CHICAGO—Nine notable buildings in Chicago, including the Willis Tower, the Chicago Board of Trade Building, and 150 N. Riverside, have achieved Wired Certification, the international standard developed by WiredScore that distinguishes best-in-class Internet connectivity in office buildings. The New York-based WiredScore has now expanded to 30 cities and hits Chicago just when an increasing number of tech firms are looking for spaces in the CBD and landlords need ways to differentiate their buildings from the competition.

“These tech firms have needs greater than just knowing who the carrier is,” Phil Kanfer, national director of business development at WiredScore, tells GlobeSt.com. Internet connectivity is now “one of the top three things in a tenant's office search,” and this certification process allows tenants and brokers to identify the buildings that have most capacity. “Our goal is to create transparency.”

The Chicago towers that achieved certification also includes 1 S. Wacker, which received a gold rating, while the CBOT building and 150 N. Riverside were both awarded the top platinum certification. WiredScore developed the standards in conjunction with industry leaders from companies such as Google and Cisco. It has certified nearly 200 million rentable square feet and more than 400 buildings nationally.