Tech's demand is a sign of times.

We do business in a communications-oriented world today. Companies in almost every industry seem insatiable when it comes to faster, more flexible and more efficient ways of passing along information. The end result is a tremendous need for technology to achieve these requirements.

The creation of work spaces is no exception. With society becoming increasingly tech-wise and Internet-savvy, corporate executives charged with fulfilling their company's space requirements are demanding more and more sophisticated applications. This, in turn, has fostered the rapid expansion of new and improved technological advances in the design and construction of office, commercial and industrial complexes.

We already see the implementation of a variety of advanced technology features in the construction of new facilities or the recycling of older ones. There are slab-to-slab heights to accommodate raised-floor requirements, state- of-the-art conduits for wiring and a redundancy of electric and phone lines.

With communications assuming increasing importance in the workplace, tenants now require a comprehensive package of services, including high-speed dedicated Internet access, local and long-distance voice services, digital business television, E-mail and web hosting. To accommodate all this, multiple phone rooms are situated on each floor and advanced broadband networks are installed inside multi-tenant buildings utilizing fiber-optic, copper and coaxial cables.

Key-card access has assumed increasing importance. The system can be extremely versatile -- giving access to the entire building or restricting entry only to specific areas. With the imprints, security can tell who comes into the building and at what time maintaining better control of the premises.

With technology changing and expanding rapidly each day, we must constantly be on the alert for new ideas to make our buildings even more in tune with today's high-tech realities.