Arup has been researching a smarter approach to office design and the application of emerging digital technologies in buildings via a project we call ‘All About the Desk’. This is a six person workplace and meeting space that uses – and tests – emerging technologies and user-centred design. Our design deploys common data and power distribution, open source controls and sensing, data collection and analysis, and direct user interfaces with the surrounding environment.

‘All About the Desk’ is driven by Arup’s recognition that the way we use office space is undergoing significant change, with today’s norm focused on open plan floorplates, high occupancy densities and, in many cases, daily hot-desking. In addition, activity-based and project-based working now often require people to move regularly, typically within a two-to-five year fit-out cycle. All this change in how occupants use office space and building technology is clearly struggling to keep up. Systems such as lighting, power, air conditioning or data infrastructure generally remain in their original configurations, while desk and meeting spaces are regularly and repeatedly overhauled.

Years of occupant feedback tells us that for people to be happy and productive at work they want: a) the ability to choose (for example, to open a window); b) a quick response to ‘I’m too hot or too cold’; and c) greater understanding of how their office ‘works’, as this improves their ability to adapt to their building and its constraints.

Big Data or Direct Current?

Words and phrases such as Big Data, Smart, Connectivity, BIM and the Internet of Things all promise a future of optimised building performance but what do these really mean in practice? ‘All About the Desk’ puts these theories and initiatives to the test by exploring web-based technologies, monitoring and personalised office environments, hand in hand with an appropriate and flexible infrastructure.

Our design begins with questioning the way we provide power in our buildings. Nearly all devices within a modern building use direct current (DC), such as a laptop, a smartphone, or the lighting. Yet we still use alternating current (AC) power throughout buildings, requiring conversion at each connection (ie. your laptop brick), which is both disruptive and expensive. DC is easier and safer to reconfigure and it also means we can combine power and data within a single cable. Arup’s ‘All About the Desk’ uses this approach to power all equipment, while providing data connection over the same cable. This means each device can have an IP address, making it a functional part of the internet. As addressable devices, they can communicate over the internet directly with each other or as part of a wider system. With common power and data infrastructure using internet protocols, ‘things’ can now exchange data that can be monitored and programmed to do what we like.

User-centric environments

We’ve also prioritised user-centric design by experimenting with low-cost sensors to monitor environmental conditions, such as temperature, air quality, noise and light as well as energy use by each device. This makes it possible to personalise a local environment quickly and easily. It also allows direct access to devices in much the same way as with smartphones. When desks move or a person moves, their preferences move with them. When another user arrives at a particular desk, their preferences come with them.

We are also trialling methods of tracking people’s movement, a missing function in today’s building management and one that could unlock the ability to optimise function by matching performance to actual occupancy. Systems exist to track movement but they tend to be incorporated into proprietary building management systems (BMS), which are segregated and typically use ‘closed’ protocol-based applications. Fundamental to our ‘All About the Desk’ project is the use of open standards and protocols that allow devices to communicate with each other regardless of source. More traditional controls for equipment that require open gateways can still operate, with the difference that these sit on a common, open building operating system.

Our ‘open’ theme is reflected in the desk furniture itself, designed using open 3D design software and rapid prototype manufacturing techniques. Our desk is designed, printed and assembled locally and is entirely customised. We have incorporated a service zone within each desk as an accessible route for all cabling and to allow users to install a host of sensors and gadgets and well as traditional laptop docking station, IP phone, chargers, etc.

Digital technology will transform the interaction we have with our buildings as well as their performance – and Arup wants to show clients what is possible. IT change is fast and investment in infrastructure that can support and adapt to change is critical. ‘All About the Desk’ is our working laboratory, allowing us to make practical tests that improve our knowledge, challenge existing norms and answer questions our clients are asking. Take a look for yourself at allabouthedesk.arup.com