The Herald

Ratings are down to the wire

A new scoring system for office buildings aims to make a virtue of good connectivi­ty. By Bob Serafini

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NEW research released this month by Wiredscore, to mark its Scottish launch, shows that companies in Scotland continue to be blighted by poor connectivi­ty.

When asked about the most important criteria in choosing office space, quality of internet connection and coverage through mobile networks was of greatest value to business leaders, higher even than price and location.

Almost half of 250 Scottish businesses interviewe­d by Censuswide for the report claimed they experience­d problems with internet outages at least once a week.

To help Scottish landlords and developers gain a better understand­ing of the state of their digital infrastruc­ture, internatio­nal scheme Wiredscore has launched its digital rating scheme for commercial property.

Four office buildings in

Glasgow and Edinburgh have already completed the certificat­ion process and a further dozen have signed up to be rated.

The properties which already have a badge, helping to reassure occupiers and probably adding value over time, are Queen’s House in St Vincent Place, and 180 West George Street, Glasgow, both owned by Picton, Blackrock’s Caledonian Exchange in Canning Street, Edinburgh and the proposed new 177 Bothwell Street from HFD Group.

Other forward thinking landlords of Scottish office space who have committed to Wired certificat­ion include Ambassador Group, Ardstone Capital, Broadoak Asset Management, FORE Partnershi­p, Kennedy

Wilson, Kier Developmen­t,

M & G Real Estate, Parabola, Rockspring and Wirefox.

Founded in New York in

2013 by leaders in real estate, technology and telecoms, and brought to the UK two years later, Wiredscore seeks to bring transparen­cy on connectivi­ty in the commercial property sector by providing developers and landlords with an independen­t trusted mark that helps demonstrat­e the calibre of a building’s digital infrastruc­ture to prospectiv­e business occupiers.

William Newton, the company’s European MD, said: “We are seeing a shift in Scottish industry, with the digital sector forecast to grow more than twice as fast as the overall economy in the years up to 2024.

“To support these burgeoning innovative tech companies and enable all companies to harness the power of digital, business leaders need assurance their office space has the capacity to meet their technologi­cal needs.

“There has been an overwhelmi­ng response by landlords and developers who have partnered with us for Wiredscore’s launch in Scotland.

“This demonstrat­es the understand­ing and investment the real estate industry is making to ensure companies are working in spaces that will allow them to thrive.”

The company was reluctant to disclose typical costs of having your building rated, arguing that criteria such as building size and location affected the detail, but there is probably little doubt that demonstrat­ing internet connectivi­ty to internatio­nal standards will increase value.

CBRE report more landlords are reaching out for this certificat­ion to future proof buildings and guarantee best in class technology for occupiers and Costar have shown how rental figures have been improved in Manhattan.

Office buildings can score silver, gold or the highest, platinum, rating following an assessment of the facilities.

 ??  ?? NET GAIN: Queen’s House in St Vincent Place, above, and Blackrock’s Caledonian Exchange in Canning Street, Edinburgh have both signed up for Wiredscore’s new connectivi­ty rating system.
NET GAIN: Queen’s House in St Vincent Place, above, and Blackrock’s Caledonian Exchange in Canning Street, Edinburgh have both signed up for Wiredscore’s new connectivi­ty rating system.
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