It’s great to have you back

Signs bidding us to keep a safe distance and cover our mouths and noses are now so ubiquitous in office common areas that we’ve even stopped noticing them, just like no one pays any attention to the fire safety instructions and the rules for using the lifts. Instead, working surfaces are more frequently being disinfected, as well as bannisters, door handles, barriers, and bike racks and stands. Almost at every corner, you can find a disinfectant dispenser for your hands and special bins for face masks and disposable gloves. The reception desks of many buildings have had plexiglass screens installed, while the staff who work in these areas are now armed with infrared thermometers. Is there anything more a developer can do? It turns out the answer is yes – and technology is playing a key role in this.

Faith in the experts

Arkadiusz Rudzki, the executive vice-president for leasing and sales at Skanska Commercial Development Europe, feels that under the present circumstances the most important thing is to make workers feel safe and comfortable as well as to provide them with the conditions they need to perform their various duties, whether this involves individuals concentrating on their own projects or working in a team. While according to Jarosław Zagórski, the commercial and business development director of Ghelamco Poland: “Extraordinary circumstances require extraordinary measures, so we decided to develop an entire arsenal of technological innovations and systems – and these are already being used in our latest office projects: The Warsaw Hub and Warsaw Unit.” In order to identify the best ways of preventing the spread of the virus, both Ghelamco and Skanska sought out expert advice. After consulting an epidemiologist and undertaken some trials, Skanska devised and has now put into practice its ‘Care for Life’ office concept. Ghelamco, meanwhile, immediately commissioned a report when the pandemic broke out from the building engineering department of the Warsaw University of Technology, which has been used to help them make their buildings as safe as possible for their tenants’ employees to come back to.

Don’t touch!

One way of limiting the spread of germs and viruses is by using contactless control systems. Skanska’s buildings are fitted with access control systems that allow people to walk through doorways and use the elevators without pressing any buttons or touching handles. “We are using our integrated Connected by Skanska platform for this, which we’ve had for many years. With our smartphone app, you can gain access to our buildings through a virtual entry card, and for guests there’s an electronic register. For those who come in by car, there’s an intelligent parking system with an automated number plate recognition access system,” reveals Arkadiusz Rudzki. Equally importantly, Skanska has installed a ventilation system in its buildings that ensures a 100 pct fresh air flow with the required humidity. Ghelamco also makes use of hi-tech HVAC systems: “Our offices will be equipped with technological systems that have settings appropriate for a pandemic,” reveals Jarosław Zagórski. As he explains: “The air conditioning system will only use outdoor air unmixed with any from within, thus preventing a virus spreading through the air throughout the entire building.” The Warsaw Hub and Warsaw Unit will have UV sterilisers in the elevators, which will be engaged when the lifts are not in use. UV sterilisers are also to be fitted into the ventilation system. Ghelamco has also invested in an app that can be used to inform office workers that the building has been put into pandemic mode. “Employees can be kept up to date, as all the most important information is sent to their telephones, including any new rules and restrictions,” says Jarosław Zagórski. Cromwell Property Group, meanwhile, has introduced its own health and safety regime, which has been developed in partnership with CBRE. In its Innova Work Station and Signum Work Station office buildings, personal contact between people in the building has been minimised and the elevators have also been reprogrammed to immediately return to the ground floor after transporting passengers and then to wait there with open doors. As a result, the cabins are thoroughly aired and there’s no need to touch anything to open the doors on the ground floor. Cromwell has also begun pumping 100 pct fresh air into the buildings, while the ventilation filters are more frequently changed and the entire system cleaned more regularly. A special new internet webportal has also been set up for office users.

Well, Well, Well

Both Skanska and Ghelamco have applied for the Well Health-Safety Rating for their buildings, which has been established as a direct response to Covid-19. The certificate is only awarded to office buildings with the highest health and safety standards – those were the risk of the spread of disease has been minimised and that guarantee a healthy workplace during a pandemic. “By the end of the year, Skanska will have received such certificates for nine buildings in the CEE region,” claims Arkadiusz Rudzki. And as for Ghelamco: “We were the first in Poland to be singled out by the certification body IWBI (the International Well Building Institute) as an early adopter of the Well Health-Safety Rating,” says Jarosław Zagórski.

Robots vs Covid

The first Polish robot to use UV-C light to disinfect entire rooms has been put into use at the Specialist District Hospital on ul. Koszarowa in Wrocław. The device can be used almost anywhere, so it might soon be making an appearance in office buildings, too. The robot, which has been developed by ControlTec, kills both bacteria and viruses such as Covid-19. The hospital has used UV light to sterilise surfaces for many years, but free-standing lamps pose a health risk to hospital personnel. However, ControlTec’s automated robot, which has 16 UV-C lamps, moves around and can open doors for itself. When linked to the building’s operating system it can even operate elevators. The robot turns its UV lights on only when there is no one around and informs its operators when it has completed its tasks.