Getting Smarter About Smart Buildings

Intelligent environments can make the workplace safer and improve collaboration.

Ethan Bernstein

August 26, 2020

We’re seeing renewed energy around smart buildings as organizations, their landlords, and developers consider what it will take to facilitate a mass return to physical workspaces mid- and post-pandemic. In particular, they’re thinking about how emerging technologies, beyond garden-variety sensors and apps, can be used to track employees and keep them safe. It’s increasingly possible, for instance, to analyze radio waves, like Wi-Fi, to monitor where people are and how they move — without any connection to a smartphone or other hardware.¹ Employers and builders are also reconceiving optimal office ...