The client wanted to position the Q22 high-rise in Warsaw, Poland, as a market leader in terms of quality, performance, and experience. That's why they decided to upgrade its access management and launch the Sharry workplace experience platform. As a result, the building was the first in the region to achieve SmartScore Occupied Gold certification and allow users to use the employee badge in Apple Wallet.

The Client: Invesco Real Estate

Invesco Real Estate is a global leader in the real estate investment management business with €82.5 billion in real estate assets under management, 613 employees, and 21 regional offices across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Invesco Real Estate has a 40-year investment history and has been actively investing across the risk-return spectrum, from core to opportunistic, in equity and debt real estate strategies, and in direct and listed real estate for its c.500 institutional client relationships during this time.

In Europe, Invesco Real Estate has eight offices in London, Munich, Milan, Madrid, Paris, Prague, Luxembourg and Warsaw, and 188 employees. It manages 208 assets across 14 European countries with assets under management of €15,4 billion.
(Source: Invesco Real Estate as of 31 December 2023.)

The Q22 Development: Inspired By The Shape Of A Crystal

The modern skyscraper located in the business center of Warsaw was designed by Kuryłowicz&Associates Studio and Buro Happold. The construction was completed in July 2016 and later that year the building was bought by Invesco Real Estate.

The quality of the office space and building amenities has been confirmed by numerous awards and certifications, such as BREEAM Outstanding v.6, WiredScore Platinum, SmartScore Gold, and CEE Investment & Green Building Awards.

The high-rise building in numbers:

• 159m – Building rooftop height
• 10/2016 – Opened in October 2016
• 53.800 – Rentable office space in sqm
• 42+5 – Floor count
• 348 – Number of spots in the 5-story parking lot

What Was The Challenge?

In 2021, the license for the Q22 parking software was about to expire. The building owner saw this as an opportunity for a massive technology upgrade and for adding a digital layer to the building and surrounding areas.

“For a premium asset like Q22, we considered the building tenant engagement app a must. We needed an app covering access to the building, access and management of the parking, and entries for visitors, including a digital guestbook, and a communication platform. Sharry had all these features in their workplace platform that was white-labeled for the building. We liked the fact that it was easy to navigate and we could design together what it would look like.”

[.quote-autor]Anna Szelc, Senior Director at Invesco Real Estate[.quote-autor]

As the end of the COVID-19 pandemic was on the horizon, the client was interested in providing a touch-free access solution. They were looking for ways to engage with remotely working building occupiers and motivate them to return to offices that meet the highest standards of cleanliness and safety. The required solution was also intended to help the property management to manage the building and amenities flexibly.

What Did Sharry Do? Access Management Platform

In a series of incremental steps, Sharry has delivered a robust workplace experience platform that focuses primarily on access management.

1) Building & Tenant Space Access: The solution utilized HID mobile and plastic badges. Through API, it is directly integrated into the Integriti access control system provided by Inner Range. It enables users to access the building, their offices, and shared space just with a tap of their smartphone.

2) Parking Access: Sharry automatically manages parking entrances using license plate recognition enabled by SPIE cameras. Parking signage then recommends where the driver should park or guides them to a free spot they have reserved in the app. The spot's availability is indicated by parking sensors delivered by Wama Soft.

3) Visitor Access: A smooth visitor journey is built upon e-mailing guestpasses with QR codes. Through them, guests can easily book a parking spot or check in quickly at the reception. At that time, the host receives an automated notification of the guest's arrival.

Access is comprehensively handled through the PortalWX by Sharry with a modern UI that allows managers to remotely manage access roles and all types of credentials in one place (mobile badges, plastic cards, license plates, and guestpasses for visitors). The Sharry platform also allows these permissions to be delegated to individual tenants or sub-tenants, making daily operations much easier thanks to the cascading hierarchy.

“Inner Range and Sharry both offer highly bespoke, flexible solutions, which made us great partners for our work on Q22’s system design and delivery. Our enterprise-level Integriti system provides intelligent controlled access and security for the site, as well as integrating with Sharry’s parking and visitor management software, and third-party systems, such as number plate recognition and parking sensors to deliver the tailored solution Q22 users need.”

[.quote-autor]Tim Northwood, General Manager at Inner Range[.quote-autor]

Employee Badge in Apple Wallet: The 1st in the EU

In October 2023, Sharry partnered with HID to implement the first employee badge in Apple Wallet deployment in mainland Europe at Q22. It enables all workers to easily access their corporate space with just their iPhone or Apple Watch – from doors and turnstiles to shared amenities, and more.

With Express Mode, employees at Q22 don’t need to wake or unlock their Apple devices to use the virtual badge. They can unlock doors in a second and get in faster than ever before. And if their device runs out of battery, their Apple Wallet credential will still work for up to five hours.

“We like to be pioneers and when we heard about the option to have the access badge in Apple Wallet we immediately saw an opportunity there. It's a very comfortable solution for the user. The readers respond immediately. The Wallet badge with the Q22 picture is also another way to promote our building,” explained Anna Szelc from Invesco Real Estate.

The mobile convenience also means less plastic (cards) — a key factor for reducing Q22’s carbon footprint and meeting its sustainability goals.

"We are honored to work with all partners involved in that flagship project, which may become a reference for future deployments in our region. Possibilities for using employee badge in Apple Wallet are almost endless, and this project is a perfect example where it is possible to boost user experience without compromising a higher level of security.”

[.quote-autor]Kamil Targalski, European Business Development Manager at HID[.quote-autor]

The Outcome? Smart Score Certification

The exceptional status of the 42 above-ground-story office building has been confirmed by several external authorities. In May 2023, Q22 became the first occupied building in Central and Eastern Europe to be awarded a SmartScore certification at Gold level — attesting to their delivery of outstanding outcomes for all users, through digital technology, to exceed their evolving expectations.

“Q22 is an exceptional example of a building that keeps updating its technology and elevating the offer for the occupiers over time. This landmark tower of Warsaw has already updated its building management system (BMS), and access control, added a carbon footprint tracking system, introduced a tenant platform, and now leads the way for state-of-art access with Apple Wallet.“

[.quote-autor]Renata Hartle, Technology Solutions Director in Colliers, supported Invesco in WiredScore and SmartScore certifications[.quote-autor]

“We found the certification scheme to be very useful in revising the current set-up of our technology stack and providing a benchmark with the global standard of intelligent buildings. It also turned out to be a great inspiration on how we can further develop technology in the building,” adds Anna Szelc from Invesco Real Estate.

What’s Next?

Following the successful delivery of all features included in the Sharry workplace platform and the smooth launch of the employee badge in Apple Wallet, the Sharry Helpdesk Team is continuously available to users and administrators of the Q22 building. Sharry provides online and on-site training to new members and is also on hand to discuss any new product feature requests.

In addition to Q22, Sharry has already launched its platform at another office building owned by Invesco – Corso Court in Prague, Czech Republic. “Our portfolio is diverse and we analyze our assets case by case. We always try to find the best solution for them but we are studying the option to implement Sharry in our other buildings,” said Anna Szelc from Invesco.