Revolutionize your working rhythm - A HELVAR WHITEPAPER
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Revolutionize your
working rhythm
A H E LVA R W H I T E PA P E R
MAY 2021
before we begin our journey...
check out these stats
2% *
73% *
of employees on average felt of employees want flexible
that they were more efficient remote-work options to stay
when working from home...
*Work Trend Index by Microsoft - Mar 2021
*Survey by VOXEU - Jan-Feb 2021
the office revolution
is now
It’s a bold statement - let us explain what we mean...
At the beginning of Spring The office has always been one of
the most valuable tools available for
the top two reasons
2020, life as we knew was
businesses. Its primary purpose has
flipped upside down, offices been to support us in performing our
around the world were left job roles to the best of our ability.
people say they want to be back in the office are:
empty and the rise of working The office also reinforces a “feeling
from home (WFH) became a of belonging” by providing a “home” 1 to connect with colleagues
for the company. It provides access
feature in the majority of our
66%
to fine-tuned, comfortable working 2 to feel a sense of shared purpose
lives. and social spaces, which encourage *
peak performance and are equipped
Country by country, we were forced with everything we need to get the job
into a new way of working. Businesses done. of leaders say their company is
had no choice but to evaluate and roll actively considering redesigning
out new working models, which went In the past year however, it seems that office space for hybrid work
against the grain of many existing rigid more people have found themselves *Work Trend Index by Microsoft - Mar 2021
working practices. working more efficiently from home,
which begs the question...
Working from home was now the
first-time option for many of us, and a ...what purpose will physical
year down the line, we find ourselves
offices serve in the future?
questioning our new working rhythms.
So, what’s your opinion... Do you agree with the above?
what’s the hybrid
support to users in a comfortable, February 2021). In a 2021 employee
ergonomic space. The office’s value survey conducted by Lloyds Banking
in enabling these social interactions Group, it was established that nearly
working model?
and collaborative moments suggests 80% of its workforce wanted to WFH
that transformative office spaces will for at least three days a week, leading
endure for decades to come. the company to reduce its office space
by 20% over two years. HSBC has
There is also the concern for business also announced a 40% cut in its office
leaders that without a physical footprint.
Over the last year, companies Now that the world is familiar office, instilling and crystallising
worldwide have been grappling with video communications tools, brand values, beliefs and working However, this approach does not fit
it removes the need for physical practices will become difficult, if not all businesses. In March 2021, Google
with the evolving circumstances
presence in the office. It enables local be impossible to achieve, remotely. announced that it will “keep growing
around the workforce. working hubs to thrive and allows the With no central hub, the question is our offices across the US” as they
option of a hybrid working model for whether there is a fixed abode for the expect demand for office presence
Despite, arguably, higher productivity those that want the benefits of both company to truly call home? to increase, whilst capping remote
levels and the removal of time- WFH and the office. working. But it’s not just the likes
consuming commutes, WFH also Prior to the pandemic, many of Google who are encouraging a
brought specific remote work issues companies allowed restricted remote return to the office - Amazon, Wells
to the forefront. Feelings of isolation,
What are the driving factors
behind the office return? working, but will we see a return to Fargo and Goldman Sachs have told
the blurring of work-life boundaries such a regimented structure? Staff their employees that they expect
and a lack of collaboration have been surveys by some of the UK’s largest a staggered return as the regions
some of the common concerns raised Since the dawn of the “Social Office”,
we’ve seen a growing development employers highlight that UK staff ease out of lockdowns and return to
since the global office departure. prefer a hybrid working rhythm, normality.
in collaborative, multi-functional
spaces that are dynamic and whereby they can work from both
In the recent ‘Work Experience
promote collaboration. This kind home and the office at their choosing From recent findings, it seems
Diagnostic Study’ conducted in as opposed to reverting to full-time
September 2020 by Steelcase of working environment shapes apparent that the hybrid working
office work (Financial Times, 28
Research, the top two reasons people the entire employee experience, model is here to stay.
gave for wanting to be back in the providing a sense of belonging and
office were: greatly influencing teamwork and
productivity.
