Getting Comfy with Smart Building Technology | OfficeSpace

In this Workplace Unplugged interview, Lindsay Baker, a technologist and pioneer in smart building technology, shares her experience leading successful building initiatives. Lindsay is the President of Comfy, a software company based in Oakland, California. She has served on the board of the US Green Building Council in Northern California, was a lead convener and author of the LEED green building rating systems, and worked in Google’s real estate sustainability team. Her PhD work at UC Berkeley focused on human interactions with the built environment, particularly thermal comfort.

I’ve been in the building industry for a long time now, pretty much since I chose a career in college. I was really interested in environmental issues and found that the building industry was one of these really unique ones where there was a lot of opportunity to make buildings more efficient and more ecologically sound, while also saving people money. I thought, this is a great way to have an impact on the world in a positive way, and also do something that needs to be done. So, I studied that in school and went to the US Green Building Council after school. I worked there on the LEED rating systems, where it was just getting started at that time. It was really an incredible experience because we proceeded to take over the building industry in many ways and became one of the biggest things to impact it in the past 50 years. So, I’ve had the opportunity to see how we adopt these things in the building industry and see what that looks like. That ended up leading me to pursue a PHD at UC Berkeley in Building Science, where the focus is on thermal comfort. I got a lot of exposure there to understanding what makes people comfortable, how buildings don’t tend to do a good job of doing that, and what better solutions there are out there.

After that, I was at Google for a little bit, working in their real estate group.  It was at that time that I met these two gentlemen who were computer science PHD students at UC Berkeley, they had created this prototype of what is now Comfy and they decided that they wanted to get it out into the market. I thought it was actually kind of a perfect fit for me. It’s something that I know a lot about, thermal comfort, obviously, but it’s also something that I was very passionate about doing again – trying to get something out into the industry, something that was really going to fundamentally change the way we build. So, smart buildings are something that I’ve been interested in really since we started the company. I was more of a Luddite before, to be honest, and now that we have been able to show this important role that technology can play in reconnecting people to buildings, it’s become more exciting for me to think about all of the other things that technology can do outside of just what we do with Comfy.

About Comfy and Its Impact

Lindsay explains that Comfy's mission is to create great relationships between people and their workplaces by empowering people to use software that tunes workplaces to their needs and preferences. Comfy uses machine learning and connects to building management systems to adjust every zone in a building to the needs and routines of the people in each space.

The number one complaint in work environments is temperature, which Comfy helps to alleviate. This not only improves occupant comfort but also reduces the time building management spends addressing temperature complaints and helps optimize the building for energy efficiency.

Comfy Insights

Comfy recently launched Comfy Insights, which combines people data and building data to deliver insights for creating optimal workplace experiences. With high engagement rates, Comfy gathers valuable data on how people use spaces, helping building managers plan, provide needed spaces, and understand comfort trends. This supports the broader vision of providing actionable information to better tune buildings to people's needs.

Challenges in Implementing Smart Building Technology

Lindsay notes that many companies are still in the process of digitizing their buildings, which is a prerequisite for implementing smart building technology. The main challenges include ensuring compatibility, addressing security concerns, and managing the transition. She advises involving tech-savvy individuals early and ensuring collaboration across departments like HR, Facilities, IT, and Corporate Real Estate to drive better workplace experiences and strategic planning.

Trends in Workplace Preferences

Lindsay shares insights from Comfy data:

• ​Monday mornings are the most popular time to use Comfy, likely due to both people and buildings needing to "ramp up" after the weekend.
• ​Users tend to want warmer spaces in the morning and cooler spaces in the afternoon, reflecting metabolic trends.
• ​While there are some gender differences in temperature preferences, the spectrum is broad and not as significant as stereotypes suggest.
• ​Comfy Insights helps identify usage patterns in different spaces, such as why some conference rooms are underused (often due to comfort issues).

What’s Next for Comfy

Comfy Insights is the latest focus, with customers beginning to use it and providing positive feedback. The product roadmap includes addressing other workplace pain points, especially related to location services like finding and booking workspaces, to create a more seamless work environment.

The Future of CRE and Building Technology

Lindsay describes the current state of smart building technology in commercial real estate (CRE) as the "Wild West," with many technologies being tried but few dominating the market. The industry is still developing best practices, especially around IT and security. The increasingly mobile workforce presents both challenges and opportunities, as people have more choices about where and how they work. Lindsay draws parallels to the disruption seen in retail real estate and sees companies like WeWork as part of this trend. The goal is to make office spaces desirable places to work, competing with alternatives like coffee shops.

Health and Wellness in Buildings

Lindsay is excited about the WELL Building Standard, which focuses on designing and operating buildings to support human health and wellness. She believes this is becoming a competitive factor among building owners and is an important area for improvement in the industry.

What Lindsay Loves Most

Lindsay's favorite part of her work is building community—both within her team at Comfy and among users. She finds it rewarding to see people become more aware of their work environment and expect more from it, fostering a sense of community and advocacy for better workplaces.