Fitwel in the News

Fitwel® Announces an 80% increase in Certifications in One Year

The Center for Active Design  announces a sharp uptick in the application of the Fitwel Certification System, with an 80% increase in projects achieving certification between 2017 and 2018. Today, CfAD recognizes exceptional real estate, design, and consulting companies for their unique achievements in leading the industry towards building health.  

Fitwel Certification System by the numbers: 650+ registered projects, impacting 570,000+ people, with 180+ projects certified or pending certification, 1,600+ global users and 1,000+ Fitwel Ambassadors, spanning 35+ countries. 42% of certified projects received a 1 Star Rating, which requires a minimum score of 90 out of 144 points; 33% received a 2 Star Rating and 11% a 3 Star Rating.  

Fitwel 2018 Best in Building Health: Recognition Categories 

Leadership 

Industry Leading Company: Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE: ARE)* 

Alexandria has shown significant leadership in supporting human health and well-being through real estate assets. After being named the first Fitwel Champion in 2016, Alexandria certified six properties, five of which have received a 3 Star Rating and one of which has the highest score of any certified property to date. Alexandria continues to innovate and set a high bar for its building operations and developments, as demonstrated by its 2018 green bond and its stated goal to achieve Fitwel certifications for all new ground-up development projects. 

As a mission-driven company focused on advancing human health and improving quality of life, Alexandria is grateful to CfAD and the CDC for their leadership in creating Fitwel, and we are pleased that in turn we have been able to support its transformative impact on the commercial real estate industry since 2016,” said Ari Frankel, assistant vice president of sustainability & high performance buildings at Alexandria. “Fitwel will play an integral part in driving our ability to meet our industry-leading goal of achieving 50 healthy building certifications by 2025, and as part of our ongoing efforts to enable the success of our tenants and enhance their ability to attract and retain top talent.

Industry Leader: Eleni Reed, Head of Sustainability — Americas, Lendlease 

Over the past eight years, Eleni Reed has played a critical role in leading the industry in prioritizing health within buildings. As the Head of Sustainability at Lendlease, Eleni leads the implementation of health and well-being practices, both for employees and within the firm’s lines of business. In her prior role as the Chief Greening Officer at the US General Services Administration, Eleni was instrumental in driving healthy and productive workplaces across GSA’s real estate portfolio.  

As a leading global property and infrastructure solutions provider, Lendlease believes that sustainable economic growth, vibrant and resilient communities and a healthy planet and people are central to our vision to create the best places,” said Eleni Reed, head of sustainability—Americas at Lendlease. “Fitwel and the Assembly Guidelines are among the critical tools Lendlease is leveraging to set new benchmarks that advance health and wellbeing at the building and community scale in our developments.

Greatest Number of Certifications 

All-Time: Kilroy Realty Corporation* 

At Kilroy Realty Corporation, we believe that buildings have the ability to promote the health and productivity of the people who work in them, which is why health is a core component of our ESG programs, said Sara Neff, senior vice president, sustainability at Kilroy Realty Corporation. “Fitwel gives us clear guidance on what building features and programs are most likely to generate those positive outcomes.

Professional Consultant (2018): Verdani Partners* 

Real Estate Company/Manager (2018): Brandywine Realty Trust* and Clarion Partners  

Tenant (2018): Anthem, Inc.* 

Greatest Impact 

Most People Impacted: (1) Undisclosed Organization (2) Brandywine Realty Trust (3) QuadReal Property Group* 

Highest Square Footage: (1) Brandywine Realty Trust (2) Vornado Realty Trust* (3) QuadReal Property Group 

Highest Scores  

Multifamily Residential: (1) The Tower Companies* – The Pearl; Silver Spring, MD, USA (2) Clarion Partners – Montclair Residences; Montclair, NJ, USA (3) AvalonBay Communities* – AVA NoMa; Washington, D.C., USA 

Single–Tenant Building: (1) Anthem – Lytle office; Indianapolis, IN, USA (2) Undisclosed Financial Institution 3) U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention* – Atlanta, GA, USA 

Multi–Tenant Base Building: (1) Menkes Developments Ltd* – One York Street; Toronto, Canada (2) Cushman & Wakefield* – 125 Broad Street; New York, NY, USA (3) QuadReal Property Group – South Core Financial; Toronto, Canada 

Multi–Tenant Whole Building: Vornado Realty Trust – theMART; Chicago, IL, USA 

Commercial Interior Space: (1) FOX Architects office – Washington, D.C., USA (2) Bupa Headquarters – London, UK (3) HDR* office – Arlington, VA, USA 

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