• To connect with colleagues, and,
Of course, WFH has reduced
• To feel a sense of shared purpose commuting time and costs for many
with the organisation. whilst supporting a better work-
life balance for some; however,
Disconnected from the previous celebrating a team win together
structure and routines of going into can’t be truly experienced whilst
the office, the pandemic shone a light you sit at home, alone. Larger
on new working rhythms. It gave discussions, events, and team-based
birth to alternative work conditions activities are just a few examples
and opened new expectations of where face-to-face interactions
flexibility. So, with working from trump remote working. The ease of
the office removed, it extended the sitting beside a colleague to bounce
possibility to work from home or ideas between one another can
work from a café or work from a hub enhance creativity when completing
- effectively taking personal working complex tasks or projects. The
styles with you as you travel. most successful offices are those
which provide resources and
returning to a
safe workspace
‘Social distancing’ — this It comes as no surprise that
recently coined phrase is now technology is evolving at an ever-
increasing pace. It impacts every
ever-present in today’s society.
touchpoint of our lives today — our
homes, daily routines, health, and
For office working, this has meant a
workplaces. Smart technology has
limit to the numbers of people allowed
enabled the creation of intelligent
in an office at any one time. With fewer
offices that are sustainable, cognitive
people in an office, social distancing
and adaptable. We now have spaces
is somewhat easier to abide by. The
which actively work to enhance our
pandemic has taught us to get used to
wellbeing whilst aiding concentration
social distancing. Seeing people shake
and removing unnecessary
hands or even hug, can be perceived
distractions. Automated smart lighting
by some as odd or even careless.
controls and automatic HVAC systems,
We’ve adapted to stay clear of other
for example, remove the need to think
people. However, offices need to be
about changing the temperature
regarded a safe place, that is, if we are
or light levels, providing us with a
to successfully return to some sort of
responsive and automatic experience.
‘normality’.
Lighting related sensors can be used
We want to avoid touching the same
to monitor occupancy and spaces
surfaces as everybody else. The most
can be adapted to accommodate the
obvious surfaces include switches
numbers of people attending certain
and door handles. Luckily, intelligent capacity requires the collection and Being able to see the problem areas
areas in an office. To understand
lighting can support our new analysis of data. Having data means and times of high occupancy can also
the number of occupants in a space
requirement. we can build the intelligence of the help instruct people on when the best
compared to the maximum occupant
system. Occupancy data enables you time to attend the office might be to
to monitor, alert and predict. This avoid busier periods.
provides possibilities for guidance on
how spaces can be adjusted. HR and Occupancy data can also be used to
Facility managers can benefit from help with activities such as cleaning.
“space utilisation” data. By better Cleaners can be dispatched to focus
understanding occupancy levels over areas that have been in use rather
a period, decision-makers can easily than cleaning unoccupied spaces. This
see if there is a challenge with the not only saves time but is a proactive
available space for safe working. way of working in a time when
hygiene is of such critical importance. in a professional office, it might not
Occupancy data can also support be the right solution for a number of
using UV-C at the right time, and at reasons – these systems are designed
the right place. UV-C light inactivates for homes, and do not consider
viruses and bacteria through commercial data protection.
damaging molecules like nucleic acids
and proteins. This makes the germ Gesture control has been tested for
incapable of performing the processes years; however, it hasn’t been fully
that it needs to survive. Using UV-C adapted for proper use. For when
light for killing pathogens has become personal lighting control is needed,
more and more commonplace in logical user interfaces include mobile
recent months. Since UV-C (depending devices and computers. As office
on dose and frequency) can be users typically have both computers
harmful for people, typical solutions and mobile phones, no two users
either aim UV-C light to upper parts of need to operate the same interface.
a room or take care that the space is Mobile phones provide the ability to
empty when UV-C is used. control lighting via Bluetooth. Control
for specific luminaires can also be
Normal office lighting does not strictly managed by scanning a QR code or
require any user interfaces. However, placing a phone over an NFC tag.
the vision of the
there are situations where users However, if we are working in the
want to tailor the settings or select same place for long periods of time,
different lighting scenes to their own a computer/laptop may be a more
future office
preferences. One option is to use logical user interface for lighting.
user interfaces which are designed
to be easy to clean. The alternative As technology continues to
is touchless UI, whereby lighting is advance, we will continue to
controlled by voice or gesture control.
reap the benefits. Technology
Voice control is already being used in enables safety and comfort -
home environments with the likes of ultimately creating a seamless
Alexa, Cortana and Google. However, user experience. So, once the pre-requisites for boost our wellbeing. But how would
returning to the office are met, someone know if their workplace is
ticking the right boxes when it comes
what do we envision for the
to human-centric design?
future office?
The WELL Building Standard is a
Whilst WFH during the pandemic, globally recognised certification
we’ve become accustomed to the which tells us exactly that. It offers
conditions of homeworking. We an excellent framework to design a
are creatures of habit, so what will people-focused workplace, ensuring
encourage us to return to the office that people are kept at the centre of
since we are now used to these home office design and development.
comforts?
