Hosted by Roelof Opperman, Managing Director at Fifth Wall, this ULI UK webinar explored a number of the innovative technologies that will help provide those assurances as businesses start returning to the office.

Perhaps one of the least anticipated effects of the crisis on the offices sector is how it has changed the landlord-tenant relationship. Lesley Chen Davison, Chief Investment Officer at Seaforth Land, argued that the traditional landlord model was to not get involved and leave tenants to manage their own space – but now there is a drive towards collaboration and communication.

Davison explained that there was already a move towards this trend before the crisis, but the crisis has accelerated this into a new reality.

Now landlords will need to understand their tenants, tailor their space and provide a better service. During this period of economic uncertainty, it will not be merely a case of improving rents, but holding on to them.

The growth in health and safety technology is robust though, as Enrico Montagnino, EMEA Head of Business Unit at AnyVision, and Vanessa Lee Butz, Founder and CEO of District Technologies Ltd, pointed out.

Functions such as track and trace systems of people who have been in contact with the virus can be implemented, allowing businesses to quickly understand their potential exposure. Buildings can monitor data in real-time using sensors and can facilitate functions such as booking meeting rooms to ensure occupation capacity is monitored seamlessly.

One thing that’s slowly growing in the sector is touchless technology, allowing employees to avoid contact with surfaces on their way into a building. From Montagnino’s perspective, the technology is being developed so quickly that facial recognition scanners can now recognise people with face masks on, and this can be retrofitted into an existing structure fairly easily.

However, there are still quite a few implementation challenges. Davison argues that considering these tech upgrades will be fruitless if the landlord hasn’t invested properly into sound WI-FI and power infrastructure. And, as Butz points out, if the users don’t fully understand the product and what they have to do from their end, then the investment can be wasted.

While this has inevitably become a hot topic due to the current crisis, Colin Ma, CEO of Fabriq, believes there’s a long-term play here.

Ma believes that there has already been a definite uptake in indoor air quality strategies and staff wellbeing, which have now become more serious topics in recent months. Buildings inevitably need to be more environmentally friendly and tech will provide that opportunity, not only to help improve sustainability in the short-term, but ensuring buildings are flexible to future changes.

In a time where companies are not even sure that they need their office space any longer, it’s imperative that commercial landlords ensure they are providing the best product available to encourage their tenants to stay – and tech is the way forward.