US Bancorp Tower The 1.2 million-square-foot US Bancorp Tower is Portland's largest office building.

PORTLAND, OR—WiredScore is the only internationally recognized platform that rates the infrastructure, connectivity and technology capacity of commercial buildings. Platinum Wired certification represents the standard of in-building connectivity, technology infrastructure and readiness to adapt to emerging technologies.

Unico Properties LLC recently earned this rare Wired Platinum certification from WiredScore for in-building technology and connectivity at US Bancorp Tower in downtown. US Bancorp Tower is the first, largest and only multi-tenant class-A office building in Portland to earn WiredScore's Wired Platinum designation.

Located at 1111 S.W. 5th Ave., the 1.2 million-square-foot US Bancorp Tower is Portland's largest office building. Tenants at the building include US Bank, New Relic, SurveyMonkey, Miller Nash Graham & Dunn and Digital Trends.

"Being a flexible, responsive and nimble landlord that continues to anticipate and meet the needs of our tenants is a priority for us," said Brian Pearce, Unico Properties executive vice president of real estate services.

The Empire State Building, the Willis Tower in Chicago and the Shard in London are some of the world-class properties that have achieved this platinum recognition. There are five Wired Certified buildings in Portland and 14 Wired Certified buildings throughout the Pacific Northwest with US Bancorp Tower being the only building to achieve a platinum rating in Oregon. WiredScore has certified more than 1,800 buildings in 150 cities in six countries since 2013.

"Unico Properties stands out as an innovator in the Portland office market and clearly demonstrates a commitment to designing to best-in-class connectivity standards," said Phil Kanfer, WiredScore senior director of business development in North America. "With Platinum Wired certification, US Bancorp Tower signals an ability to provide tenants with a productive, connected workplace."

In pursuing Wired certification, US Bancorp Tower underwent a comprehensive certification process that evaluated the digital infrastructure that enable a seamless connectivity experience in which office tenants are able to stay online and maintain productivity levels. Upon review of the building's technical elements, including Internet service providers available to tenants, infrastructure redundancy, connection access points and readiness to meet future tenant needs, a Wired certification level is assigned based on the official standards developed by WiredScore and its connectivity advisory board with representatives from Google Fiber, Rudin Management, Arup, WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff and Zayo Group.

"A new tech feature that was just launched at US Bancorp Tower is a new app, Unico Connect, available for both Android and Apple," Pearce tells GlobeSt.com. "Unico Connect is a communication tool between the tenants and Unico in which there are two main versions: desktop (primary) and the app (secondary/mobile). The app is the one-stop-shop for all building information including building announcements, Unico office closures, local restaurant deals exclusive for Unico's tenants and building events/classes."

In addition to the Unico Connect app, Unico recently instituted a full parking technology upgrade so the parking is fully automated at US Bancorp Tower.

"The SKIDATA dual sensor, all-in-one camera License Plate Reader technology, allows for a ticketless system," Pearce tells GlobeSt.com. "US Bancorp tower is the first class-A building in Portland to implement this technology. SKIDATA also allows for an LED Gate Arm with unique illuminated optics that provide clear direction for drivers entering and leaving the US Bancorp Tower parking garage."

Certainly the biggest change upcoming for the Portland office market is in regard to new inventory, according to an office report by Cushman & Wakefield. For the remainder of 2019, there is almost 457,000 square feet delivering, with 72% of that within the CBD. Of the total space completing this year, approximately 18% has been pre-leased. In 2020, there will be another 380,000 square feet delivering, all within the CBD, says the report.

Want to continue reading?
Become a Free ALM Digital Reader.

Once you are an ALM Digital Member, you’ll receive:

  • Breaking commercial real estate news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical coverage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.

Lisa Brown

Lisa Brown is an editor for the south and west regions of GlobeSt.com. She has 25-plus years of real estate experience, with a regional PR role at Grubb & Ellis and a national communications position at MMI. Brown also spent 10 years as executive director at NAIOP San Francisco Bay Area chapter, where she led the organization to achieving its first national award honors and recognition on Capitol Hill. She has written extensively on commercial real estate topics and edited numerous pieces on the subject.