Czech prop tech wins order for New York office portfolio

The Czech prop tech firm Sharry has won an order to deploy its digital platform for modern office buildings in 23 high-rise buildings in New York. SL Green Realty Corp. selected the company's product, which has been adapted since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic to provide buildings greater safety. The decision was highlighted at the company's new flagship building One Vanderbilt in Manhattan, a 427-meter skyscraper. "It is one of the fastest and largest reactions of the PropTech sector to the current situation related to the epidemic of the new type of coronavirus, which of course has also impacted the commercial real estate sector," said Josef Šachta, Sharry's CEO and co-founder, regarding the new contract. Among other innovations, Sharry's system provide employees with a phone application that allows them to pass security turnstiles in the lobby and call an elevator without having to touch anything. The system includes a guest management system in which visitors will receive a meeting invitation with a QR code. Sharry's product manager Ondrej Langr said this will enable guests to get from the street to the company's reception desk without having to be in contact with the building's receptionist. "We're trying to eliminate as many barriers in the visitor's way as possible," he said. Employees will also be able to use the application to use or reserve the use of a variety of building amenities, such as its terrace, gym or electric scooters.