Smart buildings must begin with smart planning and designers must play their part by considering connectivity at the beginning of the design process.
That was the foundation of a talk on ‘Building Better Buildings Through Connectivity’ given by Spencer Allen, GEZE UK’s National Sales Manager for Window Technology, which took place at the Smart Building Show, London.
Placing people at the heart of design, construction, operations and development decisions, will in turn create “added value” by boosting productivity and generating cost-savings in human resources and building management, he outlined.
Controlling a building’s systems – its heating, lighting, ventilation, air conditioning or other application, will offer improved efficiency, reduction in energy consumption and an extended life cycle of products used throughout the building.
But the greatest return on investment could be seen by providing better workplaces for its occupiers, he stated.
A staggering 90 per cent of an organisation’s expenditure is spent on its people – by way of salaries, ‘on-costs’ and benefits compared with only 10 per cent spent on operations and energy consumption.
“The need to look after our people is evident,” he said. “Maintaining the health and satisfaction of employees will result in a greater return on a significant investment in any organisation’s running costs.”
For more information about GEZE UK’s comprehensive range of products and system solutions call 01543 443000 or visit www.geze.co.uk