Enhancing Workplace Efficiency: The Role of Occupancy Sensors in Modern Offices

April 2025

With the reimagining of workplaces in the post-COVID era, many corporate clients are opting to install occupancy sensors in their newly renovated office spaces. The goal is to understand how their new workplace strategies, revitalizing spaces with a revised ratio of community, innovation, and focus areas, along with the introduction of attractive amenities, are being utilized. This data helps assess whether these efforts are successfully encouraging employees to return to the office.

Occupancy sensors come in two forms wired, which are easier to maintain, and wireless, which streamline the installation process. These sensors generally fall into two categories:

• Area sensors, which count the number of people within a defined space, such as workstations or conference rooms.
• Entryway sensors, which track how many people pass through a virtual gateway, make them ideal for elevator entrances or complex spaces where space sensors cannot be installed.

The two sensor types can be strategically combined to maximize coverage, depending on the level of detail the owner wants to capture.

These sensors determine space usage by leveraging live camera footage. However, the resolution is intentionally set at a level that allows for accurate person counting while protecting individual privacy, as the goal of this initiative is to gain insights into space utilization—not to identify individuals.

Northstar recently completed a project for a life science client to install over 1,000 occupancy sensors throughout their newly renovated space. We anticipate more owners will adopt this approach, as the data collected from these sensors provide valuable insights for optimizing workspace utilization and engaging workplaces in the future.

As hybrid work continues to evolve, tools like occupancy sensors help owners better support how people work by understanding how their spaces are actually used.

Kamal Sheik has over five years of industry experience, specializing in the commercial, pharmaceutical, life science, and residential sectors. He has been part of project teams that have successfully overseen projects valued at up to $80M. His expertise spans the entire construction project life cycle, with a firm grasp of the design process.