Smart glass is paving the way for more dynamic, safer and contemporary spaces across the built environment. Join us for a series of articles where we expand on the many revolutionary ways smart glass is being used. In our last article, we looked at smart glass for skylights. In this article we look at smart glass in commercial and corporate office settings.
Glass has long played a role as a favorite component in office design. Interior designers and architects use it for everything from walls to dividers, partitions and doors because of its versatility, contemporary look, easy maintenance and ability to bring a sense of openness and transparency to the office environment. Especially now, when the necessity of hygiene plays a major role in office design, glass is rapidly becoming the material of choice.
Yet employees still have a proven preference for privacy. From confidential management meetings, sensitive one-on-ones, or just a quiet place to take a break without the feeling of being in a fishbowl, privacy is not a luxury, but rather a requirement. As we continue to confront the COVID-19 pandemic (and eventually prepare for a safer world after it), we can turn to smart glass as a solution to create the safest and most effective use of office space. Given minimizing the spread of infection is now a top priority, commercial offices require designs that support hygiene protocols by using materials that create privacy while encouraging collaboration.
Benefits of using Smart Glass in Commercial Offices
Smart Glass partitions, which turn on and off instantly, offer many benefits in commercial office spaces including;
- Provides a needed barrier while supporting a transparent environment that encourages connectedness among employees.
- Allows natural light to infiltrate a space even when in private mode, which boosts productivity, morale, and both physical and psychological well being.
- Enable employees to see outdoors into nature even in shaded mode with SPD, which can even earn points when applying for a LEEDs certification.
- Replaces traditional walls to optimize much-needed square footage. See section two of this blog for full details on how much space you can actually save.
- Accordion partitions allow spaces to be modular and adaptable to the constant changes a company needs.
- Projection film applied to glass can act as an HD projection surface. Glass partitions can instantly become a screen for presentations, visual art, or company branded videos or a simple clear glass. Learn more about smart glass films with projection capabilities, like Gauzy’s Vizio LCG®.
- When the film is opaque, it acts as a whiteboard. Easy to clean but without the risks of marker residue accumulating over time, Smart Glass is both sleek-looking and multifunctional.
- Patterned film can add excitement and drama to shared spaces like conference and meeting rooms, turning static glass into a series of moving lines and shapes. See patterned films in action in one of Gauzy’s recent projects for a leading healthcare technology company.
There’s no argument that smart glass offers a multitude of enhancements for technologically advanced buildings and brings many additional benefits to the end users of the space. Office architects and interior designers agree – and have already begun using smart glass in a variety of ways to improve commercial office spaces.
Top Applications of Smart Glass In Commercial Offices
Here are some more common applications for smart glass in office design:
Office Partitions – Glass partitions are the easiest way to divide up space without requiring a complete remodel. They can switch from transparent to opaque on demand, creating privacy as well as a spacious light-filled atmosphere. They create distance between employees while increasing productivity and optimizing floor plans. Smart Glass can easily replace germ-harboring fabrics.
Dividers – Placed between desks and tables to block eye level, dividers leave an open-air space above. Smart glass dividers minimize the spread of infection while allowing for open collaboration in both individual and communal office spaces.
Pods – Pods can be easy to assemble and rearrange to create rooms of varying shapes and sizes. Their possibilities are endless. When made with easy-to-clean Smart Glass, they are easy to disinfect and provide immediate privacy.
See For Yourself: Deloitte Offices, China
Deloitte chose Gauzy’s LCG® Switchable Glass Office Partitions technology for its offices in Greater Bay. This switchable PDLC glass technology is used to make the office interior design more dynamic with installation in the entrance and conference rooms. Paired with projection, Gauzy’s switchable glass technology allows:
- a personalized welcome greeting upon arrival that turns transparent right before you enter
- conference rooms partitions that can instantly become screens when private meetings are in progress – or just to create a different vibe.
See for yourself: Leading Healthcare Technology Company, USA
This leading healthcare company in MidWest USA chose Gauzy’s LCG® Patterned Smart Glass Office Partitions technology for its executive briefing center. The design embodied innovation and technology, which was well suited to the company’s aesthetic and what it wanted guests to feel when visiting its headquarters. Nine panels of full-framed glass partitions with no visible specially created for the client with the most advanced laser patterning in the market enhances both for form and function, allowing for:
- Full transparency for collaboration and openness and complete privacy when desired
- A dynamic patterned display, adding an artistic and creative dimension and enhancing the office environment
Smart Glass upgrades the look and feel of a space, and increases productivity, while simultaneously providing both privacy and an open atmosphere. Many commercial offices are now using smart glass windows, doors, and privacy partitions, and the demand just keeps on growing. Join us in our next article as we take a deeper look at how smart glass can double as a white board for all those important brainstorming sessions.
Want to learn more about Smart Glass or receive a quote? Contact the Smart Glass experts at Gauzy today.