WELL is grounded in a body of
It’s simple. The decision to return to evidence-based research that
the office will come down to whether explores the connection between our
the office can provide value on top of buildings and the health and wellness
the homeworking conditions. impacts on the people inside these
A starting point for consideration buildings. To be awarded a WELL
could be whether the chosen working V2 Certification by the International
place is designed to support and
WELL Building Institute™ (IWBI), systems. The result of this is a people-
rigorous testing is required to centric place to work.
ensure that the building meets all
ten performance requirements: Air, But wellbeing isn’t the only factor
Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, that needs to be considered. Office
Thermal Comfort, Sound, Materials, spaces also need to be sustainable
Mind and Community. and cost-efficient to use and maintain.
And this is clear from the presence of
During this whitepaper, we delve empty offices. What is the value of the
deeper into the concept of light, office compared to its cost? Can an
going through the very basics of office with optimised conditions also
good lighting and touching upon how be efficient where square meters are
lighting can support wellbeing and used efficiently? We believe that this is
optimal working rhythms. In addition where smart technology provides the
to this, we’ll also reflect on other most benefits.
aspects including air and movement.
Smart technology helps to provide
In future buildings, we believe optimal conditions whilst encouraging
that systems will support perfect energy efficiency and minimal
working conditions. They use data wastage. Sensors continually monitor
to seamlessly interact and work an environment and collect and collate
together, collecting insights from data, which can then be processed
a wide variety of different building into insights and predictions, such as
predictive occupancy. They can identify Many companies would now love
where and how to improve conditions to adapt their spaces for varying
even before any individual triggers the personal preferences, for a new type
need. And when different solutions of use, for less or more people, and
in a building interact with each other, for different sizes of teams, for both
wellbeing and energy benefits can in offices and virtual use.
be far greater than we can anticipate
now. So, the priority in office development
should be that the future offices
We’ve spoken about people, wellbeing need to be adaptable, and they
centricity, and how future offices can need to adapt without hassle,
also be efficient at the same time, but increasingly aided and automatically
there is also a third element which by the intelligence provided by smart
we envision that is crucial for future technology.
offices — adaptability.
But before we jump into this,
We tend to design spaces based let’s start from the basics of
on what we have learned about
good lighting which can often be
them. But if the last twelve months
have taught us anything, it’s overlooked...
that it is so difficult to forecast
the future in the world where
speed of change accelerates.
CRI in an office needs to be scored at and there should be minimal lighting
least 80 CRI. There is a strong focus differences between adjacent
placed on how highly red (R9) is rated, surfaces.
since it indicates how accurately
we can see skin tones. The WELL These attributes are all measured as
Standard suggests that R9 should part of the WELL Standard, in addition
always score greater than 50. to considerations around workstation
positioning and minimising daylight
The selected luminaire and its position glare.
will ultimately define where light is
available. Selecting the correct type of Ultimately, we all appreciate the
luminaires and the luminaire locations ability to tune our environments, and
are the key competence of a lighting lighting is one of the easiest elements
designer. It’s also essential to take in an office that we can adjust to suit
care that there is a high-quality LED our ever-changing needs. Let’s make
driver that doesn’t flicker. Glare can it a daily conscious observation and
be reduced by selecting the suitable demand better lighting conditions.
optics and by using fully or partly
indirect lighting. The uniformity of After all, we typically only truly
lighting should also be considered appreciate good lighting when it isn’t
there...
what is good lighting
in office spaces?
It’s easy to get caught up with rendering depend on the spectrum
new and exciting technology, but of the light. Some luminaires have
two or more different light sources.
we shouldn’t forget the basics of
By using a lighting control system,
good lighting! the characteristics of light can be
changed. For example, Tunable White
We need the right type of light at luminaires typically have two different
the right time to perform at our LED types, and by varying the output
best. The light source defines both of those, the characteristics of the
colour temperature (how “warm” or light changes. Colour rendering is
“cool” light is, measured in Kelvin) expressed as a rating between 1 – 100
and colour rendering (how different against the Colour Rendering Index
colours are perceived based on light). (CRI). The higher the CRI rating, the
better the colour rendering ability. The
Colour temperature and colour
good lighting meets the evening hours. Many studies have
highlighted the negative impact on
effectively support the user’s overall
mood, mental and physical health and
circadian lighting
sleep when looking at mobile phones productivity levels.
