The Center for Active Design (CfAD) has announced the 2020 winners of Best in Building Health, its flagship recognition program that identifies the leading firms enhancing human health via Fitwel, a certification system committed to building health for all. Winners reflect notable geographic diversity—including projects from Thailand, Ireland, and Sweden—confirming the expansion of Fitwel’s global reach. The number of countries implementing Fitwel-certified projects has doubled over the last year to generate health impacts across four continents.
The twenty firms recognized as the Best in Building Health also reflect industry diversity, including national and multi-national real estate companies, affordable housing, architecture and engineering, consulting, technology, construction, healthcare, and more. By applying the evidence-based Fitwel standard across their portfolios, these leaders are demonstrating their commitment to enhancing human health while maximizing appeal to occupants, investors, and community stakeholders.
“Fitwel was launched into the market just 3 years ago, and from the outset we’ve seen strong and growing demand from individuals to investors,” says Joanna Frank, CfAD’s president & CEO. “Today’s winners exemplify the industry-leading companies who are using Fitwel to attract and retain talented employees, ensure the success of their businesses, and foster the wellbeing of residents. Our team is thrilled to present them with this esteemed recognition.”
CfAD will convene Best in Building Health winners and other Fitwel leaders on Feb. 27, at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. The event will feature new awards that reflect Fitwel’s growing breadth of impact, including recognition of Quartier des lumières in Montreal, Canada, the frontrunning project to pilot the Fitwel Community Scorecard. This standard for neighborhood-scale development was released for public use on Jan. 30, along with a Commercial Sites Scorecard.
Additionally, two firms, QuadReal Property Group and Harrison Street, will receive the distinguished Industry Leadership award, which is offered at the discretion of CfAD to honor companies demonstrating exceptional innovation in advancing Fitwel’s commitment to building health for all. These winners go above and beyond Fitwel implementation practices to cultivate new tools and resources that make health-promoting strategies more accessible to a range of practitioners and advance market transformation, such as QuadReal’s Office Guide to Building Health.
“At QuadReal, we are proud of our partnership with the Center for Active Design to develop the Office Guide for Building Health as part of our commitment to making a positive impact on the health and productivity of our tenants and residents. Continuing to work towards Fitwel certifications in our portfolio is vital to maintaining our overall sustainability goals,” says Jamie Gray-Donald, senior vice president, sustainability & EHS at QuadReal Property Group.
“At Harrison Street, ESG is an integral part of both our investment strategy and overall culture. We continually work to deepen positive impacts on the lives we touch, as demonstrated by our strong focus around wellness. We want the buildings we own to be the gold standard in health and safety for our tenants, residents, and staff,” states Jill Brosig, chief impact officer at Harrison Street. “CfAD/Fitwel has been a tremendous partner in helping us define, design, and measure what healthy means in our asset classes, especially given the nuances of the senior and student populations we serve. We are honored to be recognized for the Best in Building Health 2020 Industry Leadership Award. This is a testament that what we are doing together is making a difference, and we look forward to continuing to enhance our partnership with CfAD and Fitwel.”
Fitwel by the numbers. Since March 2017, Fitwel has been used by over 980 registered projects, impacting more than 820,000 people, with over 370 projects certified or pending certification. Fifty-seven percent of certified projects received a 1 Star Rating, which requires a minimum score of 90 out of 144 points; 32 percent received a 2 Star Rating; and 7 percent a 3 Star Rating.
Best in Building Health 2020
Award Recognition Categories
Special Recognition for Industry Leadership
Industry Leading Company: QuadReal Property Group
Industry Leading Company: Harrison Street
Special Recognition for All-Time Performance
Fitwel Excellence Award (Most Certifications of All-Time): Kilroy Realty Corp.
Fitwel Promise Award (Most Registrations of All-Time): Anthem Inc.
Fitwel Impact Award (All-Time Highest Scoring Project): Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. – Alexandria LaunchLabs at the Alexandria Center at One Kendall Square, Cambridge, Mass.
2019 Distinctions
Greatest Number of Certifications (2019)
Professional Consultant: Verdani Partners
Building Owner: Boston Properties
Tenant: Clark Construction Group
Greatest Number of Registrations (2019)
Professional Consultant: Goby
Building Owner/Manager: LaSalle Investment Management and Jones Lang LaSalle
Tenant: LinkedIn
Greatest Impact on Building Health (2019)
Most People Impacted: Paramount Group (owner) / Sustainable Investment Group (consultant)
Highest Square Footage: Boston Properties
2019 Highest Scoring Projects
Commercial Interior Space v2: Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. – Alexandria LaunchLabs at the Alexandria Center at One Kendall Square, Cambridge, Mass.
Commercial Interior Space v2.1: Tenant & Partner – Norr Mälarstrand 14 Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
Single-Tenant Building v2.1: Undisclosed Company
Single-Tenant Building v2.1: SCG Consulting – The Stock Exchange of Thailand, Bangkok, Thailand
Multi-Tenant Base Building v2: Skanska USA – Bank of America Tower, Houston
Multi-Tenant Base Building v2.1: Lothbury Investment Management (owner) / Workman LLP (manager) – The Paragon, Bristol, England, United Kingdom
Multi-Tenant Whole Building v2: Lemay -Phénix, Montréal, Québec, Canada
Multifamily Residential v2: Gerding Edlen – ZO, Oakland, Calif.
Multifamily Residential v2.1: GID (owner) / Verdani Partners (consultant) – Element 47 by Windsor, Denver
Fitwel Community v2.1: MACH (owner) / Lemay (consultant) – Quartier des lumières, Montréal, Québec, Canada