Healthy Building Certification FITWEL
A Healthy building consultant guide to FITWEL certification
What is a healthy building or healthy community?
Primarily here we are dealing with factors such as indoor air quality (IAQ), visual comfort, light quality, acoustic performance, active design, thermal comfort and cleaning protocols but it can extend as far as mental wellbeing, biophilic design, physical activity opportunities and even an element of signage.
The ‘healthy building’ and ‘wellness real estate’ movement can be distinguished from its close cousin sustainable buildings and the green building movement that, as the name suggests, adopts more of a planet-oriented perspective.
Their ultimate aim is to create real estate and communities that promote mental and physical wellbeing for regular occupants. Concern for the environment is not their raison d’etre but should still be considered as in practice. many of the same concepts apply to healthy buildings and green buildings.
Why do we need healthy building certifications?
Healthy building certifications, like green building certifications, provide structure, rigour and accountability, as well as the opportunity to benchmark within the industry, measure progress and ultimately advance the cause not just through the award of certifications but also through the network of Accredited Professionals (APs) and Ambassadors and other consultants spreading the message within the industry.
We are great believers in the role healthy building certifications such as WELL and FITWEL have to play as neutral bodies promoting accountability, education and a sense of collective progress towards generally agreed healthy building goals.
What does a healthy building consultant for FITWEL do?
A FITWEL accredited professional is in fact known as a FITWEL Ambassador and can typically advise both on healthy building concepts in general as well as FITWEL certification specifically.
The key insight we wish to offer here, as healthy building consultants and a FITWEL Ambassador, is that there is a considerable amount of work to put in at the front end of any healthy building project to align the work of architects, interior designers, signage consultants, and even MEP consultants and especially Facilities Management with the requirements of the FITWEL standard.
That needs to happen first, with an eye to healthy building certification with FITWEL, only subsequently should the certification process be undertaken, as that is more about providing evidence, data and hard proof that certain decisions have already been taken and measures implemented in the building.
We recommend this way of working rather than attempting the two simultaneously, effectively a healthy building consultant role as well as a FITWEL Ambassador role managing the assessment application online. The timescales for the former are far large than for the latter.
For example, implementing active design strategies in office stairwells requires an understanding not just of the concept of active design but also a series of work phases, from budget allocation to creative concepts (possibly having undergone an RFP process with design agencies), detailed design, sign-off, implementation and snagging. This could realistically be three months from start to finish and it is just one small piece of a far wider project so plan ahead, get your consultants lined up early on and you will end up saving money in the long-run!
What does the FITWEL Standard cover?
The 55+ design and operations strategies in this particular healthy building standard are intended to improve occupant health and productivity.
Its scope is arguably more limited than the WELL standard that takes a far wider view of a similar brief but for this same reason FITWEL can be an easier pill to swallow, requiring less CAPEX. It is considerably less demanding than the WELL standard overall as it has a more limited scope, albeit with many of its components align with the WELL standard.
If we take a workplace as our example in this instance, include: Location, Building Access, Outdoor Spaces, Entrances & the Ground Floor experience, Stairwells, Indoor Environments, Workspaces, Shared Spaces, Water Supply, Food Services, Vending machines / snack bars, and Emergency Procedures.
What else do you need to know about FITWEL?
There are three scores on offer, 1-star, 2-stars and 3-stars with categories covering multi-family residential real estate, retail, commercial interior, single tenant building, multi-tenant base building, senior housing and community.
The seven FITWEL health impact categories are as follows:
Impacts Surrounding Community Health
Reduces Morbidity and Absenteeism
Supports Social Equity for Vulnerable Populations
Instills Feelings of Well-Being
Enhances Access to Healthy Foods
Promotes Occupant Safety
Increases Physical Activity
Contact us to discuss your FITWEL Ambassador or healthy building consultant project requirements, we are here to help!