Progress continues to be made towards a sustainable built environment that not only supports the wellbeing of occupiers but helps to tackle the climate crisis too.
Building owners, managers and developers have more sustainable options available to them than ever before, with a wide range of accreditations in the marketplace. The challenge is in identifying which one is right for your building.
As part of our sustainability series, we’ve taken a closer look at WiredScore, a certification for tech-enabled and future-ready buildings.
What is WiredScore?
WiredScore certification was developed in the US in 2013 as a means of recognising and promoting best-in-class, digitally connected buildings. It does so by measuring the quality and resilience of the digital infrastructure of a building, as well as its mobile coverage, choice of internet service providers, and whether the building’s critical digital infrastructure is safe and secure from physical damage.
Certification ensures that a building has the infrastructure in place to adapt to future technological advancements.
Why is WiredScore popular?
WiredScore is attractive to owners, developers and landlords as it can significantly differentiate a property from others in the marketplace.
Internationally recognised, it provides a clear understanding of a building’s technology capabilities, removing any doubts or barriers for potential tenants. It also provides a competitive advantage by showcasing a property’s commitment to technological excellence.
What are the benefits of WiredScore certification?
WiredScore certification delivers a range of tangible benefits:
- Ensures that a development is technologically forward-thinking and ready to attract the next generation of business tenants.
- Enables building owners and managers to understand, improve, benchmark, and promote a building’s digital infrastructure.
- Helps to future-proof a building.
- Supports efforts to improve a building’s efficiency, saving time, energy and waste.
Furthermore, by optimising design during the planning and construction phase of a development, building owners and managers can attract new tenants, avoid future retrofit costs, and enhance the building’s reputation.
How are WiredScore projects assessed?
WiredScore assesses projects in various five key categories. They include:
- Future readiness: does the building have the flexibility and capacity to adapt to new technology?
- Power of choice: do several high-speed fibre providers service the building, offering competitive pricing?
- Reliability: is there evidence of infrastructure planning which could mitigate potential outages?
- Security: is critical equipment protected from accidental or environmental disruption?
- Tenant experience: are the building’s tenants provided with a seamless digital connectivity experience?
The process is repeated every two years, or until the building is 60% leased. It is possible to arrange an audit prior to certification, giving owners, developers and landlords the opportunity to implement suggested improvements.
How are WiredScore projects scored?
WiredScore certification uses a points-based system which ranges from 0-100. A project earns points based on its results and performance, which leads to four distinct certification levels: Qualified, Silver, Gold, Platinum.
- Platinum
This is WiredScore’s highest-awarded mark and confirms that a building fulfils requirements for the quality of its wired facilities, durability, and wireless network. Platinum award-winning buildings must attain a predefined technological degree or more during the evaluation process.
- Gold
WiredScore Gold ensures that a building has the connection ability for almost any type of user, with a proven capability for staying up-to-date with the electronic demands of modern-day life.
- Silver
WiredScore Silver buildings must contain business-critical connection features. The most frequently granted score, WiredScore Silver provides assurance that a building can meet the substantial bulk of occupants’ technology requirements.
- Qualified
A WiredScore Qualified award proves that a building delivers satisfactory levels of digital connectivity, and is capable of meeting most technical needs.
Take a look at our WiredScore projects
Our construction specialists can support customers in achieving building compliance and certifications. Recent projects include:
- 10 Brindleyplace, Birmingham – WiredScore Platinum
- 5 St Philips Place, Birmingham – Targeting WiredScore Platinum
- 19 Cornwall Street, Birmingham – Targeting WiredScore Silver
Pictured Above: 10 Brindleyplace, Birmingham – WiredScore Platinum