Top Ambassador Spotlight: Cole Atwood’s Tenant-First Mindset

Best in Building HealthFitwel AmbassadorsFitwel Champions
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As part of our ongoing Best in Building Health series, we’re honored to celebrate one of Fitwel’s Top 20 Ambassadors, Cole Atwood of JBG Smith!

Cole has been an integral member of Fitwel Champion JBG Smith’s team for two and a half years so far. Learn how becoming an Ambassador has advanced him professionally and what Best in Building Health means to him.

AT A GLANCE

Cole Atwood, Sustainability Analyst, JBG SMITH

Name: Cole Atwood

Role: Sustainability Analyst

Location: Washington, D.C.

Ambassador Since: November 2020

What does Best in Building Health mean to you?
CA: Best in Building Health to me is synonymous with a ‘Tenant-experience-first’ mindset. When we design and operate our commercial offices and multifamily spaces with the tenant experience front of mind, health and wellness are a prime consideration. At JBG SMITH, we believe that green buildings are healthy buildings. Utilizing the Fitwel playbook to both guide program design and measure impact following implementation has allowed us to further that priority and demonstrate ‘Best in Building Health’ for all in our buildings.

What in particular have you valued most about being an Ambassador?
CA: I chose to become a Fitwel Ambassador to help lead the development and deployment of our firm's health and wellness program, differentiate myself in my field, and develop my knowledge around health and wellness in the built environment. Becoming a Fitwel Ambassador has given me the opportunity to positively impact the residents and tenants who live and work in our buildings. The Fitwel Ambassador program has helped me to develop my career with a deep understanding of health-promoting design and market-leading operational strategies that focuses on the day-to-day users of the spaces we manage.

Who made this year’s Best in Building Health Top 20 Ambassadors list? Find out here.

Exterior and interior views of 2345 Crystal Drive, Arlington, Virginia. Photos courtesy of JBG SMITH and Sam Kittner.

What is your proudest moment in applying Fitwel to projects?
CA: The proudest moment I've had as a Fitwel practitioner and Ambassador has been the achievement of our two-star certification at the Atlantic Plumbing Building in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C. That was the first multifamily project JBG Smith certified with Fitwel. The most exciting part was really setting a standard for multifamily spaces in the D.C. region; at the time of certification that was the highest scoring project in the area.

What is your favorite Fitwel strategy?
CA: The Natural Daylight and Views of Nature strategies are two of my favorites. When I think about what is really important to me in a space that I work or live in, natural daylight and views of nature are two elements that I look for and place a lot of value on. They also require a lot of photo documentation. There are a bunch of fun calculations that go into achieving these credits, so that's been a fun process working with my colleagues and the onsite teams for the different buildings we've certified.

 
Fitwel Ambassador Course

Take the Next Step: Become a Fitwel Ambassador
Ambassadors are meeting the demand for healthy buildings and taking their careers to the next level. Learn more and enroll today at fitwel.org/amabassadors.

 

About JBG Smith
JBG SMITH Properties is a publicly traded real estate investment trust based in Bethesda, Maryland. Their portfolio currently comprises 15.0 million square feet of commercial, multi-family, and retail assets—with another 9.8 million square feet in the development pipeline—all concentrated in attractive submarkets in the Washington, DC region. To learn more, visit their website at JBGSmith.com.

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