Next-Gen Workspaces: Redefining the ‘Smart’ Building

What counted as a smart building even two years ago is already out of date. The pace of technological change – AI-enabled automation, multi-gigabit wireless, Power of Ethernet (PoE) powered devices, and more advanced sustainability requirements – is reshaping what workplaces must be able to do. Buildings that were designed as ‘cutting-edge’ pre-pandemic are now routinely undergoing retrofit programmes just to keep up.

The next generation of workspaces must be more than just connected. They need to be intelligent, adaptive and sustainable, powered by digital infrastructure that looks more like a modern data centre than a traditional office.

Organisations are discovering too late that their supposedly future-ready buildings lack the physical foundations needed for the technologies now reaching maturity. This means expensive rework, operational compromise, and frustrated occupants.

To avoid repeating the cycle, developers, landlords and occupiers are beginning to rethink how they design their estates. And at the centre of this change is a renewed focus on the network – not as an afterthought, but as the architectural backbone of the building itself.

Smart is no longer enough

The construction industry’s language hasn’t kept pace with the technology. As a result, ‘smart’ has become a catch-all term that risks undermining significant differences in capability. To keep up with today’s demands, workplaces must become intelligent ecosystems, designed around power, data and sustainability working together. These ecosystems rely on:

• A structured cabling backbone capable of multi-gigabit speeds
• Power delivery models that remove dependence on traditional mains at the desk
• Infrastructure that can stretch further, occupy less space, and support more devices
• Architectures built around collaboration between designers, integrators, and network technology partners

why partners matter

Before any of these ambitions can be realised, organisations need partners who understand both the physical and digital demands of the modern workspace. Intelligent buildings sit at the intersection of architecture, networking and sustainability engineering; no single party can deliver that alone.

This is why alliances between structured cabling providers, network vendors and integrators are becoming fundamental to successful project outcomes. Experienced partners bring tested reference architectures, proven integration patterns and a clear understanding of how to future-proof design choices.

This is where partners like Onnec and Panduit play a critical role. By collaborating early in a project, they help developers and consultants move beyond short-term specifications. The best outcomes come when the network is treated as core infrastructure – not a late stage add-on. Creating a truly “smart” building that can evolve alongside technology and work relies on four key foundations that must be designed in from day one:

rethinking space: fewer rooms, more flexibility

Space is becoming one of the most valuable assets in office design. Extended reach cabling and new wall mounted enclosures like TrueEdge are helping organisations regain significant floor area by reducing the number of comms rooms they need.
In practical terms:

• A 150-metre reach drastically reduces the number of equipment spaces
• Wall mounted enclosures can replace entire rooms for smaller clusters of devices
• Space saved can be reallocated to collaborative work areas or tenant amenities
• Fit outs become faster thanks to fewer active equipment locations

For multi-tenant developments, this can increase the amount of lettable space. For occupiers, it simplifies ongoing operations and improves adaptability when workplace requirements change.

From smart buildings to intelligent ecosystems

The buildings being designed today must be capable of supporting tomorrow’s technologies. That means moving beyond the outdated definition of “smart” and embracing a more integrated, more resilient, more sustainable approach.

Intelligent workspaces are no longer defined simply by the systems they run, but by the infrastructure they are built upon. The network must become the foundation that powers user experience, energy efficiency and technological flexibility.

Those who design with this mindset from the earliest planning stages will create buildings that continuously learn, optimise and improve over time. And those who collaborate with the right partners will avoid the costly retrofit cycles that are beginning to plague short-sighted developments.

The next generation of workplaces will not just connect people; they will connect power, data and purpose. And in doing so, they will redefine what a modern, high-performing building can be. Our design team has experienced significant growth over the past year, both in size and capability. We’ve expanded our skill sets, introduced new tools and processes, and strengthened cross-functional collaboration throughout the organisation. This growth has allowed us to take on more complex projects, sustain the quality of our work, and deliver design solutions that better support our customers strategic goals.

1. Energy efficiency as a design driver

Buildings consume around 30% of global energy, which places significant responsibility on developers and occupiers to design with efficiency at the core. But efficiency isn’t only about HVAC systems or lighting controls. Increasingly, it sits within the physical network itself.

Newer cabling innovations are driving meaningful gains. Smaller-gauge, lower-carbon designs reduce the embodied impact of cabling, cut material use, and simplify installation. Extended-reach structured cabling – capable of running up to 150 metres – has an even more significant effect.

