Smart Workplaces

It was a day of smart talk when nine industry bigwigs came together in Mumbai to deliberate upon aspects that contribute towards creating a smart workplace. The roundtable discussion, organised by CW, revolved around factors that set these workplaces apart; the roles that design and technology play in the quest to smarten up and get sharp; and their impact on productivity and performance.

- Shriyal Sethumadhavan

Creating and sustaining great workplaces for employees is paramount for any organisation to achieve long-term success.

Arvind Nandan, DirectorValuation & Advisory Services, South Asia, Colliers International, and moderator of the CW roundtable discussion, opened the conversation saying, “Design of spaces is often thought of in terms of the form, flow of spaces, mixing and clustering of areas, etc. But modern times are witnessing a huge amount of automation and play of technology.” He questioned: What factors come into play to make workplace as smart?

Planning smart

Citing the example of a project recently executed by his firm, Shresht K Kashyap, Director, KNS Architects, said, “It was a heritage building in Mumbai in a densely populated area with buildings on either side and hence, no ventilation. We created a skylight on the roof. And in areas where we could not manage natural light, we created artificial windows with a fitting that can be programmed to give light as per the time of the day.” So in this project, technology was used to create an environment that could enhance employee productivity.

Milind Pai, Chief Architect, Milind Pai Architects & Interior Designers, broadly categorised smart workplaces into areas such as “Thermal control as for airconditioning, lighting and security,” which can all be integrated together. “We talk about green materials and how to save resources using diligent technologies,” he said. Similar to the concept of circadian rhythm, related to the cycle of sunlight and daylight, there is a concept of biophilia, which talks about connecting with nature. “These are aspects that we bring into our designs.” Pai also mentioned chromo therapy in lighting, different colours having different vibrations, the need to control noise, etc.