“Baker Group’s clients benefit from our understanding of their cost structure and how we can impact their business in ways far beyond the building,” says Daryld Karloff, Baker Group Executive Vice President of Building Services. “Those impacts are what make a building ‘smart’ – they enhance the occupants’ experience and support their creativity, good decision making and productivity. These include safety, security and noise reduction.” 

Safety & Security
According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, feelings of safety and security are basic human needs, coming right after food and water.

When people feel they may be at risk, the resulting stress can harm health and performance. Conversely, a work environment in which workers feel safe and secure promotes good health and strong performance.

Security threats can range from unauthorized entry to a wide range of criminal acts. Baker Group’s Security team helps clients minimize these threats through:  

• Electronic access control systems. A variety of systems allow designated cardholders to access the parking garage, building and specific areas inside – while keeping others out.
• Internet protocol (IP) video systems. IP-based cameras and memory are more affordable than ever and provide extraordinary resolution. “You can read a license plate a block away,” Karloff says. Additionally, motion-sensitive cameras reduce wasted electronic storage and are energy-efficient.
• Other types of security features, such as front-desk duress buttons, safety phones and cameras in parking lots and other vulnerable areas.

Jarod Stockel, P.E., Baker Group’s Automation Business Unit Leader, adds that intelligent lighting also heightens workers’ sense of safety and security: “We can integrate lighting systems with access control systems so that an individual’s access card not only opens the garage gate and door to the building, but it can also illuminate hallways, corridors and work areas used by that individual.”

Noise Reduction
Hallway conversations, operating machinery and traffic outdoors can interfere with building occupants’ ability to communicate, think and get work done. This is according to researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health[1], who also report that unwanted sounds can cause people to feel irritated, uncomfortable and/or distressed. Environmental noise has been associated with hypertension, heart-related problems and workplace accidents.

“In new construction, it’s important to make good decisions about sound,” says Karloff. “When Baker Group is at the table on a design-build project, we advocate for features that contribute to employees’ health and productivity. For example, we may recommend selecting glass for windows that provides great thermal capabilities as well as noise reduction.”

Other noise-reduction tactics may include white noise, ceiling tiles and carpet.

“Sound sensors can be installed to monitor noise and alert facility operators and staff of when it reaches disruptive levels,” says Stockel. For example, some hospitals have installed sound meters in patient rooms. When noise from the nurses’ station, corridor or other areas gets too loud, the staff is alerted to keep noise levels down.

“In the future, we look forward to integrating noise meters directly into building automation systems,” Stockel adds.

Safety, security and noise control are all components of a smart building – and all areas in which Baker Group helps clients optimize their buildings’ ability to support occupant performance and business success.

You may also want to read “Why Smart Buildings Should Be About More Than Technology” and subsequent articles on increasing productivity through the use of Ventilation & Lighting,Air Quality & Thermal Health and Moisture & Water Quality.

[1] http://9foundations.forhealth.org/