You wouldn’t plan a commercial building without electricity — and in 2017, certainly not without high-speed internet.

That’s the impetus driving the integrated tech infrastructure of two new Orange County buildings, MacArthur Place and Griffin Towers in Santa Ana. Owned by Chicago-based Equity Office, the two Santa Ana projects sprawl across a combined 970k rentable SF close to multiple public transit stops and John Wayne Airport, and with direct access to the 405 and 55 freeways.

MacArthur Place (above) and Griffin Towers (below) are the first properties in Orange County to achieve Wired Certification for advanced connectivity and wireless technology infrastructure. Notable attributes of these properties include a wide selection of internet service providers and high-quality bandwidth connections, which ensure minimal internet disruptions and allow for a seamless tenant experience.

The two Class A office projects join 38 Wired Certified properties in California and 750 globally, spanning 300M SF across more than 50 major cities. As two Class-A hubs of the South Coast Metro's Orange County workforce, both developments offer tenants top-notch bandwidth, infrastructure and connectivity. Achieving Wired Certification plays a critical role in demonstrating these advanced tech capabilities to potential tenants.

Santa Ana’s first Wired Certified offices are poised to encourage other commercial renovation projects and new developments to pay close attention to the resounding demand for high-speed internet options and secure network capabilities. Nationwide 4G + LTE capabilities and the pervasiveness of affordable home WiFi packages mean that consumers have largely absorbed the internet into daily work and leisure activities.

"In an increasingly connected economy, tenants are actively demanding superior internet capabilities from their office buildings," said Rich McEvoy, vice president and portfolio director at Equity Office. "By providing our customers with quality infrastructure and validating our internet capabilities within our buildings, we are able to earn the distinction for the county's first Gold Certified properties."

With 3 billion active smart devices connected around the world and 94% of residential tenants listing high-speed WiFi as their first priority, tech efficiency is emerging as — and must be — a priority for owners and developers hoping to rope in new clients. The demand for robust connectivity in residential properties naturally extends to office space, so landlords and developers seeking to attract top tenants must invest in connectivity.

Exponential growth in the number of phones, tablets, IoT devices and laptops requires seamless switching between home, office and “in-air” networks. Office properties need to be prepared to handle high volumes of this activity on a daily basis, and obtaining a Wired Certification and its accompanying perks is a major step forward for these buildings.

“The future of commercial real estate is being shaped by a rapidly growing demand from tenants for high-quality connectivity,” said CEO and founder of WiredScore Arie Barendrecht in a post-Thanksgiving press release. “As the first landlord to pursue and earn Wired Certification for its Orange County properties, Equity Office ... can clearly demonstrate to tenants that they offer top-of-the-line tech infrastructure.”

To learn more about Bisnow partner WiredScore, click here.