Reference: Smart technology for Biogen Munich

As part of Biogen's relocation to Munich, the pioneer in neuroscience is relying on smart technologies. The main reasons for using smart office solutions are to further improve the experience for employees and visitors in the new modern premises, but also to make sustainable use of scarce resources.

Moderne Büroumgebung mit Feedback-System von Biogen an der Wand, repräsentativ für GMS Smart Building Lösungen.

Smart Office at Biogen in Munich, the Bavarian capital

Biogen in Munich relies on Smart Office solutions

Moving to new premises is always a challenge, both for the project team entrusted with the move and for the company’s employees and management. The new environment in Munich should provide the best possible support for collaboration and, ideally, user satisfaction should be ensured from day one.

In addition to conventional methods of obtaining feedback from users, Biogen is using smart feedback panels in the new building in Munich. The feedback panels have been installed at key points in the new areas, e.g. the entrances/exits, coffee points and WCs. This allows users to give direct and easy feedback on various topics, such as the quality of the coffee on offer or the selection of cutlery and crockery in the kitchen. The feedback panels provide those responsible in the company with anonymous and direct feedback. Any problems can be identified and appropriate corrective action can be taken. In addition, every user is able to take part in the feedback process easily.

The feedback panels in the smart buildings in Munich do not require any external power or network connection. This is made possible by the tiny IoT sensors from Disruptive Technologies. The batteries in the sensors have a service life of 14 years. This means that no battery replacement or maintenance is required. The feedback results are evaluated via the Thing-it smart building platform. The developers at Thing Technologies have set themselves the task of digitally mapping all processes in modern buildings in an intelligent software platform.

Smart Parking in Munich

There is always a lot going on in Munich. But the sustainable use of scarce resources is another reason for Biogen to use modern technology. For example, employees are given their own app to book parking spaces in the underground parking garage. Whereas in conventional structures, parking spaces are still allocated to fixed employees according to hierarchical criteria, Biogen relies on demand-based use of parking spaces. Those who come to the office book their own parking space. Employees who have appointments outside the office, attend training courses or are on vacation do not need a parking space.

This intelligent booking and management of scarce resources is also carried out via the Thing-it software platform, which is available to users as a standardized user interface and can also be easily integrated into existing software services (e.g. Microsoft Office365). Further use cases can be used in the future thanks to the modular structure of the Thing-it platform (e.g. indoor navigation, booking of workstations and meeting rooms, evaluation of building utilization, access control and much more).

FORTÉ’s digitalization experts were on hand to advise Biogen on the use cases to be implemented, the selection of suitable software and hardware solutions as well as implementation and services. FORTÉ’s holistic solution portfolio ensures that the measures defined in the planning phase are implemented as planned. In addition to the Smart Office solutions, FORTÉ also implemented the conference room technology in Biogen’s new meeting rooms at the Munich site.