Smart Office
Many developers are actively exploring modern solutions in smart home engineering. We’ve been investigating various implementations of automatic systems that make life simpler. Our team is growing and when we’ve obtained a new office, a shell and core open space of 400 sq m, we have understood this is our opportunity to build what we want from scratch and make it as automatic as we wish. Our automatic office management system is called Smart Office. It handles lighting, temperature and air.
Quality lighting is crucial for comfort work and healthy environment, this is one of critical parameters in maintaining vision health and the lack of lighting may cause eye disorders. According to Ukrainian regulations, level of illumination at the office equipped with computers must be equal to at least 300 luces.
Reaching a satisfactory illumination level is more challenging task than it may seem. It depends upon amount of sunlight, on walls color and material, on floor material, on room height and other parameters.
Quality of light is very important, too. Incandescent light bulbs produce much heat and few light and use much energy. Luminous tubes take less energy but produce light of poor quality and are harmful towards environment. Twinkling of luminous tubes causes eye fatigue. Having observed all available solutions, we’ve decided on LED panels. They produce a bright light, they are human- and environment-friendly and they save resources.
We have placed about 70 panels and reached the level of 560 luces, which is higher than required minimum, and it means that our eyes will stay happy.
All panels are connected to head controller. Any team member can control light over his working place individually through browser on computer or smartphone through visual interface.
Another important parameter is clear air. Monitoring and handling ventilation is the second module of Smart Office system. According to the rules, at least 30 cu m are required per hour for a person. Our ventilation system is designed to produce more than 2 000 cu m per hour, which gives comfortable 40 cu m per hour for 50 persons. Air is switched on and off automatically.
Along with air ventilation, air temperature is controlled through Smart Office interface as well. It regulates incoming and outgoing air temperature and manages wasteheat exchanger. Wasteheat exchanger uses outgoing air to heat incoming air without mixing air flows in winter and acts vice versa in summer.
Another module of Smart Office controls air humidity. Low humidity causes sandpaper in the eyes and affects breathing. According to the rules, acceptable humidity level in office building must stay within 40% – 60%. We have created a humidifier, which produces enough water to keep to necessary level at our office. It automatically adds from 5 to 20 liters of clean water into the air.
We are planning to add window-blind automation as well.
