How well is your building? (Part 3)

In Part 3 (and final) of our Building Wellness Blogs we look at the Operational Phase of the property life cycle.

Part 3 – Operational Monitoring

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This area is growing exponentially because of two reasons –

1.     The concern for personal health (read productivity) of workers; and

2.     The advancement in technology

Building Management Systems (BMS) already have the ability to monitor and change air-quality, control lighting lux levels and change levels of natural light penetration, and to maintain the heath of natural green spaces within buildings. But one of the great breakthroughs that is within 5-10 years away from commercial reality is the monitoring of an individual health during the working day. This might seem like Big Brother but it is a reality that has already passed the test phase and is being used in some major corporation’s offices around the world on a trial basis. It has the ability to monitor things like blood pressure, fatigue, and oxygen levels, and then to adjust the environment accordingly through the BMS. But the real big step in this system is the monitoring of personal health including blood pressure, heart health, cholesterol and other individual health issues. This is being done by linking the individual to the BMS system through various methods and providing a live read of an individual’s health at any one time.

This is not fanciful and is being trialled now and don’t misunderstand that in an increasingly competitive investment market, these type of BMS will become the norm.

Remember air-conditioning was once considered a luxury item…..

John Rosel