WiredScore

[edit] WiredScore - Introduction

When it comes to selecting office space, many organisations will consider how factors such as the property’s layout, local amenities and transport links will impact productivity, but without taking into account the connectivity capacity which underpins the majority of their business operations.

Internet connectivity plays a vital role in the success of every business, so it is important that they can operate in spaces which enable them to be productive, innovative, and drive growth. However, some buildings have low connectivity capacity, offering little choice of internet service provider, and no resiliency in case of accidents.

Businesses can end up leasing space without really considering the connectivity limits within that building. And when a business relies on the internet for its success, six months in a building with poor access can feel like a very long time.

According to Manchester: A Connected Future, WiredScore’s 2016 report into ways of attracting more businesses to the growing tech hub, a third of northern tech workers were found to believe that more businesses would be attracted to the city if landlords were able to offer greater or improved connectivity. Developers, landlords and property agents, however, have not had a means of articulating how good the connectivity in their buildings is.

[edit] WiredScore - a brief history

WiredScore is a global organisation that owns and operates Wired Certification, a digital connectivity certification that rates the quality and resilience of digital infrastructure in buildings. First launched by Arie Barendrecht in 2013 with the endorsement of Michael Bloomberg, the Mayor of New York City at the time, WiredScore has certified over 550 million sq feet of space in 9 countries, with over 2500 buildings committed to certification. WiredScore launched in London in October 2015 after winning the Greater London Authority’s tender to be the official Mayor of London's Digital Connectivity Rating Scheme and has since certified buildings in Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Australia and Netherlands.

[edit] Wired Certification

WiredScore owns and operates Wired Certification, a digital connectivity rating scheme that acts as an independent digital connectivity benchmark and provides landlords with insights to enhance their building's digital infrastructure. WiredScore certifies buildings across commercial, Build to Rent residential properties and mixed-use neighbourhoods, earning each project a certification rating out of five based on point-based credits.

WiredScore certifies buildings across five different levels, including Under Certification, Wired Certified, Wired Certified Silver, Wired Certified Gold, Wired Certified Platinum.

Wired Certification measures the quality and resilience of the digital infrastructure of a building, mobile coverage, the choice of internet service providers, and whether the building’s critical digital infrastructure is safe and secure from any physical damage. The certification ensures the building has the infrastructure in place to adapt to future technological advancements.

[edit] Wired Certification for developments and re-developments

New construction projects and re-developments represent tremendous opportunities to plan for and implement the best possible connectivity infrastructure, and Wired Certification for developments and re-developments analyses the connectivity potential and infrastructure of these projects.

For example, Here East, the digital campus converted from the former Olympic Press and Broadcast Centres, located in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, was awarded the highest digital connectivity rating for development and re-development.

Here East received outstanding praise from WiredScore for its flexibility, diversity, and power:

• Flexibility: The number of internet service providers being installed in both buildings gives tenants flexibility as they have a variety of providers to choose from.
• Diversity: Multiple universal communications chambers surrounding the Press Centre and Broadcast Centre makes installation of new services fast and easy, and there are multiple communication points of entry, as well as diverse risers, in each building which creates full redundancy and reduces the risk of any single point of failure.
• Power: The power for both buildings is fed from three individual substations which increases the resiliency and redundancy.

Just as providing Energy Performance Certificates has prompted increased investments to improve buildings’ energy efficiency so, in time, WiredScore hopes that connectivity benchmarks will help drive greater understanding of digital infrastructure.

While not every building can be Platinum rated, every business does need to have a clear view on whether potential office space has the capacity to support its future growth, and WiredScore believes its benchmarking is an important step in providing that view – both to businesses, developers and landlords alike.

For further information, visit WiredScore.

[edit] Find out more

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