SmartScore Certification: The Standard for Smart Buildings Explained
April 23, 2026 – 6 min read
WiredScore’s SmartScore certification is the first international standard for smart buildings. It evaluates how well digital technologies meet user needs across four areas: user experience, sustainability, cost efficiency, and future-proofing. Depending on the level of maturity, WiredScore awards one of four levels: Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum. In this article, we’ll show you what the certification entails, how much it costs, and how you can achieve Platinum level with MazeMap Workplace.
By David Machajewski,
Consultant
What is SmartScore certification?
SmartScore is the global certification for smart buildings—developed by WiredScore, known for its certification of the same name for digital connectivity. While WiredScore evaluates network connectivity exclusively, SmartScore covers the big picture: all the features, processes, and technologies that make a building smart.
The standard was developed in 2021 by a panel of over 90 real estate experts and has since gained international recognition. For you as a property owner, project developer, or asset manager, this means that, for the first time, you have a neutral, comparable certification standard for the digitalization of your building.
SmartScore vs. WiredScore – The Difference
Both certifications are issued by the same provider, but they assess different things:
| WiredScore | SmartScore | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Digital Connectivity | Smart building features |
| Rated, among other things | Fiber optics, redundancy, telecommunications rooms | User Experience, IoT, Data Integration |
| Target audience | Landlords who want to demonstrate network quality | Owners who want to demonstrate smart building quality |
| Levels | Certified, Silver, Gold, Platinum | Certified, Silver, Gold, Platinum |
Many buildings combine both certifications—WiredScore as the foundation, with SmartScore on top to enhance the user experience.
The four evaluation dimensions of SmartScore
SmartScore evaluates your building across four key areas. Each area is assessed using a standardized scorecard.
User Experience: How well does digitalization support the people in the building? The evaluation focuses on personalized services, flexible work concepts, and everything that makes users’ daily lives easier—from access control to room booking.
Sustainability: How does digitalization contribute to sustainable operations? This involves energy efficiency, the carbon footprint over the entire life cycle, and the question of whether technology helps to operate the building in a more resource-efficient manner.
Cost Efficiency: How does digitalization reduce operating costs without compromising the user experience? This includes space right-sizing, load shifting for technical systems, and data-driven control of heating, ventilation, and cooling.
Future-proofing: Is your building ready for new requirements? Among other things, we’ll assess whether you can integrate new sensors, export data, and adapt the platform for future use cases.
The four certification levels
SmartScore assigns four levels. The rating is based on the score on the scorecard:
| Level | What it means |
|---|---|
| Certified | Basic requirements met. The building is considered smart. |
| Silver | Robust smart building systems that go beyond the standard. |
| Gold | High level of smart building maturity. User experience and efficiency significantly above the market average. |
| Platinum | Top tier. The building is among the smartest properties of its kind in the world. |
The rating is determined by the total score on the scorecard—the more use cases that have been implemented and executed properly from a technical standpoint, the higher the rating.
What are the benefits of SmartScore certification?
Certification isn't an end in itself. It offers you three concrete benefits:
Higher occupancy rates. SmartScore-certified buildings signal to tenants that the digital infrastructure has been tested and documented. This shortens lease negotiations and reduces the due diligence process.
Higher rents and better valuations. Certified buildings generally command higher net rents. When it comes to selling, this is reflected in the price-to-sales ratio.
Transparency for investors. The certificate provides impartial proof of your property’s sustainability—relevant for long-term investment decisions and ESG reporting.
What does SmartScore mean for you as a CREM?
If you’re a corporate real estate manager looking to lease space, SmartScore can help you with two key questions:
Which buildings fit your workplace concept? A SmartScore-certified building provides the technical foundation for modern hybrid work models—open APIs, clean data points, and seamless sensor technology. This means your workplace platform is plug-and-play; you don’t have to retrofit any missing infrastructure.
How do you make your case internally? SmartScore provides you with an impartial seal of approval that you can use to demonstrate to the executive board and finance department that your decision regarding office space is well-founded—beyond just rent and location.
