Insights

2021 Looking Forward - The new normal crafted through architech.

When everybody across the world continues to make the transition back to normalcy from lock-down, we are curious about what will happen in our society when we reconnect with the time and space we've been missing for months.

Which new realm are we going to enter?

We have had to be review and re-evaluate our everyday mundane activities at RMZ; how you move across the built environment, how you enter shops and restaurants, how you drive, and how you come and go from your job. Actually, everything has evolved. We need to alter the deep-seated habits we had before COVID-19, as well as to change the interaction pattern with objects, people, spaces and the society.

It is a challenge and an opportunity for designers to raise the human experience, create new spatial typologies, and envision the new products and services that will help sustain such conditions.

When we re-engage with the society, most of us will be looking for innate confidence in the environment in which we are progressing and interacting with. The current administrative controls of installing screening checkpoints at building entrances serve as entry barriers where one is faced with a variety of temporary tech devices, signposts, and queuing lines. It doesn't need to be like this.

Whether residential or commercial, we can perceive these entrance experiences through a much more positive lens, one that effortlessly fuses architecture and technology to develop surroundings that encourage hope and creates a friendly first impression. We can have an integrated approach to design and establish spatial interactions that are higher in service and quality than before.

Let's find out how we could get there.

Discussing the PropTech
transformation

The timing of this pandemic has significantly accelerated the change already underway in the "PropTech" sector, which has already been powered by the emergence of IoT devices, mobile phone capabilities, and the prevalence of high bandwidth communication.

However, the innovations have been around for some time, but consumer preferences and demand are the key factors driving change at this time. The demand curve has progressed in relatively unprecedented ways in the past few months.

In today's world, the importance of combining digital and physical solutions is crucial. The key to creating a successful user interface and experience is to follow a human- centric design and keeping experience and customer preferences at the heart of innovation.

Technological incorporation into the building, in a way that each part exists independently from the other.

An integrated approach to design is fundamental to technological incorporation. All systems need to interact and communicate harmoniously to create a seamless user experience. Just like we design building interiors to align into a building then into a neighborhood, then into the city, state, country, and the world, each technology solution needs to be developed to work efficiently within the broad device ecosystem.

How to Develop consistent Physical-Digital Systems

The criteria for doing this is twofold: first, you need a thorough human-centered design system that covers physical, digital, brand, and service design components of a user journey's; and second, you need a fundamental technology framework for each unique journey that can provide plug and play features for a certain digital solution.

For example, let us look at the convenience for entry experience that would all be developed on a foundational software base.

Imagine entering the lobby of an office building. An automated arrival process tests your identification via touchless registration, such as facial recognition or your personal device.

If you’re a visitor, A digital assistant greets you either by booths or through your work device. Dynamic and interactive digital wayfinding directs people, to the most convenient routes at a subtle distance from others like touchless elevator systems. This is handled by a single, unified, fully integrated software system with an easy setup that enables owners and operators to select and choose the most relevant features for them.

How does a new physical-digital workplace look like after the pandemic?

The workplace would not be a single physical location after the pandemic. Hence it is a series of interconnected physical and digital spaces that will act as a trusted network for business continuity, social interaction, and constant professional growth. This pandemic has shown us that business stability is not related to the physical office: people can be efficient, get their job done, and have services delivered from home to them.

On the other hand, People want to communicate with friends, solve problems together, and work together in ways that are strengthened by physical proximity. That will lead us back to the workplace on either a permanent or periodic basis, with an optimal and flexible transition between physical and digital space.

The return brings several questions with it.

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How can individuals working from home communicate smoothly with others who have already returned to the office?

Technology and connectivity would be key for a seamless working experience. Technology, not only to allow for the task at hand but also facilitates the pre-pandemic conference room for those in the room and also considers those who participate remotely as listeners. These rooms can be built to establish equality, irrespective of physical or virtual presence, between participants. Technology during meetings and work sessions may be a bridge for both on-site and remote teams inside the workplace.

Digital assistants can automate activities and offer efficient assistance to help workers maximize their workday and provide information about external factors in the company, such as air quality, temperature, and cleanliness.

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How it relates to building owners and operators

A fully integrated architecture and digital experience can have long-term incentives for asset owners and operators and for the occupants. Apart from a seamless interaction with access, space and amenities these systems could help in building psychological and ideological comfort for the occupants in the built environment. Digital displays may provide relevant data on building health and wellness factors in real-time, either in public view or back-of-house which instill confidence in the occupants and their interaction with the built environment. Real time monitoring of building systems via digital platforms could also help optimize building operations, reduces costs and achieve sustainability goals

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Conclusion

Re-entry into the built environment should be a welcoming, intense experience after so many weeks restricted to our homes, one that helps us to comfortably build connections with those with whom we have been separated. The physical experience of entering this modern world would flourish from the seamless blending of technology with architecture that gives confidence and lead to a healthier future for all of us. Personal devices will become fundamental to employee interactions with each other and the building itself in order to restrict the use of shared interfaces. Most of what is required to enable biometric scanning, voice-activated apps, contactless transactions, and other touch alternatives are already included in these devices and their operating systems. Personal devices are a crucial component of a frictionless experience, coupled with building sensors and location-based info.