Microsoft is one of the most successful enterprises in the world and no company can achieve such standing without ambition and innovation. But the company’s vision for the future extends beyond the advances in technology it’s famous for. It’s also paving the way for healthier, more efficient and sustainable workspaces.

Enabled by technology
We’re working with Microsoft at its headquarters in Beijing to retrofit and optimize building operations. The Beijing West Campus covers almost 150,000 square meters and hosts more than 3,200 employees.

Despite the campus’s impressive size and the number of people working there, it’s already maximizing energy savings and reducing emissions. Until recently, its cloud-based Azure platform underpinned the upgrades. Doreen Deng, Vice President of Microsoft Greater China and Global Partners Solutions Lead, explains: “We are already using the most comprehensive and trusted SAS cloud platform to support digital transformation.”

Now the company is introducing new technologies to enhance Azure. It’s using our Metasys building automation system to monitor heating and cooling equipment, and our artificial intelligence-enabled OpenBlue Enterprise Manager to provide extra data analysis and insight generation capabilities.

Empowered by knowledge
For example, to improve the campus’s energy efficiency, managers reviewed its major power-consuming equipment, including the cooling tower. They were able to pinpoint where upgrades were necessary, which boosted the efficiency of air conditioning motors and lowered the tower’s power consumption. But they had to do more: “For energy-efficient operations management, we needed technology that could capture the numbers,” says Kaijun Chen, Senior Portfolio Manager, Microsoft Beijing West Campus, RE&F China, Microsoft.

OpenBlue Enterprise Manager enabled them to gather the mountains of data that could not be effectively utilized before and reduce it to information that managers could use and act on. “Over time, we can now see trends, and identify the best opportunities for savings,” says Kaijun Chen.

Improved air quality enhances the working environment
Employees now have a healthier working environment – one that visitors can benefit from too. OpenBlue Enterprise Manager gives building managers an easy-to-understand snapshot of air quality across the property and provides granular detail on specific areas, such as meeting rooms. That means they can take steps to improve deteriorating air quality, like increasing the flow of fresh air through the buildings. “It takes around 30 mins …" says Kaijun Chen. "So, when outdoor air pollution is really bad, we’ll start this process at 6 a.m. before people start working.”

Before optimizing through OpenBlue Enterprise Manager, hundreds of air quality sensors across the campus recorded data about indoor and outdoor air quality. However, the property lacked an intelligent way of making sense of the vast amount of data.

Moving forward together
The combination of Microsoft’s own software, our Metasys building automation system and OpenBlue Enterprise Manager has culminated in extraordinary results for the Beijing headquarters so far. The Campus has achieved annual energy savings of 27.9 percent and recently passed an extensive energy audit conducted by the Beijing Municipal Government and the Haidian District Government. The deeper insights enabled by the technologies have also helped to increase the uptime of key equipment to more than 98 percent.

People’s experience of the workplace has improved too. Employees who suffer from pollution-induced allergies can now breathe easier at work, while Azure and OpenBlue Enterprise Manager maintain this comfort level throughout the day.

Kaijun Chen has been impressed by the measurable improvements made since the installation of Metasys and OpenBlue Enterprise Manager at the Microsoft Beijing West Campus. He has some advice for companies with large real estate footprints who are embarking on digital transformation projects: “You need reliable, stable and experienced partners, the right technology, as well as a clear plan to bring more value to your concept. Johnson Controls offered us all of those things.”