One of just a handful of office buildings under construction speculatively in Bristol has been awarded the highest rating for connectivity and digital infrastructure.
The Platinum Wired Score rating for Aurora, the 95,000 sq ft ‘Grade A’ building at Finzels Reach, follows national recognition for the building’s environmental credentials. 
Aurora is already one of the UK’s greenest buildings – the only office development outside London, and one of just six across the country to achieve the BREEAM ‘outstanding’ award under the new, toughest rating scheme.
Finzels Reach is a new quarter being created on Bristol’s waterfront in the heart of the city by local developer Cubex and funded by Palmer Capital in a programmatic joint venture backed by clients of CBRE Global Investment Partners.
Already 40% let to international law firm Simmons & Simmons and intellectual property specialist Mewburn Ellis, with deals close to being signed on three further floors, Aurora will be ready this summer for companies to start fitting out their own offices.
The Wired Certification examines digital and technological facilities such as wi-fi coverage, multiple points of entry for telecoms, high quality telco rooms and cable pathways – the building’s ‘digital backbone’. The platinum rating also reflects the building’s ‘future proofing’ which ensures it is ready for the next generation of technological infrastructure.
Cubex director Peter Walford said: “We are hugely proud of this latest award for Aurora, now recognised not only as one of the greenest office buildings in the country, but also one of the most hi-tech.
“The WiredScore is an incredibly in-depth and thorough analysis and we hope our Platinum rating will help give businesses the reassurance they need that our building can effectively support their commercial endeavours now and into the future.”
William Newton, President and EMEA MD at WiredScore, said: “Bristol is at the forefront in the exploration of the next generation of wireless and wired connectivity; it hosted the first 5G trials in the UK. It is great to see Cubex taking the necessary steps to guarantee that Aurora is future-proofed and will be able to accommodate tech innovations, such as 5G, as they are commercialised.”
Connectivity is particularly important in the tech and media sector currently growing rapidly in Bristol, which is building a global recognition as a tech city. Aurora includes the standalone ‘Studio A’ specifically designed with this growing community in mind. Studio A has its own separate entrance, reception and private facilities, making it ideal for one of the companies spinning out of spaces such as Engine Shed, which are struggling to find room in the city to grow.
Once complete, Aurora will consist of six storeys and key ‘green’ features including rooftop mounted solar panels, intelligent LED lighting, water saving technology and an emphasis on creating a healthy working environment, with fresh air and plenty of natural light from the floor to ceiling glazing. There will be bicycle storage facilities, lockers and showers on site.
