Flexibility is key to meeting today's high-tech office requirements.In designing or adapting a commercial property to accommodate the use of technology, flexibility is the most critical factor. The infrastructure of today's commercial building must have the ability to adapt to changes over time - given the likelihood that any specific computer or telecommunications technology will be obsolete in six to nine months - as well as to changes in the use and arrangement of work space. This has never been more important, especially given the trend for owners to fit-out common areas, core and the exterior shell, and leave the rental spaces unfinished to be customized for the needs of each tenant. The idea behind designing for flexibility it is to increase the potential of these spaces. Power Up What are the items on many tenants' basic "must list" today? It starts with Category 3 electrical service Electrical service, in building wiring, refers to the wiring that connects the electric utility's cables in the street to the building. Specifically, electrical service is the wiring from the street, through the meter and up to the panelboard, but no farther. and standby generator A standby generator is a back-up electrical system that operates automatically. Within seconds of a utility outage an automatic transfer switch senses the power loss, commands the generator to start and then transfers the electrical load to the generator. power, or uninterrupted power supply (UPS). Today, in fact, Category 3 electrical service is considered the minimum necessary by most corporations. If an owner wishes to attract the more "high-tech" occupant occupant n. 1) someone living in a residence or using premises, as a tenant or owner. 2) a person who takes possession of real property or a thing which has no known owner, intending to gain ownership. (See: occupancy) , the infrastructure needs to provide Category 5 service at a premium, to be sure, but more and more tenants require it. Redundant sources of power also are essential. The lack of standby power Standby power, also called Vampire power, refers to the electric power consumed by electronic appliances in a standby mode. A very common "electricity vampire" is a power adaptor built on a plug with no power switch. or a UPS system has been the Achilles heel Achilles heel Noun a small but fatal weakness [Achilles in Greek mythology was killed by an arrow in his unprotected heel] Achilles heel n → talón m de Aquiles of many corporate centers. Secure data transmission lines are essential as well, and fiber optic cable Noun 1. fiber optic cable - a cable made of optical fibers that can transmit large amounts of information at the speed of light fibre optic cable transmission line, cable, line - a conductor for transmitting electrical or optical signals or electric power is fast becoming the new standard today - adaptable to the next generation of data transfer, which will be optical. Good-bye Cubicles cubicles individual cow bed spaces separated by half height and half length partitions. Usually located in loose housing cow accommodation in which the cow is free to wander at will. The cubicle-based office layout is a dinosaur dinosaur (dī`nəsôr) [Gr., = terrible lizard], extinct land reptile of the Mesozoic era. The dinosaurs, which were egg-laying animals, ranged in length from 2 1-2 ft (91 cm) to about 127 ft (39 m). on the brink of extinction. Office space must have the ability to adapt to various configurations, from individual work stations to work teams. In today's corporate world, especially in high-tech companies, rapid movement of staff is the norm. In fact, many offices have no permanent occupant, but are used by any number of local or visiting staff members. The virtual office is a real phenomenon. Workers need a facility where they can plug in a laptop and access high-quality multimedia capabilities, as well as to network with the corporate intranet and the Internet. Picture an empty room with lots of cable attachments and power plugs available. Employees may move in with portable tables and laptops and telecommunications equipment and network their hardware for the duration of a project - whether it be one week, two months or three years. Conference rooms have become more abundant and more complex. White boards and overhead projectors are on the way out. Laptops, computer screen projection and video-conferencing are moving in. The new conference table may have a data and power port every two feet or in a continuous strip, as well as pop-up monitors, stacked keyboards and other tools. For the most part, traditional lighting fluorescent fluorescent having the quality of fluorescence. fluorescent antibody see fluorescence microscopy. fluorescent antibody test see fluorescence microscopy. tray fixtures - is also passe pas·sé adj. 1. No longer current or in fashion; out-of-date. 2. Past the prime; faded or aged. [French, past participle of passer, to pass, from Old French; see . The electrical infrastructure of today's office space should be able to support a variety of general, specialty and task lighting. Load It With Conduit Designing for spatial flexibility requires a building to be loaded with empty conduit, so that any type of cable can be pulled in many different configurations. In some installations, the designer may even consider the use of what are known as "poke See peek/poke. poke - The BASIC command to write a value to an absolute address. See peek. throughs" - pop-up power sources installed in a floor grid, which can be activated in many configurations. A high concentration of computer and telecommunications equipment places additional demands for cooling, air exchange and filtration on the HVAC (Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning) In the home or small office with a handful of computers, HVAC is more for human comfort than the machines. In large datacenters, a humidity-free room with a steady, cool temperature is essential for the trouble-free system. This is true, certainly, in a central computer room, but also in general office areas. Plan for it. All the Amenities Finally, today's commercial office building tenants require support facilities for their employees. Many creative business people, especially those in high-tech industries, do not follow the usual 9-to-5 routine. Recognizing and encouraging this, companies want to provide a comfortable environment which includes provisions for dining, relaxing, fitness and recreation. Surprisingly, the premium for designing a space for long-term flexibility is minimal especially when compared with the cost of frequent retrofits or the impact of reduced square foot values. Consider it a very worthwhile investment that will enhance an owner's ability to attract and retain quality tenants. |
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