Human-centric design and net-zero benchmarks will be key considerations for judges in Australia’s inaugural Smartest Space Competition.

Entries are now open for the 2020 search for the nation’s smartest space – from workplaces to shopping centres, hospitals and other facilities.

Brought to you by Total Facilities (TFX), Australia’s largest facilities management exhibition, the competition aims to advocate workplace wellbeing and space utilisation, highlighting the advances in technology that increase efficiency in the built environment.

According to TFX event manager Andrew Lawson, the competition provides a fun way to explore and evaluate facilities management and workplace strategy at a time when sustainability urgently needs to be incorporated into corporate strategies and reflected in organisational goals.

“Our 2019 industry report showed that the landscape of facilities management is forever changing, with the adoption of new, smart technologies a key trend driving growth within the Asia-Pacific sector,” he explains.

“By running Australia’s first-ever Smartest Space Competition, we hope to provide insight and inspiration into how leading voices and innovators are adopting smart technology and processes to drive growth and use space more efficiently in their workplaces and facilities.

“In Australia we are home to some of the biggest disruptors in workplace design, and we’re keen to find out what steps are being taken and what technology is being used to enhance occupant comfort, improve efficiency and elevate the building experience. We look forward to discovering which workplace will earn the title of Australia’s Smartest Space in 2020.”

This is the first Smartest Space Competition run by TFX and follows the success of its Best Bathroom Facility Competition which has been carried out in previous years.

The entries will be judged by an industry panel of experts, including representatives from the Facility Management Association of Australia, TFX and recognised industry leaders.

Entries will be judged against criteria that includes the seamless integration of smart technology and workplace processes; including reservation systems and co-working spaces, special design and efficient layouts and building management as a whole.

Shortlisted entrants will be invited to join a panel on smart workplace design as part of the three-day education program at TFX in Melbourne this April.