Suburban Office Buildings Getting Connected
GlenStar Properties just achieved certifications from WiredScore for its 2.7M SF portfolio of Class-A commercial office properties in suburban Chicago.
Officials from the developer and investor, which owns properties throughout both the suburbs and the Central Business District, said this is the first complete suburban portfolio to get certifications from the New York City-based WiredScore, which developed these international standards to highlight best-in-class connectivity.
The tech improvements are part of a movement by many suburban landlords, including GlenStar, to upgrade their properties with amenities that compare favorably to or equal the top buildings in Chicago's CBD.
“In order to attract and retain tenants in the suburban markets, we understand that, as owners, it requires more than just having the physical amenities that are becoming commonplace for today’s tenants,” GlenStar principal Michael Klein said. “Prioritizing connectivity and incorporating it into our overall tenant experience is essential for us to deliver value and differentiate our properties in the market.”
The firm's Schaumburg Corporate Center in Schaumburg and Presidents Plaza in the O'Hare Airport submarket earned the Wired Certified Gold designation, while Continental Towers, a three-building office complex in Rolling Meadows, earned a Wired Certified Platinum and two Wired Certified Gold designations.
Landlords in U.S. cities like New York City have for years used Wired Certified designations to show prospective tenants their buildings' capacities, but WiredScore has also begun to make inroads into the Chicago region's market. There are now more than 1,700 Wired Certified buildings worldwide.
Before awarding the designations, WiredScore evaluated the digital infrastructure at each suburban GlenStar property. The reviewers assigned a certification level after evaluating technical elements including internet service providers available to tenants, infrastructure redundancy, connection access points and readiness to meet future needs.
GlenStar pioneered the use of Wired Certification in Chicago’s CBD by attaining Wired Certified Platinum for its 141 West Jackson Blvd., and Wired Certified Gold for 55 East Monroe. Including its suburban portfolio, GlenStar has now certified nearly 6M SF of office space across the Chicago region.
“As the first landlord to pursue Wired Certification across a portfolio of Class-A commercial office properties in the Chicago suburbs, the team at GlenStar has positioned itself as leaders in providing a tech-forward tenant experience,” WiredScore Chicago head Christine Torres said.
