by Brianna Crandall — May 5, 2017 — KONE, a global provider of elevators and escalators, showcased new smart building solutions at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Conference on Architecture 2017 last week. Attendees had the opportunity to “virtually” walk inside KONE’s newly launched Smart Lobby, a concept that uses smart building technologies to enhance safety, functionality and customer experience.
KONE believes that the advent of today’s Smart Lobby — a vibrant space where varied technologies are fully integrated — brings the lobby to life and dramatically changes the customer experience within a building.
At the core of the concept is the KONE People Flow Planning service where KONE experts assess, plan and design how people move in your building in a smarter way now and in the future. Based on the continuous real-time data collection and analyses of the horizontal and vertical people flow, modification needs can be identified to improve the experience for tenants and users.
Larry Wash, executive vice president for KONE Americas, stated:
Quite simply, the way buildings are being designed, built and managed is changing. In design, in construction, in the lobby and in building management, fundamental change is delivering unprecedented innovation and an optimal experience at every stage. At KONE, we believe that the advent of today’s Smart Lobby — a vibrant space where varied technologies are fully integrated — brings the lobby to life and dramatically changes the customer experience within a building.
Unlike the barren, little-used lobbies in many buildings, KONE envisions a Smart Lobby as a vibrant space where varied technologies are fully integrated and that is accessible and welcoming, precise and attractive. KONE works in partnership with building owners to create a Smart Lobby after a detailed analysis. It includes many components, but KONE says a Smart Lobby provides four key elements:
- Improved access with potential use of intelligent turnstiles integrated with the building’s access control system;
- A more functional layout — for example, multiple meeting points that include opportunities for small networking meetings, or optimized revenue-generating retail spaces;
- Guidance tools to ensure smooth and efficient flow of people; and
- Branding to match an organization’s unique identity.
For a fuller explanation, read KONE’s Smart Lobby white paper.
Related Smart Building solutions that KONE showcased last week include:
- KONE Smart Design — a new way of working that speeds up design visualization, predicts and resolves potential (and costly) mistakes, and improves equipment delivery time. KONE Smart Design includes online chat with elevator experts; a KONE Car Designer tool to create a custom elevator design; and a KONE Elevator Configurator that takes the guesswork out of choosing the right elevator.
- KONE Smart Construction — a way to help professional project managers sequence trade activities in a more optimized way, speeding up schedules and delivering cost savings. The foundation of Smart Construction comprises solutions such as KONE JumpLift, the self-climbing construction elevator; KONE UltraRope, a revolutionary carbon-fiber hoisting technology; and advanced project-planning output using building information modeling (BIM).
- KONE Smart Building Management — a way to optimize buildings to improve the flow of people, enhancing personal comfort, safety and security. Smart Building Management is customized to a specific buildings’ needs and includes KONE 24/7 Connected Services on the IBM Watson Internet of Things (IoT) Platform.
For more information on KONE’s Smart Building offerings, including its Smart Lobby, visit the company’s Web site.
