BT claims its new cordless workstations will halve companies' space requirements and slash their overheads – Laing says they have cut one of its firms' rental costs 40%. Here's how they work.
How's this for an attractive offer? a fully networked office building that can comfortably accommodate twice the number of staff than is conventionally possible. What's more, it has no raised floors, so you can fit more storeys into it. And if those two selling points aren't attractive enough, how about offering more design flexibility and the chance to save money on the electricity bill?

These good things will all be possible if BT's Futurespace technology – "the world's first cordless workstation system" – lives up to its hype; John Laing Properties is testing it at the moment. Essentially, it is a desk, screen and phone set-up that can be wheeled to wherever you want it.

To a world that has casually absorbed cordless irons, kettles, drills and the like, this may not at first seem like the harbinger of revolution in the commercial property market. But speak to Susy Gray, associate director of John Laing Property, and the potential of the system soon becomes apparent.

"It is about using space in a flexible way," she says. "Fixed workstations are seldom used efficiently; often they are left unoccupied, but they still take up space. And when people need to meet, work in teams or require extra space, they often have to move from their workstation to somewhere more suitable. With this system, you can take your desk with you or add extra desk space to where you are. Space becomes elastic."

Looking around the Laing office in James Street, west London, it is easy to see what she means. Several of the staff based there are working elsewhere or are on holiday, so their workstations are lined up against one wall, leaving a large area free for our meeting.

Gray continues: "The cordless approach has helped us move to a more central location because we now only require 500 ft2 as opposed to the 1000 ft2 we occupied before. Furthermore, this office is only costing us 60% of what moving to 1000 ft2 in the West End would have cost."

Buildings gain new lease on life
Being in the property business, Gray is aware of the impact Futurespace could have: "It could certainly help firms make more use of older premises, as the need for a raised floor is removed."

She cites Laing's prestige offices in Portland Place as an example. "That place cannot have any more technology put in because the risers are already full of cables."

Not surprisingly, Holloway White Allom, the Laing company that specialises in refurbishing period buildings, is said to be interested in Futurespace's potential.

"Think about more recent buildings," adds Gray. "Office blocks from the 1960s or 1970s could become a viable option for businesses using the Futurespace technology."

How does it work?
Steve Cherry, BT's head of workplace technology explains: "It's not rocket science. It was more a question of several technologies reaching a point where they could be put together in a cost effective way."

He gestures to one of the workstations. An elegant oval pedestal 1 m high, it stands in the corner like a docile robot. A lightweight, arm-mounted flat screen replaces the bulky cathode ray monitor, and a DECT (digital enhanced cordless technology) cordless phone rests on the small, uncluttered desk.

At Laing, the pedestals – fondly referred to as "pods" – are powered conventionally by mains cables from sockets, as the office already had a raised floor. However, BT has developed a truly cordless version that contains a two-day, rechargeable, 240 V supply.

The system, which has been developed with furniture designers Georgeson Worklife and Steelcase, includes tessellating office furniture, so that extra desk space can be pushed against a pod or against other worktops to create large tables. The curving lines succeed in emphasising the fluidity of the system and Laing's tiny office contrives to look spacious – and more like a design studio than a property admin centre.

Beyond space
Could all offices could benefit to such an extent? "It would be simplistic to say everyone can save a certain amount of space," says Cherry. "It depends on the nature of the work and the organisation involved. Space saving is important, as we reckon 33-50% of desks are empty at any one time, and a workstation costs central London employers about £12 000 a year to run."

"But the system opens up many more possibilities than just saving space," he adds. "For example, with cordless technology, IT ceases to be a sunk-in cost. If you move, it can go with you."

Cherry points out that flat-screen technology also uses less power and produces less heat than conventional monitors. Users therefore save not only on electricity bills, but on air-conditioning requirements. "With new buildings it could make the difference between needing air-conditioning or having natural ventilation."

Flat screens also do away with the need for compliance with display screen equipment regulations. Says Cherry: "Because of DSE rules, offices these days tend to have similar, bland – and expensive – lighting arrangements. Architects are excited about possibility of being freed from that constraint."

There seems little doubt that technology is changing the office we know today – many of these trends have already begun. Hot-desking, laptops, home-working and flat screens are already having an impact on how space is occupied. What Futurespace shows is that the fusion of these technologies is set to accelerate.

How it Works

Each worker has a laptop fitted with a wireless LAN (local area network) card, which connects each computer, by radio, to a server located in a cupboard. Because the laptops are small, office workers can opt to use the larger flat screen, and a full-size keyboard. To do this, the laptop plugs into a port on the pod, physically connecting it to the screen. Desk keyboards and mice, however, are wireless connected by radio. For internet access, the server is connected to the telephone network in the ordinary way. The DECT (digital enhanced cordless technology) phones connect to a central telephone switchboard. At Laing, a single multifunction printer, copier and fax is also plugged into the LAN via a wireless card, completing the wire-free set up.

What it Costs

Laing is renting its equipment from BT, and exact costs are not available as Futurespace is still in its trial period. However, Cherry says the cost of providing 100 Futurespace workstations, compared with wiring and fitting 100 conventional desks, would be broadly similar. The only added expense would be for the flat screens, currently about £600 each, but coming down in price. For the completely cordless version, the power packs would cost “a few hundred pounds” extra. “But at a corporate level,” says Cherry, “the decision is likely to be less about absolute cost and more about culture and the efficiencies that Futurespace can deliver.”