FM newsroom – office, certification. A stable internet connection with the highest possible speed, high demands on server room security and a flawless telecommunications network – not exclusive demands by Google, Spotify, or Meta. Companies everywhere seek guaranteed access to superior IT and telecommunications services. A building’s WiredScore shows how well the given office performs.
WiredScore and SmartScore in Czechia
In addition to the green certification, commercial real estate in the Czech Republic can also strive for another mark evaluating its digital infrastructure and connectivity. For tenants with high demands on this security, the WiredScore is a clear indicator of which office buildings are worth considering.
This year, the Czech Republic chose its first domestic WiredScore auditor: the official announcement names Ondřej Svoboda, project manager at the real estate consulting company 108 REAL ESTATE.
“Since January, two buildings in Prague have been so certified – RiGa in Karlin and Palác Anděl. And we are convinced that interest will rocket. For several types of tenants, premium telecommunication services are a condition for choosing to stay in their existing offices or choose new ones. For many of them, an hour of non-functioning internet can mean losses of hundreds of thousands of dollars,” – explains Jakub Holec, Director of 108 REAL ESTATE.
WiredScore is required as an additional standard to certifications such as BREAM or LEED in the US, Canada, the UK, and other European countries. Major development and investment groups have had their portfolios certified since 2013. In addition to the WiredScore plaque, 108 REAL ESTATE will roll out a parallel certification that holistically assesses building performance—SmartScore—in the domestic real estate market.
WiredScore is a symptom of an age where time means money
How many mobile network operators can serve a building? How are the most common reasons for reduced data rates being addressed? Does the building have signal boosters in the elevator or in underground garages? How are rooms with installed servers secured, for example, against fire or flood? These are just a fraction of the questions that are addressed in a WiredScore screening to determine the certification level. For an average office building with around 10,000 m2 of floor space, the certification process takes about 4 months.
“WiredScore is a symptom of an age where time means money. And the constant of time in the eyes of managers and employees is the speed of internet connection or the stability of mobile operators’ signal.” – says Ondřej Svoboda.
The certification is keeping pace with technology
The cost of the audit depends on the size of the building. The larger the area, the lower the cost. However, for owners or builders, the results can very quickly bring an effect in the form of lease contracts, retention of existing tenants or the discovery of deficiencies at the level of project documentation. This prevents subsequent multi-costs after constructing the building according to inadequate documentation. In fact, WiredScore can be applied in both the pre-construction and construction phases. If the office building is already completed, a distinction is made between a building occupied by tenants and one that is still empty.
In all cases, however, the WiredScore certificate is temporary: 18 months for buildings in the planning or construction phase and 24 months for an office building that is at least 2/3 leased. Recertification is then required, which rarely requires minor changes to the infrastructure. Otherwise, it is not even possible, given the rapid development of technology and innovation.
An auditor is an ethical IT hacker
An auditor checks the quality of the telecommunications system of an office building, including the resilience of the server rooms. These might be more important to certain tenants than the CEO’s office – compromising their operation could majorly impact hundreds of thousands or millions of users or clients worldwide.
“It may seem almost absurd, but we are also addressing how a building is protected against disruption or complete break in the fibre optic cable. In Prague, in particular, so-called knocked-over or severed utilities are not rare. And there are companies that can’t send people to the home office in such a case – they have to operate around the clock,” – describes Ondřej Svoboda.
ESG+Resilience
WiredScore itself refers to its certification as ESG-R. It extends the already established E-environmental, S-social and G-governance criteria with the letter R-resilience. In this case, it is the building’s resilience to obsolescence, specifically in its technology and communication solutions. For example, WiredScore Platinum tells tenants (but also banks or investors) that costly alterations, extensions and further renovations will not be necessary in the foreseeable future to keep the building competitive. This is an environmentally responsible approach, as it means lower or no greenhouse gas emissions in the near future.