Client
Biogen
Year of Completion
2021
Size of Project
Relocation Office
Location
Munich, Germany
GMS, the GPA team in Germany recently completed a project for neuro-science pioneer Biogen in Munich Germany with cutting-edge conference rooms and modern collaboration spaces.
As part of their relocation move to the Bavarian capital Munich, Biogen went all-in on smart building technology and IoT. This smart office project was primarily designed to improve employee and guest experience in their new location, while also addressing the growing demand for sustainable office space.
The move to a new office is always challenging for the implementation team, management and staff. The goal for this new work environment was to offer an optimal collaborative space while also keeping in mind the employee’s well-being. Ideally, people working in the new office should be pleased with their workspace starting from day one. The challenge was how to measure their satisfaction with the new locales.
Smart Feedback Panels
Instead of resorting to traditional polling methods, Biogen opted for smart feedback panels. These panels were placed in all key areas around the new office, such as office entry and exit, coffee corners, and bathrooms. This way staff and guests were able to submit feedback immediately and efficiently, while quickly pointing out the areas that needed potential adjustments. The data given anonymously could then be used by facility and office managers to plan a solution. This not only helps the day-to-day operations by improving services but also drives innovation.
These smart feedback panels can be operated without a power supply or network connection from the building. The function is enabled by the tiny IoT sensors from Disruptive Technologies, which uses batteries with a runtime of approximately 14 years. As this is longer than most office lease periods, no battery swap or recurring maintenance will be required.
The data analytics are provided by the Think-it platform. This intelligent software platform, developed by Thing-it Technologies, provides digital solutions for modern building processes.
Smart Parking
Biogen carried their sustainability implementation from the building into the parking lot. Instead of allocating a dedicated parking spot for every person, they use an app that gives booking access to parking spots from the available pool to all staff and visitors. This way, parking spots are not left empty if a staff member is working from home, at another site, sick, or on annual leave. It also ensures that guests always have parking access.
The intelligent parking booking app is also managed through the Thing-it app. It provides a standardized user interface that can easily be integrated into other software services, like Microsoft Office365. Other features such as indoor navigation, hot desk, and meeting room bookings, as well as space utilization metrics, and access management can be integrated. This avoids the need to introduce additional platforms.
Biogen was delighted with the software and hardware solutions as well as the implementation services that the digitalization experts at GMS provided. The data obtained through the feedback panels provided extensive guidance during the implementation phase. Additionally, added features such as Smart Parking provided endless possibilities for the addition of further smart office solutions.
