Microsoft European Headquarters, Reading

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Founded in 1975, Microsoft now stands as the largest software company in the world. Riding on the success of its Windows and Office tools, Microsoft quickly expanded their products and services to cover and compete in a wide variety of areas. It has revenues of over $40B and 60,000 employees worldwide. Visitors arriving at the Microsoft EMEA headquarters complex in Reading are welcomed into a striking building with a large central atrium serving a number of functions; reception area, a place for small groups to hold business meetings or an informal meeting place for colleagues to sit and talk over a coffee. Despite these different uses, the large air mass, and the fact that large glass entry doors open onto the atrium, air inside the building is always kept at a comfortable temperature. Maintaining the right environmental conditions is something Microsoft recognises as an essential aid to staff efficiency. Dawn Gilroy, facilities manager for Microsoft says: "It's a company with some very intelligent and inspiring individuals. It's a very flexible environment too." This flexibility is reflected in the choice of furnishings, the floor plan and the Cylon Building Management System, which is maintained by System 4 Services. Like many modern buildings, the four units that make up the Microsoft complex all have central atriums with office accommodation, meeting rooms and other facilities leading off.

SOLUTIONS BENEFITS

Flexibility - The Cylon Building Management System has to be extremely flexible. Running on a Microsoft platform, as might be expected, the Cylon system allows very close control of temperature. The Cylon BMS has the capability to match temperature to individual requirements. It breaks up each main room into a grid eight feet square, and can modify temperature settings for each unit. So people in different parts of the room can choose to be warmer or cooler.

Energy Savings - Microsoft is a very environmentally conscious company, with a formal environmental policy, so recycling and other green issues are very much to the fore. Energy efficiency is less apparent, mainly, says Dawn Gilroy, because of the effectiveness of the Cylon BMS. "Whereas staff will remember to switch off their computers at the end of the day and recycle their waste paper and plastic cups, the BMS will take care of most energy related items."

CYLON SOLUTION

With 800 full time staff at Reading and hundreds of contractors on site at any one time, running this 225,000 sq ft complex and keeping everyone happy keeps the facilities management team very busy. Lighting in any room will automatically drop to 50%, 30 minutes after the room is vacated. A further half hour later it will be switched off altogether, only being reactivated when someone steps through the door again. In the IT industry, much expertise is brought in when and where it is needed - it was a pioneer of outsourcing. In Microsoft, this applies to the facilities management functions as well - including energy. "I know what the Cylon BMS here is capable of - it was designed in cooperation with a team from Microsoft's facilities department," says Dawn, "and I know what performance I can expect from it. However, the day to day running and maintenance are outsourced to specialists. In that way, I can get the best performance from all the systems we have here in the building."

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