings at once with the installation of 40 directory screens.Video walls don’t just brighten up dead space – they provide tailored, dynamic content that can be adapted to meet a tenants’ needs, explains ECN’s chief operating officer, Justin Kingston.”While some screens are displaying news, weather or the office tower directory, others might showcase digital artwork which can be more cost effective than purchasing a painting that can date quicker than the technology will need an upgrade.”Commercial grade monitors are designed to run non-stop for years – and suppliers are so confident in the technology that they are giving long warranties.”So, where is the technology headed? What can we expect in five or 10 years?”Physical units will get thinner, cheaper and brighter. Content will become more dynamic and interactive. We’re already able to run a building’s twitter feed in real time – and in five years this integration with social media will be everywhere,” Kingston says.Interactive touch screens will become cheaper and easier to use – but they aren’t there yet, Kingston cautions. And where now we see a wall of 16 screens, in the not-too-distant future there will be “one big unit in any shape or size you want” at any affordable price.End-of-trip facilities will feature video screens, with updates on traffic congestion, or streaming from innovative cycling apps, such as Strava. And digital screens will transform foyers into virtual galleries, with building owners able to interchange art with just a couple of clicks. “If you look back at just seven or eight years ago, we were installing clunky plasma monitors which weighed kilograms each. They needed heavy supporting brackets just to get them on the wall,” Parry-Okeden says.”Today we have 55 inch LED monitors that weigh just 12 kilograms. They are razor thin, are installed with just two bolts, and are recessed into the wall because they run cold. This is how fast the technology is changing.”And as it does, the race to create ‘smart spaces’ is well and truly on.Find out more about how Executive Channel Network can transform your office.