M&G Real Estate has received the Wired Certified Platinum rating for Developments & Redevelopments at its No. 2 Forbury Place office development in Reading, the first building in Reading to achieve the highest level under the international digital connectivity rating scheme from WiredScore.
The 192,000 Grade ‘A’ office asset, the largest on offer in the centre of Reading, has been built to the highest environmental specifications and offers exceptional connectivity facilities*. Future occupants will also benefit from the forthcoming completion of Cross Rail and the excellent connectivity with the main transport hubs.
The Platinum rating for its technology infrastructure rewards M&G Real Estate’s focused investment to ensure the building’s future-proof foundations. Only 41 buildings in the UK are Wired Certified Platinum, and just 10 per cent of projects worldwide have achieved this rating.
First launched in partnership with the Bloomberg administration in New York City in 2013, WiredScore established in the UK in October 2015 with the endorsement of the Mayor of London to boost the capital’s digital connectivity. The standards are designed to measure connectivity in commercial properties to provide prospective occupiers with greater transparency and to provide landlords with insights for improving their buildings’ connectivity standards.
Aaron Pope, Asset Manager at M&G Real Estate said: “The Platinum rating underlines our ongoing commitment to create top quality Grade A office space which caters to occupier needs. As well as the high-calibre facilities throughout the development, this rating demonstrates the high level of connectivity No. 2 Forbury Place has to offer and we are confident it will attract the attention of prospective tenants looking to capitalise on the opportunities Reading has to offer.”
William Newton, President and EMEA Director at WiredScore, added: “M&G Real Estate has invested significantly in the digital infrastructure of No.2 Forbury Place to make sure the building was designed to bring best-in-class connectivity to its tenants. The Wired Certified Platinum rating is a fantastic achievement that demonstrates the building will be able to support occupiers with even the most stringent requirements.”
*Connectivity facilities:
The building has multiple intakes: having multiple intakes into the building creates resiliency and allows tenants to create diverse routes and reduce any single point of failure.
The building offers secure telecommunications equipment: equipment is kept in a dedicated space that is locked and only accessible to telecommunications professionals.
Backup power is available for telecommunications equipment: a generator supplies power to telecommunications equipment.
Mobile phone signal: the building has been tested to ensure it can provide satisfactory mobile phone coverage.
Fibre providers can service the building: BT Openreach, Virgin and Vodafone have signed letters of intent to provide service to the building upon request.
