The Future Works, AshbyCapital and U+I’s office development in Slough, is now the town’s first smart office building, thanks to the integration of Smart Spaces’ technology. Through the technology platform Smart Spaces, The Future Works offers a tailor-made workplace app that promotes sustainability and wellness, connecting occupiers to the building’s systems and community.
The Future Works app includes features particularly attractive in the context of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic: users can enjoy contactless access from street to office floor; call a lift without touching any buttons; issue QR codes to visitors for contactless check-in; monitor air quality; and see occupancy in different areas to avoid overcrowding.
Smart Spaces also helps to create a sense of community within the building, allowing colleagues to communicate on a secure platform while also enabling tenants to book meeting rooms, social events and fitness classes. The community engagement app also enables contactless control of heating and cooling via mobile phones, and contains a step tracker for those keen to monitor their activity while at work.
The Smart Spaces platform has the ability to provide significant efficiencies in the building’s operation by enabling tenants to monitor and understand their energy consumption, thus further improving the environmental and sustainability credentials of The Future Works, which already has an ‘Excellent’ BREEAM environmental and sustainability rating.
The Future Works is the first phase of a £200 million investment in Slough and provides 100,000 sq ft of prime office space in a striking building designed by award-winning architects Sheppard Robson. In total, the three-phase regeneration project will create 350,000 sq ft of new office accommodation.
Tom Smithers, Property Director at AshbyCapital, said: “As the name suggests, our ambition for The Future Works is to bring a modern, innovative workplace of the highest quality to Slough. By embracing technology, we have created an exceptional experience for occupiers that meets their new demands and puts The Future Works at the forefront of office design. This technology will also help to ensure that the building is safe through facilitating contactless entry and anonymous social distancing monitoring, allowing occupiers to feel confident in their return to work.”
Dan Drogman, CEO at Smart Spaces, added: “Working with AshbyCapital we have delivered a fully active smart building. The Future Works harnesses the power of the Smart Spaces tech platform and app, highlighting the ability of technology to transform a space into a destination. The Future Works has community, sustainability and customer safety at its heart. By integrating our smart technology at this innovative office building we are helping to deliver quality customer experience at a time where providing best in class service and trust are paramount.”
The Future Works provides exceptional facilities, including a 3,100 sq ft communal roof terrace with views of Windsor Castle. The building offers 100,000 sq ft of Grade A office space over seven floors and across clear, open floorplates of 14,800 sq ft, with high levels of natural light, as well as ground-floor retail space, a double-height feature entrance hall and secure basement parking with electric car charging spaces. The building’s extensive facilities for cyclists and runners include bicycle parking, luxurious changing rooms with towel service, and a drying room. 74,000 sq ft of office space is currently available, over five contiguous floors.
