Australian office buildings can now be rated on digital connectivity
Office buildings in Australia can now be scored on the quality of their phone reception and internet speed after Lendlease signed an agreement with the digital connection rating scheme WiredScore.
Lendlease announced yesterday that eight of its office buildings in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane had been certified and added to WiredScore’s publicly available register.
“Despite connectivity being increasingly fundamental to a business’ operations, there has been little information available to tenants about the quality of connectivity in office spaces until now,” said Lendlease’s chief executive Property Australia Kylie Rampa.
“We recognise connectivity plays a vital role in creating the best places for our customers and this is a driving force behind our partnership with global connectivity rating scheme, WiredScore.”
The new rating adds to the list of variables office buildings can now be rated on, from energy, waste and water efficiency to wellness.
WiredScore covers infrastructure, electrical resiliency, wireless capability, and ease and reliability of connectivity.
The company, which now scores the connectivity of buildings in eight countries, was launched in New York with the support of Mayor Michael Bloomberg and in 2015 won the tender to launch the official Mayor of London Digital Connectivity Rating Scheme.
Overseas buildings that have platinum ratings include the Shard in London and the Empire State Building in Manhattan, New York.
In Australia, the four buildings at Lendlease’s Barangaroo South precinct, International House Sydney and International Towers 1, 2 and 3; the new Circular Quay Tower development and the under-construction Melbourne Quarter project are rated platinum.
WiredScore president William Newton said losing connection to the internet at work can raise people’s stress level to the same degree “as watching the movie Jaws”.
He said, using the data from overseas users, that the new rating system has led to a 4.9 per cent rise in rents as landlords can offer a point of differentiation.
“We are not a disruptor but an enabler and tenants now want to know how digitally efficient buildings are before they sign up,” Mr Newton said.
“What tenants demand from an office has shifted so much this decade and the new developments must adapt to this change.”
Investa group executive of property Michael Cook said Australian buildings are being constructed to be “flexible and adaptable to all new technology”.
“Investa will definitely consider the merits of the WiredScore rating tool, but in reality what we have achieved at 60 Martin Place and 151 Clarence Street, Sydney demonstrates that the Property Council of Australia’s guide to office quality and good industry practice for premium-grade buildings will deliver a WiredScore Platinum rating, and for A-grade buildings a WiredScore Gold,” Mr Cook said.
“So we will use this rating system as a differentiator to demonstrate to our tenants the value of being in an Investa building.”
Mr Newton said a survey by YouGov Galaxy and commissioned by Lendlease revealed that more than 80 per cent
of office workers in Australia have experienced problems with connectivity at work.
“Furthermore, an overwhelming 98 per cent of respondents believe digital connectivity enables them to be more productive at work,” he said.
The survey was taken by a sample of 1,014 Australian office workers, aged 18 years or older.
