OFFICE
IoT Meets PoE:
POWERING A MODERN WORKFORCE
COMPUCOM
When you were a kid, how did you envision the future? Hovercrafts, robots serving your dinner, or vacations to the moon? Being able to catch a television show from your wristwatch, or to turn on your front porch lights from another city? Things that seemed farfetched a decade or two back look a little more realistic now, and technologies are evolving faster than ever. At the new CompuCom Digital Campus and Global Headquarters, however, we no longer have to wonder about the future. The future has arrived, and the future looks great. Located in Fort Mill, SC, this 151,000 square foot facility embodies a forward-looking workspace with fully integrated technology.
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CompuCom has been pushing the envelope with technology for over 30 years, providing businesses of all sizes with digital tools to foster collaboration and productivity. The new headquarters needed not only to showcase what technology can do for a company, but also to create a people-centered workplace where its employees would thrive. LS3P worked closely with CompuCom at every stage of the design, which included both exterior and interior, to create a blend of the high-tech and the human.
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Bright, bold furnishings and warm wood accents complement industrial elements such as polished concrete and exposed systems. “Floating” elements such as a monumental stair and a red cube conference room create a sense of transparency and interconnectedness. A grand reception area with a double-height media wall connects to a multi-use café with a variety of seating and touchdown spaces. In this generous atrium, an accent wall of geometric plywood draws the eye upwards and visually connects the upper and lower floors.
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The new space maximizes the capabilities of the Internet of Things (IoT) to automate and control all systems. The fully integrated building management system incorporates lighting, HVAC, power systems, security access, occupancy tracking, and scheduling applications. The facility is one of the first full Power over Ethernet (PoE) lighting buildings in the world; every light fixture in the building is both an LED and PoE fixture, which saves energy and allows greater operator control. Not insignificantly, the PoE technology requires no light switches or electrical wiring to individual fixtures, nor does it require backup batteries in systems such as exit signs and alarms. Those cost savings add up quickly in a large building, and saved CompuCom over $275,000 in labor and wiring from the outset. Reduced maintenance requirements over time also make the building 16% less expensive per square foot to operate than comparable technology-rich buildings.
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The remotely- controlled lighting can be adjusted over the course of the day to support the body’s natural circadian rhythm through subtle changes in color temperature. Other integrated technology includes conference room booking via cell phone, easy-to-use conferencing technology, digital wayfinding, badging via cell phone, and automated analytics of the user experience over time. These analytics will be used in the design of future campus buildings, or to adjust existing processes and spaces to maximize space use as well as creative overlap among employees.
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In this open work environment, employees can choose from a variety of seating options depending on task and work flow. Supervisors and executives are embedded throughout the open environment rather than isolated in enclosed offices, encouraging the type of authentic collaboration and camaraderie which leads to innovation.
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Additional program spaces include offices, a global contact center, a walk-in tech service center, a tech store, and training rooms. A wide variety of collaboration areas and meeting rooms accommodate from 2-24 people. Seating niches built into the lobby provide a sense of enclosure for focused conversations, while flexible furniture configurations through the public areas encourage a variety of work flows. A canteen offers both indoor and outdoor seating, while a fitness center, onsite health clinic, and gaming rooms support employee wellness and a healthy work/life balance.
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Throughout the building, there’s no mistaking that you’re at CompuCom. Technology is omnipresent, as are accents of red representing the company’s brand and the industrial aesthetic paired with warm wood and softened by a variety of textures and tones. The floating red conference room even subtly weaves in the letter “C.”
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CompuCom’s new headquarters is the first structure on its digital campus, which will eventually support over 3,500 employees in two buildings. As the company looks towards its next phase of growth, it will continue to explore evolving technology and what it can do to support the people who use it. Onward into the future!
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