Fitwel v3: How New Strategies Add Value

Research InsightsStrategies & SolutionsFeatured

Oct 14

Insights from the Center for Active Design Experts

Fitwel v3: New Strategies, New Value

In this month’s CfAD Insights, we’re sharing the latest updates to the Fitwel Standard, informed by research from the Center for Active Design (CfAD). These updates reflect advancements in the built environment and public health, supporting the real estate industry in addressing evolving challenges. We’ll focus on key strategies driving the evolution of Fitwel v3 and the value they bring to investors, occupants, and communities. From enhanced alignment with ESG reporting to demonstrated impacts on occupant health and economic outcomes, these strategies are designed to provide actionable, evidence-based solutions that promote healthier spaces.

Key Themes Behind the New Fitwel v3 Strategies

Supporting enhanced communication. Building interventions are most effective when occupants are aware of them. Research shows that clear communication between property management teams and occupants is essential to supporting occupant satisfaction in a high-performing asset. In Fitwel v3, a new strategy emphasizes the importance of a robust communication plan that supports two-way communication, fostering transparency and stronger connections between management and occupants.

Creating value through trust. Both academic research and original CfAD research demonstrate that transparency and communication with tenants is linked to increased occupant satisfaction and likelihood to recommend a property. Improved communication from building management has also been shown to mitigate anxiety and fear in regards to infectious disease policies, building stronger relationships between occupants and the management team.
Improving implementation. Effective communication is essential to ensure that policies are implemented successfully and as intended. The success of many policies often depends on occupant behavior, making it crucial that everyone fully understands the requirements. Studies show a positive correlation between awareness and compliance. For example, if a tobacco-free policy is not clearly communicated, smoking is more likely to occur.

Safeguarding both the human and natural world. With biodiversity loss occurring at unprecedented rates, communities worldwide face the risk of losing vital resources and services, some of which have yet to be discovered. The new Fitwel v3 strategy, Support Biodiversity, is grounded in extensive research that underscores the importance of reducing human impact on ecosystems and highlights the diverse benefits that environmental protection can offer:

Preserving financial value. Protecting biodiversity is essential for addressing large-scale economic challenges, such as food security, pharmaceutical availability, genetic screening, and infectious disease tracking. In fact, the economic value of biodiversity is so significant that the World Economic Forum ranked biodiversity loss as the 5th leading global economic risk. At the individual level, conservation efforts also demonstrate strong value—for instance, a five-year bird conservation program in New Zealand found that benefits outweigh costs by 30 times in terms of willingness to pay.
Streamlining ESG reporting. Biodiversity is a key theme in ESG reporting, and this strategy helps align with various frameworks. Biodiversity conservation measures are included in major ESG standards such as GRI, TCFD, TNFD, the UN SDGs, SFDR and EU Taxonomy, each with varying levels of emphasis on environmental protection.
Enhancing Long-term population health. Biologically diverse environments support the development of a well-functioning immune system by enriching our indigenous microbiota. Incorporating biodiversity into the built environment enhances the planet’s ability to adapt to climate change, improves air quality, supports flood mitigation and promotes overall health and well being.

Improving construction safety and efficiency. The built environment revolves around construction, which can pose significant risks to employees and surrounding communities, ranging from noise to environmental pollution to occupational hazards. Implementing appropriate construction safety measures can deliver substantial economic and health benefits for workers, companies, and communities:
- Enhancing productivity and risk management. Construction safety is crucial for both risk mitigation and productivity. Taking proactive steps to prevent accidents and protect construction workers leads to numerous positive outcomes, including increased productivity, on-time project completion, decreased compensation costs, fewer accidents, and increased employee morale.
- Improving ESG reporting efficiencies. The construction safety strategy also adds value to corporate reporting, aligning with components of ESG frameworks like the GRI standard, which requires injury reporting and policy development. Additionally, this strategy's measures to limit community environmental impact align with the EU Taxonomy, UN SDGs, and TNFD.
- Promoting Community and worker safety. The dangers of construction are not limited to on-site workers; surrounding communities can also be affected by toxic airborne dust, noise and other pollutants. Many of these health risks can be addressed through implementation of risk-specific safety measures. This strategy also accounts for emerging risks due to climate change, such as rising temperatures, ensuring that workers are protected against heat exposure through updated safety requirements.

Expanding the meaning of accessibility. Preventing gender discrimination and ensuring accessibility for people with disabilities are both legally required and economically incentivized by ESG reporting frameworks. Our Universally Accessible Restrooms strategy takes into account emerging research on these critical factors:

Linking Accessibility to health. Recent research highlights the significant health impacts of restroom accessibility for marginalized populations. For instance, discrimination in the form of denial of access to gender-appropriate bathrooms is linked to increased risks of UTI, kidney infections as well as suicidality. Mental health outcomes, such as self-esteem and a sense of belonging are strongly linked to restroom access for people with disabilities.
Supporting equity-centered ESG reporting. Implementing universal accessibility enhances alignment with ESG frameworks, where inclusion and accessibility are key factors. For example, UN SDG 10 promotes the rights of disabled persons, and the UN SDG Annex on minorities includes protections for women and transgender individuals. The GRESB standard similarly emphasizes inclusive design for people of all ability levels and gender identities.

Incorporating artificial lighting. Getting a good night’s sleep is one of the most powerful practices for enhancing long-term health, and it begins during the day. The built environment, through artificial lighting, can influence circadian rhythms, and an optimal lighting environment can help regulate the body. Our new strategy, Optimal Lighting, brings new value by addressing these factors:

Enhancing satisfaction and productivity. Optimal artificial lighting has a significant economic impact by increasing occupant satisfaction. Research shows that strategically timed office lighting can accelerate the internal clock in the morning, shifting wake-up times, while attenuating light exposure in certain areas helps counteract the delaying effects of evening light. Office design is crucial in this process; layouts that minimize glare and utilize energy-efficient, strategically positioned luminaires for indirect lighting can improve employee well-being and alertness. Providing task lighting at workstations has also been linked to increased productivity in office environments.
Improved Health through Lighting. Optimizing artificial lighting has been shown to positively impact wide-ranging health outcomes including improved circadian rhythm, better sleep, reduced digital eye strain, and decreased stress and mood disturbances. Disruptions to circadian rhythm are increasingly being linked to heightened risk of chronic health conditions such as diabetes and cancer.

Fitwel Adds Value, One Strategy at a Time

As we look to the future of building health, we continuously evaluate new and emerging evidence to understand the value they bring to creating healthier projects and communities. Since the development of Fitwel v2.1, many new topics – ranging from infectious disease control to climate resilience and accessibility – have gained prominence in discussions about how the built environment can influence our health. At CfAD,our role is to ensure that the Fitwel standard reflects the latest research and meets industry needs. We are excited to share these insights and provide resources that enable our community to engage more deeply with the strategies that shape a healthier built environment.

Article contributed by Skyler Chin, Grace Dickinson and the Center for Active Design Research Team.

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Janelle Decarreau