Many office landlords and developers continue to look for ways to make their office spaces safe for employees and visitors. One that continues to prove popular is touchless access systems.
Between more arduous travel guidelines to broader use of electronic wallets and other digital tools, it cannot be understated how the Covid-19 pandemic has changed daily life. However, not quite everything has changed. While remote work has become increasingly accepted, offices have far from become obsolete, especially when considering that many jobs are best done (or can only be done) in person.
For this reason, many office landlords and developers continue to look for ways to make their office spaces safe for employees and visitors. One that continues to prove popular is touchless access systems.
What are touchless access systems?
Exactly what its name suggests, touchless access systems are systems that make offices accessible to authorized personnel sans physical handling. This is commonly applied to doors and elevators, as well as the sinks and toilets in restrooms. For more advanced office buildings, touchless access can also be seen in other aspects of the facility, such as the lights and blinds.
What are the benefits of having this in your office?
The (near) future of all office buildings, touchless access systems offer a number of benefits to both building owners and occupants. One of which is eliminating the need for incessant touching of knobs, buttons, or other physical controls, whose most immediate benefit is the prevention of the possible spread of microbial diseases. Along with ensuring everyone’s health and safety, these preventive measures also ensure that building owners/employers are fulfilling their legal responsibility of providing “duty of care” and avoiding potential lawsuits.
Additionally, the more modern touchless access systems are comparatively more secure than traditional key-based systems because the latter is more difficult to hack. Generally, more convenient for users than conventional key and card systems, touchless access systems allow users to swipe their hands or finger over a sensor to access their office, eliminating having to fish through pockets or purses in search of a key or card. No replacement costs are associated with lost or stolen keys, and there is no time wasted having to establish new locks when someone moves out or when tenants change.
Touchless access systems moving forward
Almost all organizations funnel different types of people through their premises, be it employees, delivery personnel, or guests and visitors. As buildings gradually return to hosting more people, property owners ought to consider outfitting their facilities with touchless access systems if they haven’t already.
Apart from maintaining health and safety amidst the ongoing pandemic, doing so is another step in future-proofing the property and making sure that it keeps up with ever-evolving security requirements and is also ready to take on health challenges similar to Covid-19.
What the future holds
One of the upcoming commercial buildings to exemplify commitment to users’ health and well-being is the Makati Commerce Tower. LEED Gold-certified (aspiring for Platinum), this next-generation Grade A office tower along Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue will welcome its first tenants in the third quarter of 2022, and by then it will become a landmark for innovation and sustainability.
Once completed, this outstanding commercial development will feature hands-free and touchless technology solutions to reduce common touchpoints, which in turn helps safeguard against the spread of disease-causing microorganisms on surfaces. Aside from this technological innovation, the Makati Commerce Tower will also feature a wide range of health and sustainability features, including innovations to improve air quality; low-e coating glass wall that greatly improves both thermal and acoustic properties; energy- and water-saving features; and electric vehicles parking with charging points, among others.
According to Joey Roi Bondoc, Colliers Associate Director and Head of Research, more companies in the Philippines are now looking for sustainable and healthy work environments that will provide confidence for their employees to return to workplaces, an important consideration in a post-Covid-19 world. “As workers start to return to the office, we might as well do so on the promise that their health and well-being will be promoted, if not actively protected.”
