WiredScore and SmartScore
Buildings that keep up with their users
Connectivity is now one of the first things an occupier asks about, and one of the first things to date a building. WiredScore and SmartScore answer it independently: WiredScore for digital connectivity, SmartScore for what the building does with its technology.
I am a WiredScore Accredited Professional. I help owners and developers assess, improve and certify their buildings, from the first gap analysis to the certification package, either directly or as a subcontractor to consultancies and design teams.
What is WiredScore?
WiredScore is an international rating for digital connectivity in buildings, with more than 4,000 buildings certified worldwide. It covers offices, industrial assets, homes, neighbourhoods and portfolios.
SmartScore is its counterpart for smart buildings. It covers offices, hotels, neighbourhoods and portfolios, and looks at whether the building's systems actually work for the people using it.
Pillar
Two: User Functionality and Technological Foundation.
Category
Seven in WiredScore, nine in SmartScore, two shared.
Evidence
Drawings, specifications and documents, or a site survey.
Level
Certified to Platinum, each with minimum requirements.
What each one measures
WiredScore covers the connectivity a building depends on. SmartScore covers the smart systems that run on top of it, and how well they serve the people inside.
| Category | WiredScore | SmartScore |
|---|---|---|
| User Functionality | ||
| Internet Service Provision | ||
| Mobile Performance | ||
| Digital Services | ||
| Sustainability Technology | ||
| Access and Navigation | ||
| Wellbeing | ||
| Safety and Security | ||
| Operational Excellence | ||
| Technological Foundation | ||
| Infrastructure Setup | ||
| Technology Resilience | ||
| Future Readiness | ||
| Systems Integration | ||
| Cybersecurity | ||
| Data Management | ||
| Categories | 7 | 9 |
Which certification?
WiredScore
Digital connectivity
- Office, industrial, home, neighbourhood and portfolio
- Internet provision, mobile, infrastructure, resilience and future readiness
- The usual starting point, because smart systems depend on connectivity
Seven categories
SmartScore
Smart building technology
- Office, hotel, neighbourhood and portfolio
- Access, wellbeing, safety, operations, cybersecurity, data and integration
- Suits schemes putting serious investment into building systems
Nine categories
The numbers that matter
Levels run Pre-certified, Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Because each level has minimum requirements, a building cannot reach Platinum on easy credits alone.
The process
- 1
Register
Register the building to start the process.
- 2
Kick off
Set ambitions and a timeline with WiredScore's Client Success Manager.
- 3
Assess
Submit the documentation, or complete a site survey.
- 4
Evidence
Review against the standard and make the quick-win improvements.
- 5
Certify
Certificate, fact sheet, building report and marketing toolkit.
- 6
Promote
Put the result in front of occupiers, agents and investors.
The role
What a WiredScore AP actually does
A WiredScore Accredited Professional knows the WiredScore connectivity standard in depth. SmartScore has its own AP accreditation. The job is to help assess, improve, benchmark and promote the building, and to carry it through each stage of certification.
On a development the expensive mistakes are the ones you cannot undo later: riser sizing, entry point diversity, plant room location and containment routes. That is where early advice pays for itself.
Queries about WiredScore?The WiredScore AP
Gap analysis, target level, evidence pack and improvement advice. That is me.
WiredScore
Kick-off with a Client Success Manager, review of the evidence and the certification itself.
The building team
Landlord, managing agent, MEP and IT providers: drawings, specifications, service agreements and policies.
Worth knowing: a development certification needs no site visit
WiredScore validates a development from drawings, photographs and documentation, so certification can be secured while the design is still moving.
In other words, the cheapest time to fix a riser is before it exists.
WiredScore and SmartScore FAQs
What are WiredScore and SmartScore, and who certifies them?
WiredScore rates a building's digital connectivity: internet provision, mobile performance, the infrastructure behind them, resilience and readiness for future technology. SmartScore rates the smart technology on top of that, and whether the building's systems, data and cybersecurity actually work for the people using it.
Both are run by WiredScore, which reviews the evidence and awards the certification. My part, as a WiredScore Accredited Professional, is everything before that on a WiredScore certification: gap analysis, target level, evidence pack and improvement advice.
