SL Green Realty Corp

3D Scanning Plus a New Learning Management Platform Enable Innovative Workforce Development at SL Green

Manhattan’s largest commercial landlord leverages incentives from NYSERDA and collaborates on new solutions to familiar industry training barriers.

Overview

SL Green, Manhattan’s largest commercial landlord with over 29M square feet under management, recognizes the value of employee training. In 2023 the company embarked on a series of efforts to establish itself as a leader in workforce training and development, while addressing its own energy management needs.

Identifying the Need

SL Green sought partners that could bring innovative solutions to common training challenges. In collaboration with Aetos Imaging Systems, an engineering group utilizing software and 3D scanning, they aimed to revolutionize how building owners train staff, manage assets, and enhance online collaboration. SIG contributed to the early stages of launching the initiative.

Together, SL Green and Aetos identified a list of primary objectives, which included:

• reducing skills gaps and increasing knowledge of energy efficiency in steam systems, steam trap maintenance, and cooling tower maintenance 
• enhancing understanding of climate and environmental regulations
• optimizing the operation and maintenance of centralized heating and cooling systems, including demand response and management

Initial Steps: A Learning Management Platform

Aetos responded to these objectives and began by developing a custom learning management platform in collaboration with SL Green engineers, tailored to the company’s unique needs. The platform would function as a centralized database where specialized training content could be hosted, distributed, and monitored in a new and efficient way. The platform would also be a place where employees with various job titles and roles could access training.

Addressing Training Gaps and Opportunities

As a next step, the team examined areas that could be improved with a digital workforce training. They recognized that a building’s engineering, operations, and maintenance staff typically receive training through union education, which includes a combination of classroom learning and hands-on experience. However, this training isn’t specific to the buildings where engineers work, and it is not accessible in real-time. Additionally, without a digitized learning management system, formalized on-site or on-the-job trainings are often sporadic or limited due to resource constraints.

SL Green chose an approach that considered this reality. Using Green’s actual mechanical rooms and equipment, in combination with 3D scanning technology, Aetos built an immersive training module [to view this link, enable cookies] that all members of the building’s operations and management team could access.

3D visualizations provided unique value to the trainees by allowing them to:

• virtually inspect the equipment
• cross-train on different building systems
• collaborate online with visual data

Site-Specific Skills: Steam Systems

Steam systems maintenance was identified as a critical skill. So, it made sense for SL Green to enlist an outside energy systems expert, Steve Mosto of Mosto Technologies. Steve, who was featured in some of the trainings, brought deep knowledge of steam systems. He ensured that the steam training courses were filmed in an SL Green property and had the latest, most relevant content.

The video training was loaded into the learning management platform and is now available in perpetuity.

The training program, while initially designed for engineers, grew beyond its original scope to encompass the entire building staff. As a result, collaboration and knowledge-sharing increased across departments.

With systematic onboarding and proactive communication strategies, nearly 200 members were onboarded and over 1,000 training hours were delivered over a span of 10 months.