Knight Frank and LightFi, the smart buildings technology solutions provider, have secured €224,438 (£200,000) of SIF funding for their ‘ReOpen Europe’ project. The project will focus on how offices can adapt operationally to the joint challenges of COVID-19 and the climate emergency. It will see LightFi’s cutting-edge technology installed in Knight Frank’s global headquarters at 55 Baker Street in London, and also Transport for London’s HQ, as part of a 9-month trial. If successful the trial will then be expanded to include more Knight Frank occupied buildings and those managed for clients across Europe.
The project will allow Knight Frank to collect new data to manage and monitor COVID risk and develop building optimisation strategies for indoor air quality monitoring, social distancing, occupant wellbeing, and productivity enhancement. Technology will play a crucial role in how offices emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic; how they are reopened safely and efficiently and how environmental data is gathered and analysed to improve internal conditions. Funding to support the project is provided by the Innovate UK Sustainable Innovation Fund; the SIF is a key UK Government initiative driving the growth of clean technology innovation. The SIF funds business and research collaborations to accelerate innovation and drive business investment into research and development.
David Goatman, Partner and Head of Energy, Sustainability and Natural Resources at Knight Frank, said: “Knight Frank’s partnership with LightFi reflects our commitment to future-proofing and de-carbonising the buildings that we occupy and manage in order to ensure the maximisation of health, wellbeing and productivity.”
Dr. Alex Bak, Co-founder of LightFi, said: “We have a great opportunity to work with Knight Frank, a like-minded and sustainability-driven partner. We are thrilled to continue innovating together in order to design the resilient and smart workspaces of the future.”
