Future-proof buildings are more than sustainable
“In the last 10 years our world has gone from fairly stable to dynamic, with many developments. These dynamics in our behaviour, organisations and society require long-term vision at the beginning of a future-proof process." In this blog, Ellis ten Dam (commercial director buildings) together with Marije Teerling (leading professional experience management) explain what this looks like.
"Actually, sustainability is no longer enough," Ellis ten Dam explains. "Making buildings future-proof is precisely about gaining insight into human behaviour, user experience and responsible interpretation of premises and surroundings. An interpretation that thus delivers value for users, society and the organisation."
Understanding human behaviour for long-term real estate value
The financial picture for a property investment is obviously important. In terms of costs and revenues, the main focus is on 'the bricks', the initial investments. However, value lies in much more than functional use. There is much more dynamism due to trends such as hybrid working, other mobility concepts and new ecosystems between education and business, among others. As people, we use the 'office' and educational environments differently, for example. You have to take this into account if you want to get value out of real estate.
Future-proof environments create more than financial value: they attract and captivate talent.
Thinking about the world of tomorrow is most important here, according to Ellis. “Now, when we help a university, for example, we work out different scenarios. Because what if the number of students grows? Or if they become even more digital? You have to make choices now for students 15 years from now, and for the building skeleton even for 50 years or more. You can adjust a table or chair in between, but can the building skeleton handle multiple options? Because that soon leads to the wasting of material and capital. Only by looking at a building's future potential and opting for solutions that can accommodate multiple scenarios do you become truly sustainable and future-proof."
User experience for optimal user value
So you have to be mindful of the organisation and its users when developing real estate. But how do you build the perfect user experience for users? For Marije, future-oriented real estate is not necessarily about the physical environment."I look at digital environments and user experience/customer experience within buildings. Many organisations are searching for answers to questions such as: what do behavioural changes mean for our offices? How can we ensure that meeting in the office is still relevant? The physical office environment can take on a very different look. And that is precisely where you can make a difference as an employer or property owner."
Ellis: “Often, property owners already have an idea of the direction a solution should take. We start by taking one step back. What values should the physical and digital environment deliver? For example, we are currently involved in discussion with a financial service-provider that wants a smart building. That is a building in which, among other things, users can find places easily and where the energy consumption and cleaning are set-up automatically and through smart control. And their wishes and requirements were already on the table at the first meeting."
Want to find out about a large-scale project focusing on user experience within buildings? Then take a look at our case study for Booking.com.
Marije: "Then we deliberately hit the brakes. After all, we want to be sure that the final plan is also a future-proof solution in the long term. That is why it is important to discuss whether the wishes are just what they are, or whether there is more behind them. That way, you might come up with a different, better and more future-proof solution."
Ellis: "That's why we start off by asking questions like: why do we actually want smart? What are the ambitions and goals of the organisation? What needs do your employees have? Based on the answers given, we can then map hard (e.g. maintenance of physical systems) and soft services (facility services). That enables us to create strategic frameworks, partly with the help of parametric models. This discipline is still relatively unknown, but crucial for sustainable transformations."
Respect for the environment for social value
Creating sustainable, circular and future-proof buildings also involves thinking about the environment and social impact. “Finding solutions is about more than the physical building," says Marije. "A different way of organising, for example the way days at the office are distributed, can provide a better solution than just creating more workstations. Not least because it has an impact on an organisation's carbon footprint. Smart facilitation and organisation of hybrid working is then a better and more future-proof investment than a new office."Ellis: "In addition, the challenges of climate change demand full attention. We cannot use resources rashly. This is not just about the right materials or reusing materials. It all starts with a different mindset: do I need it or can I share it with others? Why not share (parts of) buildings, instead of everyone having their own spot? Think about communal areas such as meeting centres or restaurants: these are great for organisations to use together. And sharing can also add value for users and the organisation. So think from the perspective of use rather than possession."
We see an opportunity to share our building with students and thus potentially attract new people
Make the right decision for future-proof built environments
Lack of space, scarce resources and rapidly changing user needs have made the task of future-proofing real estate more complex than ever. It requires an approach that looks beyond the physical solution. It calls for respect for users, their rapidly changing needs, the strategic interests of the organisation and (the contribution to) society.Marije: "And the great thing is that as Royal HaskoningDHV, we can address both the consultancy and the technical side. Engineers, business consultants and behavioural experts work shoulder to shoulder. And that means that we both help customers make informed strategic investment choices at the front-end and provide a realistic implementation plan that we can execute together with the customer. And we are really proud of that."
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