Building Certifications and Due Diligence

Smart Building Certifications and Due Diligence: Going Beyond the Static Snapshot.

Smart building certifications are essential tools for assessing and validating the technological, environmental, and health attributes of modern buildings. These certifications help set and maintain standards within the CRE industry while also increasing building marketability and attracting premier tenants and investors.

In today's market, several key Smart Building certifications are commonly used to evaluate different aspects of a property’s infrastructure:

WiredScore focuses on connectivity and digital infrastructure, ensuring buildings are equipped with high-speed internet and redundant systems for future technology needs. Visit the WiredScore Website

SmartScore is WiredScore's evaluates all buildings in terms of their anticipated performance and advantages of their smart building technology.

SPIRE certification evaluates Smart Building benchmarks across multiple different silos, including, connectivity, energy, health, safety, and sustainability. Visit the SPIRE Website

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) assesses environmental sustainability, emphasizing energy efficiency, water conservation, and eco-friendly materials. Visit the LEED Website

WELL Building Standard is focused on occupant health and wellness, evaluating air and water quality, comfort, and mental health. Visit the WELL Website

BREEAM provides a comprehensive environmental performance review. Visit the BREEAM Website

Fitwel promotes health and well-being through evidence-based design strategies. Visit the Fitwel Website

A property management group might select one smart building certification over another based on alignment with their goals, the certification's reputation, and the value it adds to their portfolio. Some certifications emphasize energy efficiency and sustainability, while others focus on occupant experience, technology integration, or data security.

The decision may also depend on the certification's geographic relevance, cost-effectiveness, and compatibility with existing building systems. Ultimately, the chosen certification should resonate with the group’s strategic vision, appeal to target tenants, and enhance the property’s marketability and operational standards.

Going Beyond Certifications: Due Diligence in Property Value Assessment

Certification often involves rigorous assessments that optimize systems for sustainability, cost efficiency, and user satisfaction. Being certified by a reputable third-party builds confidence in the building's technological and operational standards.

Regardless of the specific certification being pursued, well-defined processes ensure systematic data collection that meets required standards, while knowledgeable personnel are essential for interpreting technical information and addressing potential gaps:

Providing and locating accurate infrastructure documentation

Understanding technology in common area spaces and cabling pathways for accelerating technology deployments

Providing an important updated knowledge base for recognizing the impact of your existing technology infrastructure when adding/removing infrastructure i.e. maximum capacity levels (core hole fill).

Minimizing occupants' disruptions by Interfacing with partners and contractors (unexperienced/not updated with building) to reduce time on site.

Having a secure portal to record and track all technology service providers needing access to common areas for service and changes and other pertinent information (vendors, life safety, equipment...) to advise your team.

At their essence, Building Certifications are more of a static snapshot of the building at a single point in time which, as technology progresses, could render some of those attributes obsolete before it’s time for re-certification. That is if the building owners even choose to re-certify. A common trend within the CRE industry is to acquire the initial certification and then never re-certify.

“One and done” is a stark difference from true due diligence, which involves actively maintaining building technology benchmarks through set processes and methodology. Active maintenance and documentation, rather than passive or retroactive, drastically reduces cost of certification and re-certification.

These elements are universally crucial for achieving a credible and efficient certification outcome. If the data has not been documented and organized appropriately, collecting years’ worth of building data can be extremely cumbersome for an organization, their property managers and the building staff.

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Infrastructure Future-Proofing: Being Prepared for Certification, Re-Certification, and the Technology of Tomorrow

Assessing and actively maintaining documentation on a building's technology infrastructure for scalability and pathway usability is essential for determining its long-term viability and ability to adapt to future technological advancements.

As technology continues to evolve, buildings need to be able to accommodate new innovations without requiring extensive retrofitting. Maintaining accurate records throughout the lifespan of the building ensures scalability and that the existing infrastructure can be easily upgraded to support ongoing technology refreshes.

Today, an organization may be looking to implement 5G networks, additional IoT devices, or integration with smart city initiatives, but tomorrow those technologies will become obsolete as new, technologies come to market.

A proactive approach to building assessment documentation maintenance helps building owners and managers avoid obsolescence, ensuring the property can efficient plan and implement new technology to remain competitive, relevant, and capable of meeting the future demands of tenants and businesses, as well as greatly reduce the costs and time frames of associated with re-certification.

Network Resiliency and Compliance

Ensuring the resilience and compliance of a building's network infrastructure is vital for maintaining uninterrupted operations. Resiliency refers to the building's ability to withstand disruptions, such as power outages, network maintenance, and cyberattacks, without significant operational downtime.

A thorough infrastructure assessment will evaluate backup power systems, redundant network connections, and disaster recovery protocols to ensure seamless business continuity.

Compliance ensures that the building meets local, regional, and national regulations governing network operations, cybersecurity, and data privacy. By conducting regular audits, reviewing certifications, and performing regular system maintenance, building management can ensure that systems align with industry standards and stay up-to-date.

Both Network Resiliency and Compliance are integral components to all types of Smart Building Technology and their respective certification processes. By thoroughly assessing both resiliency and compliance, property managers can mitigate risks, avoid legal issues, and ensure their building's network infrastructure remains secure, reliable, and future-ready. Accurate and actively maintained documentation will keep your organization well prepared for all types of Smart Building Certification.

TECH READY BUILDINGS: Making Your Building Smarter Today Than It Was Yesterday.

While smart building certifications provide valuable benchmarks for connectivity, sustainability, and health, proper due diligence encompasses a broader and deeper analysis of a property’s overall value.

Active maintenance and accurate documentation saves time and reduces costs, particularly when it comes to re-certification. Building owners who fail to organize and update data can find it cumbersome to re-certify, potentially skipping the process altogether.

Collecting years’ worth of building data can be extremely cumbersome for a property manager and their staff if the data has not been documented and organized appropriately. Rather than throwing your hands up and forgoing your next Smart Building certification, consider utilizing a specialized third party.

As part of our Tech Ready Buildings initiative, Concert Technologies helps property owners survey, document, and maintain accurate building information through a user-friendly portal.

The program ensures that building data is continuously updated with every technology improvement, offering services like technology asset inventories, building surveys, and riser management.

This proactive approach allows owners and management to stay on top of certification requirements and keep their buildings competitive in the market.