Slovakian real-estate company MiddleCap has become the first in the UK to be awarded with the new Platinum Smart Building Certification. This was for its Southworks development in London, a 6500m² office scheme due to complete later this year.

The certification, which was developed to promote wellbeing, sustainability, performance, innovation, and health and safety in the built environment, recognises buildings that have smart technology infrastructure in place to evaluate a building’s behaviour and performance. The first building awarded was Edge Olympic in Amsterdam.

The certification objectively evaluates the smartness of buildings by assessing six core areas: building usage; user behaviour and collaboration; building performance; building environment; integrative design and connectivity; and health, safety and security.

Southworks is the first building to be evaluated in the UK using the certification framework, and has achieved platinum certification for core and shell. Its technology-first approach and number of integrated design and management features aim to create a responsive and productive environment that enhances users’ wellbeing.

These include:

• Single digital backbone that links a series of sensors to the IoT, which connect, measure and deliver feedback to building users. The sensors will be plugged into the HVAC system and lighting controls, and will measure other environmental variables such as density, occupancy and noise levels. The data generated by this network are fed into the building management system, optimising the environment and ensuring it becomes completely demand-driven.
• Dedicated app (OfficeApp) through which occupiers will be able to control heating and lighting directly to their own preferences and book meeting rooms.
• More effective communications between building managers and occupiers, with messages and notifications being able to be shared in both directions through the OfficeApp.
• Risk management in the support of longer-term social distancing by monitoring the flow of people throughout the building together with real-time information about indoor and outdoor air quality.

MiddleCap says the certification highlights its commitment to delivering state-of-the-art buildings as the business looks to expand its UK commercial office portfolio.

“It is a huge achievement for Southworks to achieve a Platinum Smart Building Certification,” said Tomáš Jurdák, head of real estate at MiddleCap. “From the outset, we wanted our first UK project to present the London office market with a best in class building that really delivers what occupiers need from their workspace today, and in the future. By harnessing the tremendous technological advances that have been developed in recent years and bringing them together in one building, Southworks raises the bar for offices across London and creates a blueprint for post-Covid workspace.”

Nicholas White, head of operations and strategy at Smart Building Certification, added: “We are proud to award Southworks with a Platinum Smart Building Certification. A core-and-shell building with this extensive of an IT infrastructure is quite rare. We rarely see a core-and-shell building go this far to improve health, performance, sustainability, indoor environment and a user’s ability to interact with the space. Hopefully Southworks is a look into the future of what we can expect from new builds and that progress is worth celebrating.”