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Dakota Building Weybridge Secures First Multi-Tenant Fitwel Certification in Europe
360, the workplace consultancy within the Fourfront Group, has successfully guided developers RO Real Estate to secure Fitwel accreditation for the Dakota building in Weybridge. Fitwel is an approachable, and evidence-based healthy building measure that is quickly gaining traction in the UK and Europe. Fourfront Group and RO Real Estate are leading the way in Europe, with Dakota as the first UK Fitwel certified property outside of London and first multi-tenanted building to secure the accreditation in Europe. Nick Moore, Head of Investment at RO Real Estate said,
At RO we pride ourselves on creating unique, inspiring workplaces and improving the built environment. As a family run business, relationships are integral to everything we do, and we were keen to ensure that the building would be a perfect business environment for our future tenants. Whilst we recognised that wellbeing is increasingly crucial to modern living and therefore occupiers, it wasn’t till we heard of the Fitwel standard that we could begin to quantify whether we had fully incorporated this into our design.
It has taken six months to fully integrate the Fitwel standard and ensure that Dakota remains an inspiring workplace. I am really proud of what has been achieved and we are now adopting the key principles throughout our portfolio, with the next scheme already in the pipeline.
theMART Building Achieves Fitwel Certification, Supporting Public Health for Thousands
theMART, located in the River North District of Chicago, has achieved a Fitwel 2 Star Rating, recognizing the property’s ability to support the physical, mental, and social health of its occupants. theMART, owned and managed by Vornado Realty Trust, is the largest privately held commercial building in the United States. The property is over 4 million square feet, spans two city blocks, rises 25 stories, and is visited by an average of 30,000 people each business day. The largest building to date to receive Fitwel Certification, theMART also represents the first certification achieved under Fitwel’s Multi-Tenant Whole Building Scorecard for workplaces. The iconic and historic building now includes strengthened operational and design features that support a healthy environment for its hundreds of tenants.
theMART has a long history as an iconic business hub for the City of Chicago. Our recent renovation continues to transform the building to meet the modern needs of companies and the people they employ. We are very pleased that the Center for Active Design and the Fitwel Certification have recognized our innovation and prioritization of health and wellness for our property’s tenants and visitors,” said Myron Maurer, COO of theMART.
AvalonBay Communities Achieves First Fitwel Certification in Washington D.C.
AvalonBay Communities, Inc., an equity REIT with a long-term track record of developing, redeveloping, acquiring and managing apartment homes in the U.S., has been awarded a Fitwel 1 Star Rating from the Center for Active Design, for AVA NoMA, an apartment complex located in the NoMa neighborhood of Washington D.C.
We are extremely pleased to have achieved our first Fitwel certification and the first in Washington, D.C., says Mark Delisi, AvalonBay Communities’ vice president of corporate responsibility. “We know our residents care about living in a healthy environment, and providing this at AVA NoMa shows our purpose of creating a better way to live encompasses healthy living, too.
Clark Construction Becomes First General Contractor to Adopt Fitwel
Clark Construction Group, LLC today announced that it has become a Fitwel Champion, further solidifying its commitment to the health and wellbeing of its employees and to building sustainable communities.
At Clark, we have always valued our people’s talent and safety on the job,” said Fernando Arias, director of sustainability at Clark Construction. “And now as Fitwel Champions, we are excited to partner with CfAD to demonstrate our commitment to their health and wellbeing by offering them best-in-class workplaces to work and thrive in their careers.
“Our clients are have shown increasing interest in the nexus between building design and workforce performance,” said Chip Hastie, senior vice president of operations at Clark Construction. “We are excited to leverage the Fitwel platform to provide a healthier workplace environment for our employees while also serving as a knowledgeable advisor to our clients based on firsthand experience with the certification program