BCO 2016: Smart buildings must go way beyond sustainability, delegates heard on a tour of the greenest building in the world during the BCO Conference in Amsterdam this week.
Erik Ubels, chief technology officer at OVG Real Estate and former chief information officer at Deloitte, the building’s occupier, said that the success of the scheme came down to more than its record-breaking 98.4 BREEAM rating.
“Smart does not just mean sustainable,” he said. “When I first saw plans for the Edge I took them home and looked and looked. I was so disappointed. I thought ‘who on earth has come up with this?’
“So we worked hard to pull together plans that were not just sustainable but were smart right down to the building app for every tenant and our robot security guard.”
He added that the scheme is not just about innovative bricks and mortar but also how the facilities are updated to respond to staff needs.
“Our people here tend eat healthier foods than in our Rotterdam office and we realised they were spending around 40% more on lunch as healthier food is more expensive. So we reduced the price of these types of choices and subsidised that by charging for fried foods and fish and chips.”
Ubels added that the Edge is expected to earn back the additional costs spent on smart technology and innovation.
Read EGi’s round-up of the British Council for Offices Conference 2016 >>
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