WELL Transcends All Building Types As Leaders Across Industries Pave the Way

NEW YORK, September 9, 2019 / 3BL Media/ – What do a police station, a pre-school, a hotel, a lecture hall, an affordable housing complex and a fitness center all have in common? With a commitment to people at the heart of each of their missions, each of these outstanding spaces has joined a global network of health and wellness leaders by achieving WELL Certification through the WELL Building Standard (WELL). 

The certification of these distinctive projects sets a new benchmark across industries and exemplifies how WELL is promoting health and well-being across all building types and sectors. By achieving WELL Certification, these projects are the first in their market segments to recognize the importance of designing for health and well-being and verify that their spaces are performing as intended. As leaders in their respective sectors, the project teams who have shepherded these projects have demonstrated initiative, innovative thinking, and an outstanding commitment to the health of people that live, work or visit these spaces. 

The broad range of project types is evidence of WELL’s guiding principles in practice: equity, flexibility and inclusivity. The growing diversity of projects also highlights WELL’s adaptability for any space looking to enhance the health, well-being, happiness and productivity of its many users.

“From hotels to schools, law enforcement centers to fitness facilities, every place where people spend their time can partner with people to support their health and well-being if the spaces are designed with people at the center of every decision,” said Rick Fedrizzi, IWBI CEO and Chairman. “Through exceptional leadership in achieving certification in each respective industry, these projects are raising the bar for buildings and communities everywhere.”

Integrating project-specific strategies and holistic solutions as defined by each project team, each of the projects listed below has played a critical role in advancing WELL for future projects in these categories. These industry leaders are a small representation of the commitment to health, sustainability and innovation that is channeled by the entire WELL community. 

--

2264 Morris
2264 Morris Ave was developed by a joint venture between Bronx Pro Group and Services for the Underserved. A LEED Gold certified 11-story, 94 unit building that offers low-income, moderate income and supportive housing, the project was holistically designed to consider the physical, social and environmental programming to enhance the complete wellness of residents.

“The development team is proud to have achieved WELL Certification, which focused on the health and well-being of our residents,” said Justin Stein, Senior Vice President at Bronx Pro Group.

Aspen Police Department
The 18,500-square-foot Aspen Police Department building achieved LEED 2009 New Construction Gold level certification and WELL Certification in 2019.  The project was designed by Charles Cunniffe Architects, Shaw Construction was the lead contractor, and the city’s capital asset department managed the project.  The grand opening for the building was in June 2018, and the staff has been grateful ever since.  

“Not only does this facility provide the space the police department desperately needed, but the building is comfortable and inviting. The public meeting room is in high demand both for the space and the view of Aspen Mountain. It really feels more like a community building than the traditional sterile space police departments often are,” noted Michelle Bonfils-Thibeault, the City of Aspen project manager for the facility.

Chou Hall – University of California at Berkeley
Chou Hall, an academic building on UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business campus, is devoted entirely to student learning and interaction. The student-centered building provides cutting-edge facilities to accommodate future advancements in management education - a place where classroom and digital learning work to foster community and provide world-class education. Thinking beyond the classroom environment, the building includes meeting spaces, the Spieker Forum event space, and a cafe for both students and teachers to collaborate and learn.

“From the start of the Chou Hall construction project, we focused on building a student-centric academic space that reflected our school’s unique culture and how we value sustainable impact,” said Haas COO Courtney Chandler. “What I love hearing most is how the building makes people feel. That’s what people are going to remember.”

“I absolutely love the building. It’s super-modern, and it allowed for all of us to not be easily distracted by the environment…It really helped us and fostered a good learning environment.” – America Gonzalez, MBA ’19 (Link)

Inn at Moonlight Beach
The Inn at Moonlight Beach is an intimate boutique hotel in Encinitas, Cal. The destination features five modern, tranquil suites, various distinct gardens, and an owner’s quarters. The entire property is a biodynamic urban farm that yields beautiful vistas and productive landscapes of medicinal herbs, cut flowers, succulents, vegetables, fruits, and teas that the Inn shares with its guests. The Inn is designed to support health, well-being and a sense of community for all of its guests.

“Travel habits are becoming less about indulgence and escape, and more about connection and nurturing self. WELL aligns so closely with our mission to encourage people to experience the joy of connecting with nature, one’s self, and the broader local community. I am inspired and grateful that we were able to achieve certification and lead the way for the hospitality industry,” said Shangwen Chiu Kennedy, owner.

Menno Haven Rehabilitation Center
The Rehabilitation Center at Menno Haven is elevating post-acute care in Chambersburg, Penn. and beyond, with a focus on whole-person healing. It is a unique healthcare environment that helps older adults to recover from major health events by easing the transition from hospital to home. Included are 44 private guest suites, an outpatient clinic operated by a local provider, a therapy gym and courtyard, a multipurpose education room, and a culinary production kitchen which serves the entire community. Non-traditional features such as medical gasses in every guest suite, UV lamps in cooling coils, and a wellness library prominently located within the building allow Menno Haven to pursue their goal of whole-person healing.

“When we began to design a new post-acute care skilled nursing building with Menno Haven, they had the goal of reorienting the culture of their organization towards holistic wellness as well as developing a technically sophisticated, world-class rehabilitation environment. Their goals aligned with WELL, but WELL was still an emerging building certification standard initially developed for commercial office space that did not have a standard for skilled nursing environments. This led us to collaborate closely with IWBI during the design process and to develop a custom scorecard tailored to the unique needs of seniors,” said Jay Weingarten, partner with RDG Planning & Design from the project’s Design and WELL team.

Untitled No. 1 School
Untitled No. 1 is a nature-based early education center (pre-K/TK/K) in Santa Monica, Cal. Its mission is to serve the community by offering families and children a joyous and engaging preschool experience, replete with opportunities to learn from nature and from one another. Because children learn best in diverse settings, Untitled No. 1 admits families evenly spread across income levels and provides scholarships to achieve this balance.

“There are aspects of well-being that were challenging to pencil out in advance, so the north star for our decision making was, the people and planet – would we make a worthwhile difference doing what we do? We applied caring concern with common sense, keeping in mind we wanted to be exemplary, and attempted absolutely as many WELL features as we could. We achieved Gold!” – Laila Taslimi, founder Untitled No. 1 School

YMCA Stonestown
The YMCA of San Francisco worked with Delos Consulting, ELS Architecture and Urban Design, and MHC Engineers to incorporate the WELL Building Standard into the design, infrastructure, features and policies during a $4.1M renovation of one of its facilities in 2016. From new air filtration and pollution-source reduction to maximized natural light and policies for healthier food choices, the Y worked to ensure that the building’s purpose aligned with its mission: to help members become their healthiest selves. 

“The Y has always provided safe spaces for our community to be healthy so of course we should consider how our buildings contribute to healthy living. We are proud to be the first fitness facility in the world to have achieved such a high standard in service to our members,” stated Chuck Collins, president and CEO of YMCA of San Francisco.