Microsoft and Skanska’s office unit in Poland have signed an agreement on strategic cooperation in the area of PropTech. It provides for expert knowledge exchange and the use of advanced data analytics solutions, AI mechanisms and cloud computing to create breakthrough innovations for the office real estate sector. The partners will also work together to develop presentations of Skanska's development projects using mixed reality and Microsoft HoloLens glasses and the analytical part of the Connected by Skanska system.
Skanska builds office projects in the seven largest cities in Poland. Thanks to the partnership cooperation with Microsoft, Skanska will develop its data analysis competencies, enabling it to obtain in-depth conclusions from the use of office buildings. The data collected from hundreds of sensors and building systems, including the Connected by Skanska system, will allow analysing numerous parameters, including the way common areas and working space are used, e.g. the level of availability of conference rooms or the habits connected with the use of different parts of the office. The goal is even more effective use of space as well as dynamic management of parking spaces. The new approach to data analysis and the conclusion tool are to help in better understanding tenants' needs and adapting office space, e.g. by changing its layout or utility functions.
So far Skanska has used Microsoft technology, e.g. to present its ongoing office investment projects. It is the first commercial real estate company in the CEE region to use mixed reality with Microsoft HoloLens glasses to visualize office buildings. So far, the Swedish developer has moved 4 office projects to a mixed reality - 2 in Poland, 1 each in Romania and Hungary. At the same time it prepares subsequent visualisations of its offices. Skanska was also the first developer and construction company to apply HoloLens technology at a very early stage of a development project's life cycle. Mixed reality based on data from geophysical surveys and the BIM models, help visualise future projects on site and during risk analysis and works planning in a safe way.
The agreement between Microsoft and Skanska also provides for increasing the competencies of employees of both companies through the process of knowledge exchange, joint projects and the search for innovative technological solutions for the real estate sector. Also the PropTech competition for start-ups called UbranQuest, organised by Skanska, where Microsoft is a partner, can be a source of inspiration for both companies.
“This is the first such agreement between Microsoft and a development company in Poland. Strategic cooperation with one of the largest technology companies in the world confirms that we are a leader in innovation in the commercial real estate sector. Combining our PropTech experience with Microsoft's digital know-how, we will jointly develop existing and create new solutions. We want to focus on mixed reality and the analysis of data from building systems with the use of artificial intelligence, which will help us to better draw conclusions from our current projects and design even better workplaces in the future,” commented Arkadiusz Rudzki, Managing Director at Skanska’s office unit.
“I am very impressed with how Skanska perceives the role of technology and uses it in its sector. Visualisation of development projects using HoloLens is just one example of an innovative approach and direction for the whole industry. The agreement will allow us to cooperate even more closely and implement projects in the area of AI and data analysis. I'm glad that we can work with the industry leader and support it in realising its vision of digital transformation,” said Mark Loughran, General Manager of Microsoft in Poland.
“At Skanska we are also constantly developing innovative technologies that help to create smart office buildings. Thanks to our cooperation with Microsoft and our shared competencies we can develop our product in an interdisciplinary way, creating a new value stream for our customers. Solutions, such as Connected by Skanska, an operating system for overall building management, will serve tenants and office workers even better. Our proprietary is an open platform which in terms of data analytics we intend to develop with Microsoft experts,” added Anna Tryfon-Bojarska, Innovation Manager at Skanska’s office unit.
Connected by Skanska allows booking rooms, inviting guests through a virtual reception desk, free movement in the building without the traditional access cards and effective management, e.g. of parking spaces. Connected by Skanska is also an administration panel for tenants enabling detailed and multidimensional data analytics.
Skanska office company, started its operations in Poland in 1997 in the Warsaw market. It is currently implementing projects in seven markets: Warsaw, Wroclaw, Poznan, Lodz, Krakow, Katowice and the Tri-City. In 2009, Skanska was the first developer in the Central and Eastern European region which decided to build all facilities according to LEED certification requirements. Now the company wants to set new standards. It intends to build its office buildings in accordance with the requirements of the WELL certificate.
