BOSTON, Jan. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Richard Scannell, CEO of occupancy analytics software provider Lambent, predicts some meaningful shifts in space planning and facilities management for business and institutions in 2025.
“Over the last two years, facilities management and space planning professionals have had to adjust on the fly to meet hybrid/remote work requirements, find new ways to encourage productive collaboration, and now accommodate back-to-the-office mandates,” said Scannell. “As they look ahead to 2025, it’s important to take stock of the impact of those shifts and how it impacts their future space planning efforts.”
With that in mind, here are four things Scannell is watching for in 2025:
- Corporate Settles into Hybrid: RTO Policies Evolve
As employees return to the office, workspace planners will be forced to refine their RTO strategies. Advanced modular furniture systems and AI-driven space configuration tools will allow offices to rapidly adapt to different team sizes and collaboration needs. Space planning software will evolve to manage physical workspaces, coordinating in-office hot desking with remote work schedules. These technologies will help organizations strike a balance between the 30-35% of companies pushing for full-time office presence and the majority favoring hybrid arrangements. - Beyond Occupancy: A New Era of Workplace Analytics
In 2025, space planning metrics will expand far beyond occupancy rates to validate back-to-office vs. hybrid work strategies and to provide a more nuanced understanding of how space impacts work and overall organizational efficiency.
Organizations will use technology to measure how frequently spaces are used, at what capacity, and track the flow of people across different spaces, floors and buildings. These metrics will heavily impact workspace design projects as utilization data impacts operational efficiencies.
New metrics designed to assess collaboration and idea generation are also emerging. By tracking the frequency of group meetings, attendance, cross-team interaction, and capturing qualitative feedback on the outputs of those meetings, organizations can correlate space usage patterns with productivity metrics and identify which types of spaces and configurations best support different work activities and team dynamics. This type of data-driven approach will enable companies to create more dynamic, efficient, and employee-centric workplaces that adapt to the evolving needs of a hybrid workforce. - Building Intelligence: Consolidating the Measurement of Occupancy
Managers of large properties and campuses have shown a strong interest in recent years in the concept of intelligence systems for buildings—a single information service source for building managers and tenants. Occupancy is quickly becoming one of those fundamental information services to help manage power and energy, cleaning and maintenance and space planning.
Today, in many organizations, different departments and groups gather their own separate occupancy data. But most facility managers don’t want every department to have their own separate data. And they don't need 10 different ways to measure occupancy in the building. They are looking for one system and one source of truth for everyone to use to understand occupancy. Nor do they want businesspeople having to learn how to use an occupancy analytics system. Each group just needs the relevant data presented to them in an easy to digest way. This will emerge as a core requirement for facilities management and space planning professionals in mid-to-large size environments. - Workflows Meet Agentic Assistants: The Next Level of Automation and Integration
In 2025, space planning technology will see a revolutionary integration of AI-powered agentic assistants, taking automation to new heights. These intelligent systems will analyze data on space utilization, employee preferences, and work patterns to dynamically optimize current and future office layouts and resource allocation. The assistants will seamlessly coordinate between various workplace systems, creating a unified ecosystem that manages everything from desk assignments to meeting room bookings to redesign and restacking. They'll even predict maintenance needs and schedule interventions before issues arise, ensuring a smooth and efficient workplace experience.
“Owned or leased, real estate represents a substantial investment for most businesses. And like any investment, stakeholders expect the optimal return on investment by making informed decisions related to employee and visitor experiences, leases, maintenance and operational efficiency,” added Scannell. “To do that, organizations need better data insights. New occupancy analytics and automation capabilities are making that possible and they are doing it in a way that can scale across an organization and deliver value in weeks vs. months.”
About Lambent
Lambent is an occupancy analytics software company helping corporate and higher ed campuses optimize space utilization, facilities operations and real estate investments. Its SaaS platform, Lambent Spaces, leverages existing data sources such as Wi-Fi and sensors to provide anonymous and predictive analytics to inform decisions related to utilization, workplace experiences, planning, scheduling, and maintenance. The software delivers actionable intelligence so facilities professionals and space planners can make better use of the spaces they have. For more information, visit https://lambentspaces.com/.
