Balancing resident flow with their health and wellbeing

How buildings can evolve to respond to todays’ challenges.

Despite the fact that residents are spending more of their time in and around the home, very little attention is currently being paid to strata management and the management of residential people flow.

How can we keep our residents happy and healthy during this uncertain period?

The answer may lie in technologies that are ‘touchless’ or reduce the need for physical contact as much as possible. The most salient example are general entry/exit doors – even the most basic door can be retrofitted with sensors and automatic operators that open as a user approaches. These can also be equipped with keycard readers and similar ‘touchless’ keys to provide security whilst maintaining the health of residents.

In a similar vein, physical contact between onsite staff and external maintenance teams can be avoided by implementing ‘predictive’ maintenance schedules. Not only does this reduce unexpected equipment outages, but it allows technicians to maximise their efficiency on site, thus reducing the amount of time they spend in your building.

The installation of fixtures that encourage cleanliness on common property can also drastically improve both the physical and mental wellbeing of residents. Automatic sanitiser dispensers located at key points throughout the building, even if they aren’t often used, can provide peace of mind to those concerned about COVID-19. Even something as simple as a few well-placed garbage bins to reduce litter in larger blocks can instil a sense of cleanliness.

This brings us to an important point however – that it’s not just physical cleanliness that you should be concerned with. You may currently manage a very prestigious building with staff wiping down surfaces around the clock but if it isn’t making residents feel safer then it may be effort wasted. This is where it is essential to set up clear two-way channels of communication. Keeping your residents informed as to how you are managing the building, its equipment and maintenance will significantly reduce the uncertainty they face when walking out their door. The trust that you build with your residents may even allow you to better respond the next time there are disputes.

You can also influence this feeling of safety by managing the flow of people through your building. There are numerous ways in which this is possible – temporarily reducing the maximum capacity of lifts, adjusting lift operation to reduce the likelihood of overcrowding, encouraging those who are able to take the stairs and/or removing gathering spots in lobbies and landings – but each approach should be carefully considered with your residents’ needs in mind.

At KONE, we’re looking out for you. Our innovative Health & Wellbeing solutions are built off decades of experience developing methods to better plan and analyse the flow of people in buildings.