Case Study

With people returning to work, companies are increasingly looking at ways to make the environment safe & connected. Due to growth Inspire Integrated Services were relocating their office to 5th Floor, Onyx 1, The Greens in Dubai.

The key priorities for Inspire Integrated were making sure their employees feel safe and connecting people and places.

To address these challenges, Inspire Integrated collaborated with Spica Technologies to develop a sensor based application which monitors office space utilisation and Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ).

Inspire Integrated initiated the integration of IEQ sensors on the 5th Floor of Onyx 1, located in The Greens, Dubai. Leveraging a comprehensive array of sensor data including PIR, CO2, Noise, Temperature, and VOCs, as well as Light measurements, Inspire Integrated gains access to a holistic and real-time understanding of their workplace’s environmental conditions.

The heart of this initiative lies in the cutting-edge GemEx Engine® workplace experience platform. This platform operates proactively, issuing real-time alerts through various channels such as SMS, email, or CAFM work orders, and initiating tailored workflows as specific asset conditions are met. These alerts and workflows serve to inform FM Workplace Coordinators, enabling them to preemptively investigate and address potential issues even before they come to employees’ attention. With a comprehensive history of all alarms, long-term analysis becomes possible, aiding in the identification of recurring problems and the pinpointing of problematic areas. The intuitive GemEx platform offers a range of interfaces, including desktop, kiosk, TV, and mobile, ensuring accessibility and optimal presentation of data.

The sensor data surfaced in the GemEx platform helps Inspire Integrated to ensure that optimal environmental conditions are being maintained, allowing employees to feel safe and work in a productive manner.

Through a dynamic collaboration with Spica, Inspire Integrated successfully instituted real-time monitoring of their office’s Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) with unprecedented ease. This monitoring capability was accessible remotely, whether from behind a desk or via a mobile device, facilitated by the robust cloud-based GemEx platform. This platform securely assimilates data from the sensor devices, offering a seamless and secure online monitoring experience.

In a remarkably short span following the deployment, Inspire Integrated received crucial alerts highlighting that CO2 levels within their office premises exceeded acceptable parameters. This was particularly noticeable, as due to COVID restrictions there were not many people occupying the office.

As a direct response, the Inspire Integrated team engaged the building’s HVAC experts, urging a detailed inspection. The investigation revealed that the settings in the HVAC system had been set incorrectly and needed recalibrating to the right settings.

High CO2 levels can be a problem in office environments. Too often due to energy efficiency concerns and outside environmental conditions, windows will remain closed, and so the quality of the indoor atmosphere is heavily reliant upon air conditioning. Even when buildings meet ventilation standards often high CO2 levels are not being detected and reduced.

Numerous studies have shown that high CO2 levels affect cognitive performance and concentration leading to a drop in employee productivity. Temperature, Humidity, and noise levels may seem obvious but some may be surprised to find that lower levels of carbon dioxide have been found to improve productivity by 60%. Good IEQ can help with absenteeism, sick building syndrome and reducing the spread of viruses.

The solution Inspire Integrated implemented offers a more granular state of monitoring to their office areas to supplement a building BMS system. This means Inspire Integrated are able to offer a safe, healthy and productive environment for their employees.

This revised case study format highlights the accomplishments and challenges of Inspire Integrated’s IEQ monitoring initiative in their modern Dubai offices, emphasizing their commitment to employee well-being and sustainability.