How does MazeMap Workplace help you achieve SmartScore?
To obtain certification, you must submit a digitalization plan: Which use cases are you implementing, and with which technologies? This is where MazeMap Workplace comes in. Our platform covers the relevant use cases across all four SmartScore dimensions.
User Experience: Space and Workplace Booking
With MazeMap Workplace, users can book desks, rooms, parking spaces, and lockers from a single app. Outlook and Microsoft 365 integration keeps meeting rooms synchronized across all systems. Digital signage in rooms displays occupancy status in real time. Role-based access control enables customized booking rules—such as exclusive rooms for specific teams.
Sustainability, Energy, and Emissions Transparency
MazeMap Workplace integrates your existing building systems via BACnet or cloud-to-cloud integration. Consumption data, occupancy data, and BIM references are consolidated in the central data lake. The energy and sustainability dashboard shows you consumption by floor, room, or usage type—and helps you adjust ventilation, heating, and cooling to actual occupancy levels.
Cost-effectiveness Space utilization analysis
The Workplace Analytics dashboards show you how heavily individual spaces are used—based on booking and sensor data. You can filter by building, department, or space type, validate desk-sharing rates, and support right-sizing decisions with data.
Future-Proof Fault Diagnosis and the MazeMap Workplace Open Platform
monitors the operational status of your building management system, IoT sensors, and equipment. Errors and alarms are displayed centrally, and maintenance tasks can be initiated directly. Using the open API, you can process raw data and KPIs for your own analyses or integration with other systems.
If you're aiming for Platinum certification, most of the required use cases can be implemented directly using MazeMap Workplace. We'll help you put together the right set of features for your certification goal.
How much does SmartScore certification cost?
Fees depend on the size, type, and structure of the building, as well as whether it is a new construction or an existing property. WiredScore provides customized quotes upon request—these are typically based on the usable floor area (GFA or gif) for office and logistics properties, or the number of residential units for residential properties. For a reliable estimate, please contact WiredScore Germany directly or an Accredited Professional.
Here's how to approach the certification process
Set a goal. What level do you want to achieve—Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum?
Involve an Accredited Professional. AP-certified consultants guide the process and translate the scorecard into specific requirements.
Select use cases. Decide which features will be implemented in the building—from room booking to energy monitoring.
Choose a technology partner. A platform like MazeMap Workplace covers the majority of SmartScore use cases. This simplifies integration and documentation.
Assessment and certification. WiredScore evaluates the implementation based on the scorecard and assigns a certification level.
Conclusion
SmartScore certification is more than just a piece of paper—it’s a structured approach to systematically implementing and demonstrating your building’s digital transformation. For building owners, it increases rentability, rental rates, and investment value. For tenants and CRE professionals, it serves as a seal of quality that promises plug-and-play compatibility with modern workplace technology.
With MazeMap Workplace, you can address the core use cases across all four SmartScore dimensions from a single platform—thereby laying the technical foundation for Gold or Platinum status.
Frequently asked questions
-
SmartScore is the first international certification for smart buildings, developed by WiredScore. It evaluates how well digital technologies meet user needs in four areas: user experience, sustainability, cost efficiency, and future-proofing.
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WiredScore evaluates a building’s digital connectivity—including internet access, fiber-optic infrastructure, and redundancy. SmartScore evaluates the overall smart building experience, including user features, IoT integration, and data platforms. The two certifications complement each other.
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SmartScore has four levels: Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. The level is determined by the score on the scorecard.
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Platinum is the highest SmartScore level. It is awarded to buildings that achieve outstanding scores in all four evaluation categories. MazeMap Workplace can cover most of the use cases required for this.
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The costs depend on the size, type, and use of the building. WiredScore provides customized quotes upon request—the key factors are typically the usable floor area and the number of units.
-
Yes. SmartScore can be awarded for both new construction and existing buildings. For existing buildings, an assessment is conducted to determine which smart building features are already in place and which need to be retrofitted.
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