by Brianna Crandall — March 9, 2016—Delos, a wellness real estate and technology firm, recently announced a strategic alliance with global commercial real estate services and investment firm CBRE Group that will advance Delos’ mission to transform indoor environments into spaces that help nurture, sustain and promote human health and well-being.
In 2013, CBRE became the first company in the world to achieve WELL Certification for a commercial office space through the WELL Building Standard pilot program with the opening of its Global Corporate Headquarters in Los Angeles, California. As a continuation of its leadership in the wellness space, CBRE will pursue WELL Certification for at least 100 buildings, sites or offices managed by or associated with CBRE worldwide.
Additionally, CBRE plans to professionally accredit 50 CBRE employees through the WELL Accredited Professional (WELL AP) program. The WELL AP credential signifies knowledge in human health and wellness in the built environment, and specialization in the principles, practices and applications of WELL CBRE employees will serve as the world’s largest network of WELL APs, providing clients with professional qualified support to realize the potential positive health impacts of WELL Certification.
CBRE will become a founding member of the Well Living Lab, which is the world’s first human-centered research lab designed to study the interaction between human health and well-being and the indoor environment. A collaboration between Delos and Mayo Clinic, the Well Living Lab will begin launching studies in April 2016 and is located near Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. CBRE’s Global Director of Corporate Responsibility David Pogue will become a member of the Delos Advisory Board.
Wellness is a core component of CBRE’s global “Workplace360” workplace strategy initiative, which has now been implemented in more than 30 offices around the world. Each office features a balance of private and collaborative workspaces designed to support the way employees work through enhanced flexibility, mobility, technology, productivity and wellness.
In 2013, CBRE headquarters office in downtown Los Angeles set a new standard for the healthy office space and served as an example for organizations interested in becoming WELL Certified. According to the company, one year after moving into that office, 92 percent of CBRE employees said the space had a positive effect on their health and well-being and 90 percent said they would not choose to go back to a traditional way of working.
Dave Pogue, global director of Corporate Responsibility for CBRE, noted:
More and more occupiers are recognizing the role the physical and environmental characteristics of their offices can play on the recruitment, retention, health, and even performance of their employees. Space matters. And Delos, as creator of the WELL Building Standard, developed a comprehensive way to measure and recognize the efforts taken in this area. This is an important new way of assisting our clients in a growing area of priority and focus, and we are pleased to play an active role in both the development and advancement of the standard.
Pioneered by Delos and administered by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), the WELL Building Standard is said to be the first building standard to focus on enhancing people’s health and well-being through the built environment.
WELL is an evidence- and performance-based system for measuring, certifying and monitoring features that impact human health and well-being in the built environment, through air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind. Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) provides third-party certification for WELL. To date, the program has enrolled nearly 30 million square feet of building projects in 14 countries.