or watching television shortly before Of the current nine WELL Standard
bedtime – this is because these Preconditions and Optimisations
screens emit cooler blue light that can for Light, L03 relates to Circadian
make it harder for our bodies to sleep. Lighting. This optimisation
recommends that certain light levels
A term becoming rapidly more evolution, this process has relied
Mobile devices now even have settings are achieved for a minimum of four
widespread is ‘circadian lighting’ solely on natural light, however as
that can reduce the amount of bluish hours a day (by midday latest) at a
we’ve moved into the modern age,
- which means lighting specially light entering the user’s eye to combat height of 18 inches above the work-
where typically we spend 80-90% of
tuned to support our natural our time indoors often without access
these issues. It’s even more important plane for all workstations in regularly
body-clocks. But the question to take care that there is no light in occupied spaces (see table below).
to natural light, it’s common for our
our bedrooms when we are sleeping,
is, can office lighting truly have circadian rhythms to be disrupted.
as this can interfere with the natural Depending on the amount of EML
such a big part to play in our This can result in trouble sleeping and
process. For some of us, it might (Equivalent Melanopic Luxes) or
day-to-day body regulation? make it harder to stay alert.
be wise to invest in black-out blinds M-EDI(D65) (Melanopic Equivalent
which are designed to effectively Daylight Illuminance), a workplace can
Sleep is critical in terms of recharging Typically, lighting should be adjusted
reduce this impact. get more points for their certification.
your body. But did you know that throughout the day according to
the quality of your sleep might be our bodies to enhance an optimal
circadian rhythm. For most people, So, how can office lighting In practice, this means that spaces
influenced by the lighting in your may require light sources which are
this means a lot of light and/or cooler support our circadian rhythm?
workplace? capable of producing cooler light and/
light during the morning hours and
Since light is the main driver of the or brighter light at different times of
Our bodies operate on a body clock – gradually shifting to lower lighting
visual and circadian systems, and the day.
our circadian rhythm - the natural, levels towards the evening. This would
be true for both at home and in an since all light - not just sunlight
internal process that regulates the Additionally, since this particular
office environment. - can contribute to circadian
sleep–wake cycle and repeats roughly condition is measured by the light
For diurnal individuals (those who photoentrainment, all spaces should
every 24 hours. which reaches our eyes, designers
truly get active after 6pm) it’s wise take lighting strategies into account to
should focus on other variables,
This circadian rhythm is extremely to avoid strong lighting levels and/
sensitive to light. Throughout human or cooler temperature light during
For workstations used during the daytime, electric lighting is used to achieve the following thresholds:
a. The following light levels are achieved for at least four hours (beginning by noon at the latest) at
a height of 18 inches above the work place for all workstations in regularly occupied spaces:
Tier Threshold Points
1 At least 150 EML The project achieves at least 120 EML [109 M-EDI(D65)] and 1
OR
[136 M-EDI(D65)] L05 Part 1 or L06 Part 1
2 At least 240 EML The project achieves at least 180 EML [163 M-EDI(D65)] and 3
OR
[218 M-EDI(D65)] L05 Part 1 or L06 Part 1
b. The light levels are achieved on the vertical plane at eye level to simulate the light entering the
eye of the occupant.
for additional information, click here to visit WELL
Helvar Light over Time®
including lumen output, timing and the lighting is set to high intensity bright Helvar’s lighting profile creation and
position of luminaires and surfaces of white light, this isn’t beneficial to the
implementation tool, designed to
work planes. circadian rhythm of users working
in the late evening. It would also use balance the artificial lighting in our
As white surfaces reflect more light excess energy when a dimmer light daily environment and provide a more
NATURAL ALERTNESS
than darker surfaces, this should be would be more than appropriate for natural lighting cycle.
taken into account when designing the time of day and availability of
offices to maximise the level of daylight.
Click here to read more
available light. Even the colour of work
surfaces can affect the spectrum of The best strategy to achieve optimal about Light over Time
reflected light. conditions day in, day out, would be to
implement a lighting control solution
Watch the video
Circadian lighting design is an that automatically sets the lighting to
interesting topic when it comes to the appropriate intensity and colour WELLBEING
lighting controls. A common strategy temperature throughout the day. This
employed by companies is to use can be a general solution if working
occupancy/movement sensors to hours in the space are regular. If
ensure that lighting is dimmed when a employee working hours typically vary,
space is empty. a personalised solution might be more Helvar ActiveAheadTM
However, this typically won’t help with
suitable. This would support every
user’s circadian rhythm, regardless
Personalised Solutions
light intensity or colour temperature of working hours, and reduce energy
Through our solutions, users have
adjustments. For instance, if the usage in an intelligent way.
the ability to fine-tune and select Circadian Wellbeing: This rhythm is designed to boost..
the lighting rhythms to match their
At Helvar, we have innovative tools to help implement individual needs.
the perfect circadian lighting for users of the space!
quality does not worsen in an instant. ventilation, it is almost certain that the
Instead, there is typically a slow air quality will degrade quite rapidly.
build-up which ultimately triggers the Systems that measure occupancy in
HVAC system after crossing a certain real-time can subsequently forecast
threshold. the expected impact on air quality and
direct the HVAC system accordingly.