Which buildings can be certified, and can existing buildings take part?
WiredScore covers offices, industrial buildings and homes, and homes includes multi-family, student living, build-to-sell and co-living. SmartScore covers offices and hotels. Both can also certify a whole neighbourhood or a portfolio.
Existing buildings and developments both qualify, redevelopments included. An office is assessed under one of two versions, occupied or development, depending on how far through completion the building is.
How does the process work, and is there a site visit?
There are six steps. Register the building. Kick off with WiredScore's Client Success Manager to agree the target level and timeline. Assess, by submitting documentation or completing a site survey. Review the evidence against the standard and make the quick-win improvements. Certify, which gets you the certificate, fact sheet, building report and marketing toolkit. Then promote it.
A development needs no site visit. WiredScore validates it from designs, photographs and documentation. An occupied building is assessed from documentation or a site survey, and every recertification includes an on-site visit.
How long it takes depends mostly on how quickly the evidence comes together, so I'll give you a timescale once I've seen what you've got.
Tell me where your project is and I'll tell you what evidence you'll need.
How is a building scored, and how long does a certificate last?
Both schemes score against two pillars, User Functionality and Technological Foundation. WiredScore has seven categories and SmartScore has nine, with Digital Services and Sustainability Technology in both. Levels run Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Every level has minimum requirements, so easy credits alone won't get you to Platinum. While a development goes through certification, the owner can apply for Pre-certified status, which lasts until the certification is finalised.
A certificate on an occupied building lasts two years. A development certificate lasts 18 months after the building completes. The building then recertifies on the occupied scorecard, which checks that the systems work once people move in, and moves onto a two-year renewal cycle. Each recertification is measured against the latest standard.
Does it count towards GRESB?
Yes, for now. WiredScore and SmartScore are both on GRESB's list of recognised building certification schemes, for design and construction and for operational buildings. GRESB says that list stays in place through its 2027 Real Estate Standard.
From 2028 every scheme has to meet GRESB's revised criteria, and GRESB is changing how it scores certifications at the same time. I'll check where things stand before your submission rather than promise points now.
We're looking at a lease in a certified building. Can you help us read the rating?
Yes. A rating is a useful shortcut when you're comparing buildings, as long as you read it properly.
I'll check the level, whether it's a development or an occupied certification, and when it expires. A development certification reflects the design. The check that the systems work once people move in only comes at recertification, which is due 18 months after completion. If the landlord will share the fact sheet and building report, I'll go through them with you and flag anything worth raising before you sign.
Do you work under our brand?
If that's what the project needs, yes. I work in your systems, to your templates and within your reporting lines. You keep the client relationship throughout and your project lead still leads.
Often the client doesn't know I'm not one of your team, and that suits me fine.
How do you charge?
Depends on the engagement. A fixed fee works well for a defined scope on a single project. Day rate or retained capacity tends to suit teams with recurring workload or a framework agreement.
Either way you'll get a clear scope and a fee before anything starts, and I'll tell you if I think the work doesn't need me.
Services
Specialist capacity, without the headcount
Consultancy, contractor or in-house team with more certification work than people to deliver it? I plug in for as long as the work exists across commercial fit-outs and refurbishments. You keep the client. I do the certification work.
Licensed Assessor and AP
BREEAM services
Licensed Assessor for UK New Construction, and AP (Design and Site) from concept design to site.
SKA Assessor
SKA Rating services
Fit-out assessments, from scoping the measures to issuing the certificate.
WELL AP
WELL services
Route, scorecard and documentation, with the submission managed through IWBI review.
Fitwel Ambassador
Fitwel services
Scorecard set-up, evidence and submission, for new and existing buildings.
ActiveScore and ModeScore AP
ActiveScore services
Submission, score modelling and the improvements worth making.
Got a WiredScore project that needs a pair of hands?
Email or call me. Tell me what the project is, where it's up to and which scheme it's after, and attach drawings, a programme or a scope of works if you have them.
- Emailgeorge@welscape.co.uk
- Phone+44 7542 341750