Recently I was able to participate in Toronto’s Real Estate Forum. This year’s conference examined key issues, trends, challenges, risks and opportunities in today’s real estate industry, especially as it pertains to the future of Smart+Connected Workspaces in Canada.
I was fortunate to take part in a panel at this year’s conference, comprised of other real estate thought leaders including:
- Chuck Scott, Senior Managing Director of the Corporate Occupier and Investor Services Group for Cushman and Wakefield in Canada http://www.cushmanwakefield.com/
- Sheila Botting, Senior Practice Partner, Client Cabinet & National Leader, Deloitte Real Estate
http://www.deloitte.com/us/realestate
- Earle Arney, Managing Director, FKA Architecture + Interiors
http://www.fka-studios.com/
- George Della Rocca, Senior Director, Global Real Estate Operations, Royal Bank of Canada
http://rbcwaterparkplace.com/
- Sandy McNair, President, Altus InSite http://www.altusinsite.com/
Our session explored some of the latest trends on how organizations are able to extract maximum value from today’s workplace by looking at:
- Current trends in workplace innovation.
- Perspectives on how these trends are affecting the ways businesses occupy space, and make their real estate decisions.
- Issues and priorities for corporations as they strive for work environments that offer higher productivity.
- Demand for higher building performance, innovative office design, efficient space utilization, and sustainability.
Attendees showed a great deal of interest when we spoke about how today’s tenants are strongly focused on having workplaces that are conducive for optimum productivity and that help attract and retain valuable employees.
In addition, we discussed how a paradigm shift is occurring in the corporate office with the changing nature of the multi-generational workplace. Some of this starts with the wide-range in an organization’s demographics: from seasoned veterans and baby boomers to generation X and millennials. These four groups represent major differences with respect to their approach to work and the skills and tools that they require with the integration and impact of technology on today’s corporation. One net result is as little as 9% actual desk utilization or three hours per weekday.
Is there a significant reduction ahead in the amount of space that the workplace of tomorrow requires? How will this affect the overall office market?
During the panel session I presented Cisco’s ideas for a Smart+Connected workspace that addresses these rising trends. As the Internet of Everything drives an “Industrialization of the Internet,” where 50 billion smart objects will be network connected and communicating with one another to help us work where we want, when we want, a conceptualization of The Workplace of the Future will be essential. Some of these our solutions and ideas include:
Smart + Connected Meeting Spaces enable easy reservations and efficent usage of conference rooms, initiate contextual services and save energy costs.
Digital Signage Content Management and interactive services to manage and deliver live on-demand communications, training, advertising, emergency notifications and other content.
Smart + Connected Personalized Spaces to improve office space effiency and reduce energy consumption, enabling improved utilization of office spaces and resources using IP devices.
As you look to the horizon and consider changes to the work space, let us know what trends you see and how technology will empower your future.
Authors
5 Comments
I would like to gain a better understanding of who has BAS products that are POE ready. I have been trying to push a business case forward to include integral POE as part of our product offer. Any help would be appreciated.
Hi Ralph, great to hear from you.
The groups that are in the market now with Cisco Smart Network Controllers include: Delta Controls, Honeywell and Distech.
Would like to review with you when you are available.
Thank you for the inquiry
Regards,
Thanks, Bill. I’m glad you enjoyed the forum, it was great sharing a panel discussion with you about workplace transformation driving office market trends. As I shared in my presentation, Deloitte is embracing advanced workplace strategies and developing work environments that are flexible and technology-enabled. We hope that our workplace transformation will allow the firm to be responsive to change and our employees more productive and engaged. All of this results in better service for our clients and an positive work environment for our employees. Stay tuned as our Workplace of the Future program moves across Canada! We’re opening new buildings in Ottawa and St John’s this year, with Toronto and Montreal to follow in 2015, a very exciting time for the firm.
Sheila great to hear from you. Your vision and direction is transforming the work space at an exponential rate. The experiences that Deloitte are deploying will truly excite and empower your organization.
An interesting topic that I would love to hear more about!