NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Center for Active Design (CfAD), operator of the Fitwel Certification System, announces today that Boston Properties (NYSE:BXP) has achieved Fitwel certification of 11 projects in 2019—exhibiting the fastest uptake of any company to date. As the largest publicly-traded developer, owner and manager of Class A office properties in the United States, BXP’s ability to fast-track multiple Fitwel certifications across the New York, Boston, and San Francisco markets confirms that occupant health is now a central consideration for real estate development and management, intrinsically aligned with customer demand.
In 2018 BXP became a Fitwel Champion, affirming their commitment to apply Fitwel—the world’s leading certification system committed to building health for all™—at a portfolio scale. Today, they are exceeding their original commitment by implementing Fitwel’s Multi-Tenant Base Building Scorecard across 11 million square feet of class A office space and achieving certification for 11 projects in just 12 months. “At BXP, Fitwel has been an excellent tool for demonstrating that active design strategies promoting human health and wellbeing are possible in large, Class A office environments,” says Katie Gonzalez, Sustainability Coordinator.
Featured BXP projects include the 1.7 million square foot, 62-story 200 Clarendon Street in Boston, the tallest building in New England and one of the largest assets in BXP’s portfolio. Motivational signage encourages occupants to take the stairs to reach the heights of well-known landmarks in addition to the gym on the building’s top floor—effectively making it the tallest gym in the region. “The Fitwel Certification of 200 Clarendon Street, one of the most iconic buildings in New England, is helping BXP meet the demands of a 21st century customer,” says Julia Arsenault, Senior Property Manager. “Our customers are focused on attracting and retaining the best talent and the Fitwel Certification is an important marker that the building will enhance the health and wellness of their employees.”
“BXP’s swift application of Fitwel shows that we’ve passed an important tipping point, with leading companies now fully embracing occupant health as a core component of sustainability,” says Joanna Frank, CfAD’s President & CEO. “Firms are effectively building their internal capacity— as evidenced by BXP’s ten Fitwel Ambassadors on staff— to implement health-promoting strategies for newly-developed and existing assets alike.”
Also certified is the future Back Bay Office Tower, the very first project to receive Fitwel Design Certification via a New Construction pathway released in spring 2019. This BXP project is envisioned to become the healthiest office building in Boston, sited with ideal access to parks, farmers markets, transit, and more. “Fitwel provides a data-driven tool to advance the economic, social, and environmental outcomes of our projects,” says Ben Myers, Director, Sustainability for BXP. “In addition to siting our Fitwel buildings in dense, urban areas that provide access to a range of health-promoting amenities, we promote occupant wellbeing within our buildings by offering quiet rooms, mother’s rooms, biophilic elements, attractive stairs, and more.”
In less than three years, the Fitwel certification system has impacted 732,000+ individuals through 940+ registered projects, of which 340+ projects are certified or in review. Fitwel continues to expand to meet market demand and attract new users, with new scorecards scheduled for beta release in January 2020. These include the Community and Commercial Site Scorecards, currently in pilot phase, which can be used to optimize holistic health benefits for site-scale contexts.
For those attending Greenbuild International Expo this year, BXP and the Center for Active Design (CfAD) will feature Fitwel in a panel discussion on Thursday, November 21 discussing “How health has differentiated real estate in 2019.” They will be joined by thought leaders from Anthem, Inc. and Lendlease to unpack the business case for addressing occupant health and as integral part of any sustainability program.
About Boston Properties
Boston Properties (NYSE:BXP) is the largest publicly-held developer and owner of Class A office properties in the United States, concentrated in five markets - Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, DC. The Company is a fully integrated real estate company, organized as a real estate investment trust (REIT), that develops, manages, operates, acquires and owns a diverse portfolio of primarily Class A office space. The Company’s portfolio totals 50.9 million square feet and 193 properties, including 12 properties under construction. For more information about Boston Properties, please visit our website at www.bxp.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Instagram.
About 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 committed to building health for all™. Generated by expert analysis of 5,000+ 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 and U.S. General Services Administration. The Center for Active Design, a global not-for-profit organization, was selected as the licensed operator of Fitwel, charged with expanding Fitwel to the global market.
