When searching for office space, companies today are looking for more than just a building. They need a space that strategically positions the company to gain competitive advantages and improve business processes. These reasons explain why the notion of the “connected business” is gaining traction as companies seek ways to use technology intermixed with physical space as a tool to achieve strategic business objectives. There are three core principles that define a connected business: energy savings, operational efficiencies, and high-tech security functionality. The most obvious and talked-about places to accomplish this involve subsystems such as HVAC and lighting. However, building designers are now looking at every part of a commercial space — from architecture to building subsystems — to contribute to strengthening the connected business.
A good example of this can be seen at a recently renovated property at 680 Folsom, a commercial office building located in the heart of San Francisco’s South of Market District that was recently recognized by a local business publication as one of the best complete renovations in the city. During the remodel of the building, developers took a close look at design options that would increase efficiency, reduce energy consumption and improve security at the property. Everything — from the aging concrete façade to the structural allocations of internal components — was open to renovation. And that included the elevators.