The goal of a primary intervention
intelligent sensing to
technique is to instead anticipate It is also worth thinking about
the build-up in advance and take secondary interventions. If the air
appropriate action ahead of time. quality has unfortunately already
support performance
When executed correctly, the indoor degraded, the occupants must be
air quality in the space should informed as soon as possible in case
theoretically never worsen, since the the HVAC system cannot adequately
system continues to spring into action improve the conditions. These alerts
proactively. Occupancy seems to be can be generated via handheld devices
the most useful leading indicator or through some common interface
As mentioned above, future space for user health and wellbeing of air quality. If a space is highly like a wall screen panel or emergency
office spaces should have a - before the conditions even start to occupied and does not have adequate lighting. Pretty clever stuff, right?
have an adverse impact.
surprisingly notable impact on
the wellbeing of occupants. Harmful indoor compounds, especially
CO2, are a great example of such an
By combining data from various intervention. Prolonged exposure
the thought of the day
sensors, including occupancy data, to dangerous levels of CO2 can lead
real-time decisions and interventions to fatigue, headaches, decreased
can be made to optimise indoor productivity and other physiological
from our data scientist
conditions in a way that benefits the issues.
occupants of the space.
Many HVAC systems are designed to
There are various possible
“
react to worsening indoor conditions.
interventions which the system can They can, for example, trigger
take, but the most valuable is one that increased ventilation to reduce rising
occurs proactively. The universality of IoT (Internet of Things) devices and the exponential
levels of CO2. However, the problem
with this approach is that it suffers
increase in computational power in the last decade have made the
This is where the system essentially from delayed reaction times. The air conversation nuanced on how and where to deploy intelligence. It is a
makes a decision to optimise the multi-dimensional trade-off between cost, complexity and latency.
Simple decision-making algorithms can easily reside on low-cost IoT
chips, allowing the system to execute commands instantaneously. This
comes at the expense of complexity. Significantly more complex and
advanced algorithms can be deployed on the cloud. However, this usually
incurs a running expenditure and has a higher latency as well, depending
on the resources involved.
When planning the architecture of an intelligent system, it is important to
consider the complexity of the system, the expected response times and
whether existing tools and hardware can actually support the application.
Often, a reasonable approach involves both edge IoT devices and the cloud
to enable resource sharing, ease the complexity constraints,
“
and improve decision-making speed.our closing remarks our contributors
Thank you to the contributors from the Helvar team!
It seems evident that the hybrid requirement will be actualised
working model is here to stay. The
way we use our offices is changing
through use of smart building
solutions, including intelligent lighting
HENRI JUSLÉN
rapidly, and the aforementioned systems. Smart, connected lighting FUTURE LIGHTING
‘office revolution’ seems to already be plays an integral role in the evolution
upon us. of offices spaces and in maintaining
healthy working rhythms. The
The shift in our way of working has development of innovative tools and
highlighted our desire for versatility. methods mean that we’re now better JAS KANDOLA
The consensus is that offices play an able to support our circadian rhythms
integral part in our society, providing than ever before. MARKETING
a central hub for businesses to
crystallise their core values and At Helvar, we believe the best
acting as ergonomic, dynamic spaces working experience happens when
for people to collaborate, socialise, technologies integrate seamlessly,
and concentrate. Importantly, benefiting our wellbeing whilst LARS HELLSTRÖM
offices can offer conditions designed optimising spaces - achieved by
holistically for employee wellbeing. continuously harnessing data over STRATE GY & BU S INE SS D E VE LO PM EN T
time to generate valuable insights for
Of course, there is a prerequisite years to come.
- offices need to be safe. This vital
OMAR NASIR
DATA S C IE NC E
SAM KILEY
MARKETING
We’re Turning Everyday Places into Brighter Spaces.
Throughout 2021, we’re celebrating our centennial anniversary. Our journey of
innovation and reinvention has enabled us to develop market-leading future-
proof lighting solutions across office projects worldwide. SUSANNE LEHTINEN
MARKETING
To learn more about how Helvar can help you create
Brighter Spaces, speak to our team today!
To speak to the Helvar team regarding any content in this whitepaper, any
visit www.helvar.com press queries, or simply for further information or discussion, please contact
marketing@helvar.comYou can also read
