A Better Box
Optimizing Industrial Spaces for Employee Health and Wellness
The Timely Benefits of Optimizing Our Industrial Workspaces
By surveying the latest scientific literature, interviewing industry leaders, incorporating sector-specific best practices, and drawing upon results from real estate projects that have successfully achieved Fitwel certification, we have created a comprehensive report aimed at determining what actions are most effective when it comes to supporting health and wellness in the industrial sector.
“When our buildings have invested in green or health-promoting initiatives, we’ve seen higher lease rates and overall property valuations. So we know it adds value. We also find that tenants in healthy buildings tend to be more engaged and more apt to renew, staying with us for longer periods.”
— Carl Lam, General Manager, QuadReal
Virtual Panel Discussion, March 2, 2022
Key Takeaways
“Companies adopting the smart, doable recommendations contained in this report will not only differentiate themselves, they will join a vanguard helping to drive transformation of the built environment.”
— Joanna Frank, President and CEO, Center for Active Design
At-A-Glance: Report Highlights
The need to optimize industrial workspaces has always been there — but the incentive and demand has not. COVID-19’s evolving impact on infrastructure, the economy, and worldwide public health has invoked a new sense of urgency and willingness to optimize industrial workspaces. This study offers an approachable path for implementation.
With a series of evidence-based guidelines for supporting better health and wellness outcomes at industrial sites, the report offers a robust plan for retaining top talent, reducing injury and absenteeism, lowering stress levels, mitigating the risk of contagious disease transmission, decreasing risk of chronic illness, increasing overall job satisfaction, and ultimately improving individual and organizational productivity.
The report contains three overarching recommendations — maximize location and site accessibility, design functional and supportive interiors, and create spaces that promote productivity and preparedness — as well as a holistic set of strategies necessary to meet each of these guidelines, and an explanation for the long-term returns that can be anticipated with adoption.
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About The Authors
The Center for Active Design is the leading non-profit organization using design to foster healthy and engaged communities. We apply our multidisciplinary expertise to empower decision makers with research and technical assistance that lead to measurable outcomes.
The Center for Active Design also maintains the evidence-based standard for Fitwel, the world’s leading platform for certifying healthy buildings, and conducts the objective third-party assessments that lead to certified Fitwel projects.
QuadReal Property Group is a global real estate investment, operating and development company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. Its assets under management total $61.2 billion. From its foundation in Canada as a full-service real estate operating company, QuadReal has expanded its capabilities to invest in equity and debt in both the public and private markets. QuadReal invests directly, via programmatic partnerships and through operating companies in which it holds an ownership interest.
Take the Next Step
Adopting the measures outlined in this report can serve as a powerful first step for promoting health and wellness in industrial spaces and eventual achievement of Fitwel certification.
While the report features practical recommendations for promoting employee health within the industrial sector, the Fitwel Commercial and Industrial Site scorecard quantifies these guidelines and provides precise requirements for achieving certification.
Learn more about this scorecard though our product one-pager, and contact industrial@fitwel.org for more information.