SmartScore Certification: Office

1. Assess your building's readiness: Review the SmartScore framework documentation available on the WiredScore website to understand the two core pillars — User Functionality and Technological Foundation — and identify gaps in your building's current smart technology systems.

1. Engage WiredScore: Contact WiredScore to initiate the certification process. A WiredScore representative will discuss your building's profile, applicable certification tier targets, and provide a fee proposal based on building size and type.

1. Assemble your project team: Bring together your building management team, technology consultants, and any relevant contractors or system integrators who can provide technical documentation and support the assessment process.

1. Complete the self-assessment: Use WiredScore's online platform to work through the SmartScore scorecard, documenting your building's smart systems, digital infrastructure, and occupant-facing services against the framework criteria.

1. Submit documentation: Upload technical specifications, system schematics, vendor documentation, and evidence of implemented smart building technologies through the WiredScore portal for review by a WiredScore assessor.

1. Undergo assessor review: A WiredScore assessor will review your submitted documentation and may conduct a site visit or remote verification call to validate claims and clarify any outstanding questions.

1. Receive your certification tier: Based on your score across the framework, your building will be awarded a certification tier — Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum — and you will receive your SmartScore certificate, digital badge, and access to marketing materials.

1. Maintain and renew: Plan for recertification on a two-year cycle, keeping smart systems updated and documentation current to maintain your certification tier.

SmartScore Office evaluates buildings across two primary pillars, each containing multiple scored categories:

Pillar 1 — User Functionality assesses the smart services and experiences that the building delivers to its occupants. This includes the quality and reliability of digital connectivity services, smart access and security systems, environmental monitoring and control (air quality, thermal comfort, lighting), occupant-facing apps and digital interfaces, space utilisation and booking systems, and sustainability-enabling technologies such as EV charging and energy monitoring dashboards accessible to tenants.

Pillar 2 — Technological Foundation evaluates the underlying infrastructure that enables smart services to function reliably and scale over time. This covers the building's network infrastructure (structured cabling, wireless coverage, redundancy), IoT backbone and data integration capabilities, cybersecurity protocols and data governance frameworks, the building management system (BMS) and its integration with smart systems, and the building's capacity to onboard new technologies as they emerge.

Buildings are scored on a points-based system across these pillars, with the total score determining the certification tier: Certified (entry level), Silver, Gold, and Platinum (highest). Platinum-tier buildings represent best-in-class smart building performance globally. The framework is updated every two years by WiredScore's R&D team in collaboration with the WiredScore Governance Council, ensuring criteria remain aligned with evolving market expectations and emerging technologies.

SmartScore has established itself as the leading global certification standard specifically focused on smart building technology, occupying a distinct niche from energy/sustainability-focused certifications like LEED and BREEAM. Launched in 2019 by WiredScore — already well-established through its WiredScore connectivity certification — SmartScore has grown rapidly across major commercial real estate markets including the UK, US, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. By the mid-2020s, the program had certified hundreds of buildings globally, with particularly strong adoption in London, New York, and other Tier 1 office markets.

The certification benefits from WiredScore's existing relationships with major landlords and developers, many of whom already held WiredScore connectivity certifications and found SmartScore a natural extension. Its recognition by GRESB as a Green Building Certification has been a significant driver of adoption, as institutional investors increasingly require GRESB-aligned credentials in their portfolios. This positions SmartScore as both a tenant-attraction tool and an ESG reporting asset, giving it dual commercial relevance.

The broader market context is favorable: demand for smart, connected, and sustainable office space has accelerated post-pandemic as occupiers seek to justify office attendance with superior workplace experiences. SmartScore competes indirectly with WELL (health/wellness focus), LEED (energy/sustainability), and WiredScore's own connectivity certification, but its technology-and-experience focus is largely uncontested at scale. The program's two-year standards update cycle, governed by an industry council, gives it credibility and adaptability that proprietary or static standards lack. Demand is expected to continue growing as ESG mandates tighten and smart building technology becomes a baseline expectation in Grade A office markets.

SmartScore was created by WiredScore and launched in 2019, building on the company's experience operating the WiredScore digital connectivity certification since 2013. WiredScore identified a gap in the market: while WiredScore addressed the reliability and quality of a building's internet and mobile connectivity infrastructure, there was no equivalent global standard for the broader smart building experience — encompassing IoT systems, occupant-facing technology, sustainability integration, and future-readiness. SmartScore was developed to fill this gap, providing landlords and developers with a comprehensive framework for designing, delivering, and benchmarking smart office buildings.

The certification was developed in collaboration with the WiredScore Governance Council, an invitation-only body of senior leaders from across the real estate, occupier, and technology sectors. Since its launch, SmartScore has expanded from its initial UK and US markets to become a genuinely global standard, with certified buildings across Europe, Asia-Pacific, and beyond. The framework undergoes a formal review and update every two years to ensure it reflects evolving technology standards and market expectations. A significant milestone was GRESB's recognition of SmartScore as a Green Building Certification, embedding it within mainstream ESG reporting frameworks and accelerating institutional adoption. WiredScore has also extended the SmartScore framework beyond offices to residential and mixed-use assets, reflecting growing demand for smart building standards across all real estate sectors.