How a Class-A Office Tower Uses Smart Technology to Boost Occupant Wellbeing

In southern British Columbia, Kelowna is situated on Okanagan Lake, surrounded by mountains. With warm summers—and 16-plus hours of daylight—and mild winters, this inland city features plenty of shoreline and greenspace that can be enjoyed year-round.

When the Mission Group developed The Block, downtown Kelowna’s first Class-A smart technology office tower, incorporating sustainability and occupant wellbeing was a central theme, inside and out. Opened in June 2024, The Block is home to the Mission Group’s headquarters, among other tenants. The development includes two condo towers, stores, restaurants, and last-mile amenities. Collectively, they comprise Bernard Block, a city block near the waterfront.

The idea for this development—a sustainable urban area without the need for a car—is centered on a community of thoughtfulness, powered by technology, where business meets balance. Jonathan Friesen, CEO of Mission Group, noted how “it's part of the whole movement toward sustainability and a bit more thoughtfulness about where we work and where we live.”

The Block brings wellbeing and comfort to occupants through innovative technology features, but it’s not simply technology to add bells and whistles.

The Mission Group thoughtfully incorporated solutions that elevate personal comfort while providing connectivity: “These are the two areas we focused on,” Freisen confirmed.

Tenants of The Block can take full advantage of the views, with Okanagan Lake nearby and the mountains, forests, orchards, and parks surrounding. Self-adjusting View Smart Windows change opacity based on weather conditions, eliminating the need for view-blocking blinds.

Adding Adjustable-Opacity Windows Has Numerous Benefits

The most visible technology-meets-well-being solution can be seen inside and out of The Block: View Smart Windows adjust opacity to control natural light based on outdoor and indoor conditions—perfect for long summer daylight.

The glass is programmed to adjust opacity through the day based on the position of the sun to the building, weather conditions, and information from sensors on the roof, Friesen said. Occupants also have the flexibility to use their mobile device to tweak the tint down to a single pane for full adjustability.

Installing adjustable-opacity windows eliminated the need to budget for certain building materials. Gone were window blinds throughout the 110,000-square-foot building, and mechanical systems were reduced. “We were able to eliminate a lot of the capacity, saving us about $1 million just in the HVAC system,” he recalled.

Architectural features, such as angled windows, can be seen indoors, and the natural outdoor surroundings bring in a biophilic boost.

Friesen mentioned findings that The Mission Group discovered for adjustable windows that support employee comfort: “Employees who are working with this kind of a glazing system are happier, they're more productive. That's a big thing for employers, for our future tenants, and our existing tenants.”

Dark Fiber Provides a Secure, Speedy Connection

Dark fiber infrastructure—with virtually unlimited bandwidth and hyper-secure encryption—comes pre-wired on all floors of The Block, providing tenants access to hook up and get to work, no matter security or speed requirements, making this an unseen but business-critical technology.

“It's a big deal, especially for financial institutions, to have that kind of extremely robust connectivity that's unlikely to be interrupted,” Friesen explained. “As owners of the building, [Mission Group] fully manages the internet, and can charge more economically than standard internet providers.”

With an in-house tech team to operate and manage dark fiber for tenants, it’s an attractive feature often taken for granted in a connected world. On the flip side, the technology in this building does not need a lot of specialty knowledge to be maintained and operated.

Building developer and owner Mission Group has made The Block its new headquarters. Nods to the Mission Group's hometown, and its role in changing the urban landscape over two decades, are brought to life with The Wake of Change, a custom, immersive art installation in their company lobby. Ripples of wooden ribs above represent looking from beneath the surface of Okanagan Lake, and cascade down the side of the wall into a 3D streetscape, where water meets land. The streetscape shelving is a map of Kelowna, with streets etched inside. “The new headquarters, with this installation, reflects the company’s commitment to innovative design and to creating spaces that intrinsically tie to who we are as a company, to our story, and our love for the lake and the land,” Mission Group CEO Jonathan Friesen said in a news release about the art.

Attractive Features Boost Occupancy

Other technology incorporated into The Block includes:

Entry system ButterflyMx, a smart video intercom via smartphone to open doors, gates, and elevators for tenants and visitors
Hands-free entry access
EV charging stations
Secure parking and bike storage

Friesen attributed the collection of technologies as a factor in the building’s occupancy success—he sees The Block enjoying higher rates of absorption, leasing velocity, and rental rates.

And, the feedback from the smart glass specifically has been so strong, that he said the Mission Group has “zero regrets of us taking this risk to try something new. This is one that if anybody were planning an office building, I'd say you should definitely consider it.”

Employees Have a New Outlook with Their New View

Employees at the Mission Group and throughout the building enjoy the amenities—tech and otherwise. Friesen noted that tenants are happy because they notice happy employees who like to be in a new building centrally located in Kelowna.

Even from his own staff, who moved from another relatively new office building, Friesen has heard his coworkers say they feel like they got a new job, simply because of the building offerings, which is high praise given they bring designs to life for their job.