This additional distance may sound minor, but its impact is substantial. It reduces the need for multiple telecoms rooms across floors, saving not only cabling and containment material but also expensive, income-generating space. In commercial real estate, where every square metre matters, this is a direct cost saving. It also avoids the need for multiple active equipment rooms filled with cooling, security, and power infrastructure – each one a draw on energy budgets.

High-quality cabling can also improve efficiency, reduce electromagnetic interference, and provide more consistent delivery of power and bandwidth to end devices. The result is a network layer that materially supports sustainability goals and enables buildings to achieve higher certification scores under schemes such as LEED and BREEAM.

2. Designing for tomorrow’s technologies, not yesterday’s

A big catalyst for change in workplace design right now is Wi-Fi 7. Its multi-gigabit capabilities unlock better collaboration tools, high-density wireless performance, and smoother user experiences. But they also demand a physical infrastructure capable of keeping up.

Wi-Fi 7 access points require far more than the traditional 1-gigabit uplinks that many buildings still rely on. And as AI-driven sensing and automation become standard, buildings that lack multi-gigabit backbones will quickly find themselves constrained, unable to support the volume and speed of data those systems rely on. They need 2.5, 5, and – in some environments – 10 Gbps capabilities. Without the right structured cabling in place, organisations will face disruptive and costly retrofit cycles before they’ve even seen full value from their latest builds.

It’s not just about wireless either. Meeting rooms now depend on an expanding ecosystem of IoT sensors, high-resolution cameras, lighting systems, and collaboration displays. All of these add pressure to the network and increase the need for consistent, dependable bandwidth.

Future-ready cabling means designing for scalability, not sufficiency. It means creating a backbone capable of supporting a decade of technological advancement, not only the technology available on the day of practical completion.

3. Power and data, delivered through the network

Perhaps the most transformative change now taking shape is the rise of Power over Ethernet (PoE) to the desk. This model, enabled by partnerships such as Cisco × Thin Labs × Panduit[CM1.1][CM1.2], allows both power and data to flow through the same cabling – removing the need for traditional mains power outlets at each workstation.

At one level, this is a sustainability win: fewer materials, less embodied carbon, and less electrical infrastructure. But the operational benefits are even more compelling.

PoE++, latest and most powerful standard for PoE, combined with USB-C power delivery can run laptops, monitors, task lighting, and even height-adjustable desks. With USB-C now standardised across the industry, the fragmentation that previously made this kind of model impractical has finally faded.

For developers, this means fewer electrical containment systems to install. For landlords, it means a simpler, safer, lower-maintenance workspace. And for occupiers, it means workplaces that support true mobility – where desks can be reconfigured without shutting down power circuits, and where IT teams can finally standardise device powering at scale.

Critically, this only works when cabling designs are executed to a high standard. The network becomes the digital nervous system of the building. And this is where integration partners matter.

4. Rethinking space: fewer rooms, more flexibility

Space is becoming one of the most valuable assets in office design. Extended reach cabling and new wall mounted enclosures like TrueEdge are helping organisations regain significant floor area by reducing the number of comms rooms they need.
In practical terms:

• A 150-metre reach drastically reduces the number of equipment spaces
• Wall mounted enclosures can replace entire rooms for smaller clusters of devices
• Space saved can be reallocated to collaborative work areas or tenant amenities
• Fit outs become faster thanks to fewer active equipment locations

For multi-tenant developments, this can increase the amount of lettable space. For occupiers, it simplifies ongoing operations and improves adaptability when workplace requirements change.

From smart buildings to intelligent ecosystems

The buildings being designed today must be capable of supporting tomorrow’s technologies. That means moving beyond the outdated definition of “smart” and embracing a more integrated, more resilient, more sustainable approach.

Intelligent workspaces are no longer defined simply by the systems they run, but by the infrastructure they are built upon. The network must become the foundation that powers user experience, energy efficiency and technological flexibility.

Those who design with this mindset from the earliest planning stages will create buildings that continuously learn, optimise and improve over time. And those who collaborate with the right partners will avoid the costly retrofit cycles that are beginning to plague short-sighted developments.

The next generation of workplaces will not just connect people; they will connect power, data and purpose. And in doing so, they will redefine what a modern, high-performing building can be.