Boston Properties is the first to use the New Construction pathway and achieve a Fitwel Design Certification for Back Bay Station Office Tower in Boston, USA
The Center for Active Design (CfAD), operator of the Fitwel Certification System, announces the June 3, 2019 launch of Fitwel v2.1. Fitwel v2.1 advances the Fitwel vision that every building and community is optimized for health. It will feature a New Construction pathway, newly developed Retail and Community Scorecards, as well as strengthened Workplace and Multifamily Residential Scorecards. These updates ensure that all Fitwel products reflect the latest science and research and are responsive to user demand and feedback garnered through Fitwel’s Leadership Advisory Board, Champion companies, Pilot users, Advisory Council members, and Ambassadors.
“We are seeing rapid market transformation around health throughout the real estate sector, driven by broad demand coming from tenants and investors,” says Joanna Frank, president and CEO at CfAD. “We are proud to work with industry leader Boston Properties to expand Fitwel’s impact to new construction projects.”
New Construction pathway
Fitwel’s first two years in the market focused on providing real estate owners with a portfolio approach for existing buildings. To date, over 90% of the 700+ total registered projects represent existing buildings. In v2.1, existing buildings will continue to be supported through Fitwel’s Existing Building pathway, achieving a Built Certification. New construction and renovation projects will have a new option of being supported through the New Construction pathway, achieving a Design Certification (pre-occupancy) and a Built Certification (post-occupancy). This option will allow projects to be optimized for health-promotion at the outset of the design process, and will be available for all scorecards.
Fitwel Champion Boston Properties is the first to undertake the New Construction pathway and complete Fitwel’s Design Certification for its planned office tower at Back Bay Station in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston Properties continues to demonstrate its industry leadership by both pioneering Fitwel’s approach for new construction projects at this project and committing to pursue Fitwel certification for over sixteen million square feet of its portfolio.
“The green building movement has always been about market transformation that yields improved outcomes for people, places and ecosystems,” said Ben Myers, Director of Sustainability at Boston Properties. “We adopted the Fitwel Certification System to support green building design decisions and operational results that benefit our customers, including improved air quality, water purity and access, better building materials, abundant natural daylight and amenities that promote mental and physical health.”
Fitwel v2.1 Scorecards: Retail and Community
Building on the Workplace scorecard, retail property owners, managers, and tenants of multi-tenanted complexes and stand-alone properties will be able to use the Retail Scorecard to pursue Fitwel Certification using the New Construction or Existing Building pathways.
The Community Scorecard will reflect CfAD’s core expertise in neighborhood-scale development and emphasize public space amenities that promote equitable access to health-promoting environments including streets, parks, plazas, and social gathering spaces. This scorecard is applicable across a range of scales and typologies, provided the area seeking certification is composed of more than one building, incorporates a mix of uses—including residential—and features at least one publicly accessible open space.
Fitwel v2.1, including the New Construction pathway, Retail Scorecard, Community Scorecard, and updated Workplace and Multifamily Residential Scorecards, will be launched for public use on June 3, 2019.
CfAD is currently accepting inquiries from companies interested in piloting the Community Scorecard prior to its public launch. Interested companies should contact pilot@fitwel.org for more information. To receive the latest updates and information about Fitwel v2.1, visit www.fitwel.org.
Fitwel and the Center for Active Design
Named one of Fast Company’s 2017 Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Social Good, Fitwel is the world’s leading certification system that optimizes buildings to support health. Generated by expert analysis of over 3,000 academic research studies, Fitwel is implementing a vision for a healthier future where all buildings and communities are enhanced to strengthen health and wellbeing. Fitwel was created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with the Center for Active Design, a global not-for-profit organization selected as the licensed operator of Fitwel in 2016, with the mandate to expand Fitwel globally to the private sector.
