The communications needs of a modern business are numerous and complex. Most can be provided over a single network or multiple networks accessed directly from an individual workstation area on a tenant floor. Figure 1. shows the typical configuration of a "broadband building" and the services that business tenants are increasingly demanding from the building owner.
Services that tenants require regularly and the ways in which these services can be delivered are shown in Table 1. As more tenants require these services, it becomes increasingly important to provide an available and robust infrastructure in the building to discourage tenants from installing their own infrastructure. Independent installation of fiber optic cable, satellite dishes, towers and in-building wireless LAN solutions can interfere with neighboring tenants unless properly coordinated and managed by the building owner. In addition, FCC and OSHA safety and radiation regulations must be met and the building owner is always responsible for compliance with these regulations.
Colliers International recently performed a survey of corporate real estate directors and senior portfolio managers to determine how Corporate America defines the elements of "smart building" for the next decade. There were eleven categories, including one for "other," with each category being rated in importance on a scale from 1 to 10. The majority of companies responding are in the top five tier of their respective industry. Table 2 shows the results of the survey.
