CREJ

10 / 24

Page 10 — Office Properties Quarterly — December 2017
R ating systems are the lan-
guage – the secret code – of
sustainability.The right system
can serve as a framework for
creating spaces that are mind-
ful of their environmental impact and
support the health and well-being of
the people they serve.Third-party veri-
fication increases the accountability of
the project team and owner, and the
inevitable plaque on the wall serves as
a visible reminder of that achievement.
Done right, the subsequent branding
can bolster the return on investment
for the strategies it took to get there.
The U.S. Green Building Council LEED
rating system, for years, has been the
default definition of everything sustain-
ability encompasses.Today we stand
at the intersection of a growing aware-
ness of the crisis in public health, social
inequity and communities that are not
resilient enough to face our climate
future. As a result, we are seeing a
divergence and specialization in rating
systems.
An indication of this sea change is
the rise of human health and well-
being-focused rating systems, of which
the InternationalWell Building Insti-
tute’sWELL Building Standard andThe
Center for Active Design’s Fitwel are
two of the most common.
Both translate scientific and medi-
cal research examining the impact on
human health of our built environ-
ment, behavior and societal norms
into actionable, evidence-based design
strategies, building operations and
corporate policies. However, there are
some fundamental differences.
At a high level, Fitwel, a one-time
certification, predominantly focuses
on creating active workplaces in exist-
ing buildings. Credit
thresholds gener-
ally are lower, with
no prerequisites to
certification, and
flexibility where
reasonable obstacles
to meeting credit
requirements exist.
It costs significantly
less to certify, and
verification relies
solely on documen-
tation and photos
uploaded to the
online portal. A key
feature is the ability
to easily track scores
across a portfolio of
properties using the online portal.
WELL requires recertification every
three years and goes much deeper into
the link between physical and mental
health, the design and operation of
indoor environments, and even human
resources policies. It also has signifi-
cantly more design-related opportu-
nities and impacts; offers a choice of
project types; requires preconditions
be met in order to achieve certifica-
tion and involves third-party, on-site
verification in addition to documen-
tation uploaded to the online portal.
There is a degree of overlap in credit
requirements between LEED andWELL,
increasing as the LEED goal increases,
which leads many LEED Platinum proj-
ects to pursue both.
When guiding our clients as to
which rating system to pursue, rather
than start with the criteria of the rat-
ing system, we start with each client’s
motivations and goals, asking many
questions.
What is the Goal of Certification?
Will the certification be used for
external or internal messaging and rec-
ognition; recruitment and retention; or
as an expression of core business val-
ues?The answer is likely to determine
the comfort zone of financial commit-
ment and help make the business case
for any associated costs premiums. For
example, consider the following:
• Goal: You want to put a greater
emphasis on health and well-being in
existing spaces, but are not necessarily
willing to commit financially to signifi-
cant design changes or upgrades.You
manage or own a portfolio of properties
and want to be able to quickly assess
the impact of any changes.
• Consider: Fitwel for its ability to
compare and easily update scores
across a portfolio.
• Goal: Health and well-being are an
important part of your branding and
value system, and you are willing to
commit financial resources to strate-
gies that support it.You understand the
value on investment of strategies that
impact your personnel costs and want
to leverage certification for talent or
tenant recruitment and retention.
• Consider:WELL or Fitwel, or both!
• Goal: You are motivated to go above
and beyond. Sustainability, health and
well-being are essential elements of the
culture you are cultivating and a key
driver of your business case.You will
leverage certification for talent or ten-
ant recruitment and retention.
• Consider: WELL (and while you are
there, consider LEED Gold or Platinum,
too).
• Goal: You need to meet a state or
federal requirement, and/or want to
holistically address a wide range of top-
ics under the umbrella of sustainability
rather than focusing on just one.
• Consider: LEED, which is the long-
standing generalist in a world of spe-
cialists.
What is Your Focus?
With the proliferation of ratings
systems covering everything from
occupant health to energy use, it’s
important to consider where you are
most willing to expend your efforts. For
example, theWELL Building Standard
is the gold standard of health and well-
being, and Fitwel focuses on physi-
cally active lifestyles, but neither one
addresses the energy use of a space or
building.
One final question to ask yourself
is howwill you define the return on
investment of strategies needed to
achieve a certification?
Will the investments be assessed
purely on a financial payback basis or a
triple-bottom-line basis that considers
the social and environmental impacts?
Potential cost premiums associated
with increased air filtration ofWELL’s
air feature, for example, looks a lot dif-
ferent when you consider the positive
impact on cognitive function, and, by
association, worker productivity and
morale.
Yes, there are sometimes challenges
to financially justifying the strategies
needed to achieve a certification. Start-
ing by examining your specific goals
and looking holistically at the value on
investment will lead to alignment with
a rating system that positively impacts
your triple bottom line.s
A Di erent Approach to Denver Commercial
Real Estate Solutions and Services
In a partnership focused on your strategic business objectives, Avison Young
delivers intelligent commercial real estate solutions that add value and build
competitive advantage for your enterprise.
Our o ce o ers a full range of real estate solutions:
Learn how our approach might help you at:
For further information please contact:
AlecWynne, Principal, Managing Director
720.508.8112
• Project and construction management
• Lease administration
• Leasing and sales brokerage
• Property management
Partnership. Performance.
Market Trends
Rachel
Bannon-
Godfrey,
Discipline leader,
Sustainability-
buildings, RNL,
now part of
Stantec, Denver