WELL and Fitwel new rating system in response to COVID-19
Two world’s leading certification focuses on the health and well-being of building occupants, WELL and Fitwel, recently released a new rating system, WELL Health-Safety Rating and Fitwel Viral Response Module, respectively.
The IWBI’s WELL Health-Safety Rating is an evidence-based, third-party verified rating for all new and existing building and facility types focusing on operational policies, maintenance protocols, stakeholder engagement and emergency plans. The WELL Health-Safety Rating can help guide users in preparing their spaces for re-entry in a post COVID-19 environment, instilling confidence in occupants and the broader community. This new rating is established based on the feedback from IWBI’s Task Force on COVID-19 and Other Respiratory infections, a group of nearly 600 experts to support IWBI’s response to the pandemic. The WELL Health-Safety Rating includes 21 features across the cleaning and sanitisation procedures, emergency preparedness programs, health service resources, air & water quality management, and stakeholder engagement and communication. For more info, please click here. In terms of pricing, for individual spaces/buildings not yet registered to pursue WELL Certification or subscribed in the WELL Portfolio program will be charged for $4,200 and $12,600 for high-volume, multi-use locations. Pricing can be found here.
On the other hand, Fitwel Viral Response Module provides annual, third-party certification on policies and practices informed by the latest public health research on mitigating the spread of infectious diseases within buildings. The Fitwel Certification of the Viral Response module is applicable across all commercial and residential asset typologies, including senior housing, hospitality, academic, workplace, hotels, retail, industrial, and multifamily residential through the Fitwel Portal. The certification process will follow Fitwel’s double-blind review process taking a maximum of 6 weeks from the time of submission. The module translates the global research on viral mitigation into practical and actionable strategies that represent the current knowledge on best practices. The module is further informed by input from recognized experts from public health, infectious disease, mental health, and behavioral psychology. Fitwel has identified a wide variety of strategies that are associated with mitigating viral transmission including enhance indoor environment, encourage behavioural change, and build occupant trust. For the fee itself is $500 (registration) + $3,500 (introductory pricing until November 1, 2020).
In Sustainahaus, we believe that in order to support the triple bottom line (people, planet, profit) during this pandemic, a specific building certification is extremely important to avoid the spread of the disease and is a great way to boost building owners’ confidence that the right things have been in place to keep health and well-being as the priority as the economy reopens. Our Sustainability Consultant is a WELL AP and Fitwel Ambassador who can help you during the certification process. Contact us for more information.
