NTT puts their own employee experience first in new Munich offices

Vision

Creating the technology-powered office of the future

For NTT DATA in Munich, the shift to hybrid work from the pandemic’s forced remote work offered an opportunity to rethink what an office should be: sustainable, healthy, safe and, importantly, a place where people wanted to spend time.

We would have to securely connect people working remotely with those working in the office – and make it easy for employees to come in, book spaces and find their colleagues. The intelligent workplace would also have to measure occupancy and track how different workspaces are used, allowing us to keep an eye on energy consumption.

The network had to facilitate easy data exchange, automation, and communication between devices and systems. We wanted to optimize resource management by monitoring space usage and as well as offering convenient access to tools and real-time information.

Transformation

Creating a smarter space using sensors and automation

The office design started with creating different workspaces – general work areas, private rooms, and meeting rooms with videoconferencing facilities with integrated connectivity software – to allow people to collaborate with others or focus in a quiet room. Even the kitchen was designed with videoconferencing facilities, so remote and on-site colleagues can connect while having a cup of coffee.

Work areas and meeting rooms can be booked on an app ahead of time, or spots can be claimed as needed, with plans to expand this to parking bays as well. E-ink displays on rooms and desks indicated if a space has been booked. To keep track of bookings and occupancy, we use a digital twin of the office.

Our network connects the entire office and its sensors, and securely shares collected data with our dashboard. The dashboard consolidates the data, enabling us to easily view and analyse sensor data indicating occupancy, how spaces are being used and building health metrics like temperature, humidity, the level of carbon dioxide in the air as well as air quality.

The office also takes a smart approach to energy. The future deployment of sensors will detect when devices and spaces are not being used, then switch the power off in those spaces.

Results

Enabling collaboration and creating opportunities for creativity

The new workspace in Munich encourages employees to come to the office and connect with colleagues. Automation makes it easy for people to use the technology at the office, and also facilitate managing the office. Sensors and analytics work together to reduce energy consumption in the building and make sure the physical environment is comfortable. These measures create cost savings, but also make the office a better place to work, boosting productivity and creativity.

Facilitate office management

The connectivity increases collaboration and efficiency by enabling real-time data sharing among devices and systems. This interaction makes it easier to manage resources and the office environment.

Improving the employee experience

The office is a social place where people can use an app to easily book their workspaces, and soon parking, ahead of time, from anywhere, or scan a QR code to check in. The app also makes it easy to see which colleagues are in the office on that day and where to find them.

Enabling indoor wayfinding

The office’s digital twin and the app allow guests and employees to find out where they are in the building and how to get to meeting rooms find colleagues.

Saving energy, conserving costs

Automation, switching devices off when they’re not in use, energy-saving electronic displays minimizes electricity use. Monitoring and analysis generate comprehensive sustainability reports, which can be used for planning.