WiredScore To Develop Certification System For Smart Buildings
WiredScore, founded to score commercial buildings based on their level of internet connectivity, is moving to standardize another real estate buzzword.
The proptech company has formed a council of major real estate, tech and finance companies, including Hines, KPMG, Fifth Wall and PGIM Real Estate, which will be tasked with creating a smart building certification system, WiredScore announced Thursday.
“The world around us is changing and it’s imperative that we move with it,” WiredScore founder and CEO Arie Barendrecht said in a statement. “Collectively, we are setting out to define a global standard for smart buildings and build a certification to serve both the owners and users of buildings.”
The new group, dubbed The WiredScore Smart Council, would create institutional standards for smart buildings for the first time, as well as recommend best practices to achieve different levels of building intelligence.
WiredScore runs the Wired Certification program, which rates buildings' connectivity, but it is also seeking to become a platform to connect tech innovations to its real estate clients, which include the biggest office owners in the world.
The pandemic has led to a surge in demand for smart building technology. From HVAC systems that eliminate toxins in the air to remote management in the return to public spaces, property owners and businesses are interested in using building technology to mitigate risks of infection.
“We know the future is smart, yet there has been a lack of clarity on how these technologies help us and our tenants,” Hines Chief Information Officer Jesse Carrillo said in a statement.
The council is set to examine the efficiency and development of smart building technology, as well as which types of technologies have become obsolete, according to WiredScore's announcement.
“Smart technologies have existed for years, however, recently we have noticed a significant increase in newer smart technologies being brought to market promoting everything from improved access control to climate control to health and wellness,” Carrillo said.
Allianz Real Estate, Allied Properties REIT, Art-Invest Real Estate, AXA Investment Managers, British Land, Commerz Real, Deliveroo, Derwent London, EDGE, Gecina, Great Portland Estates, KingSett Capital, Nuveen Real Estate, Legal & General, Patrizia AG and Rudin Management Co. will also have representatives on the council.
