UL, Telecom Industry Launch Smart Building Performance Program

PRESS RELEASE

NORTHBROOK, IL, Nov. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- UL Solutions, a leading global safety science company and the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), the trusted industry association for the connected world, today announced the launch of the SPIRE™ 2.0 Smart Building Program, enhancing assessment capabilities in cybersecurity, connectivity and sustainability.

SPIRE™ is the world's first comprehensive and objective assessment and rating program for smart buildings.

Created in a partnership between the two organizations in September 2020, the SPIRE program consists of an expertly curated, objective and holistic framework across six major criteria: power and energy, health and well-being, life and property safety, connectivity, cybersecurity and sustainability. This update to the program's connectivity, cybersecurity and sustainability assessments helps address advanced connectivity technologies, increased cyber threat surfaces and heightened environmental, social and governance (ESG) requirements.

"With SPIRE 2.0, we are enhancing SPIRE assessment capabilities in cybersecurity, connectivity and sustainability because of the significant changes that have occurred in these critical areas since the launch of the original program and because of the constructive feedback we have received from program participants," said Sudhi Sinha, vice president of the Ecosystems and Service Development Group at UL Solutions. "The enhancements in SPIRE 2.0 will help improve smart building cybersecurity, technology and sustainability while also helping to enhance employee productivity and building asset value."

"In the past, smart building programs have provided a fragmented approach when it comes to assessing value and performance, but with SPIRE and now SPIRE 2.0, building managers have the opportunity to leverage a comprehensive tool that offers holistic insights throughout the entire life cycle of the building, effectively aligning with their business objectives," said Dave Stehlin, CEO, TIA. "We are delighted to grow our strong partnership with UL Solutions and continue to improve smart building performance for companies across the globe."

SPIRE 2.0 enhancements include:

• Cybersecurity assessment – Provides an improved building-centric approach that addresses requirements and performance related to expanding operational technology (OT) exposure and the vulnerabilities of OT/IT convergence. The updated criteria also address growing cybersecurity governance from a global perspective;
• Connectivity assessment – Addresses emerging technologies such as single-pair ethernet and fault-managed power while improving global recognition of standards impacting networks and their designs;
• Sustainability assessment – Adds new governance requirements to complement the environmental sustainability of a building in alignment with increasing ESG initiatives. It also expands coverage in critical areas, including water management, waste management, indoor environmental quality, building lifecycle and operational management, and building management systems.

In July 2022, UL Solutions announced that Microsoft became the first organization awarded the UL Verified SPIRE Smart Building™ Rating in multiple countries. Since then, hundreds of building managers and owners have leveraged the SPIRE framework to help improve building performance.

The SPIRE Smart Buildings program powered by TIA and UL Solutions results from significant collaboration through a working group of more than 60 leading commercial real estate, real estate investment trust, asset management, technology and telecommunications industry leaders. Together, the working group defined a new standard of assessment criteria to improve smart building performance and occupant experience.

For more information about the SPIRE Smart Building Program, please visit UL.com/SPIRE.