The Fitwel Standard

Fitwel provides a Certification System “Committed to Building Health for All®”.  Their system can be used to rate an existing commercial building based off best practices and guidelines for designing healthier buildings – or offer a roadmap to designing new, health-centric buildings.

Fitwel looks at 12 main categories to determine how well a building is doing at promoting health in the workplace:

• Location
• Building Access
• Outdoor Spaces
• Entrances + Ground Floor
• Stairwells
• Indoor Environments
• Workspaces
• Shared Spaces
• Water Supply
• Cafeterias + Prepared Food Retail
• Vending Machines + Snack Bars
• Emergency Procedures

They also classify the health impact that a building has based off 7 factors:

• Impacts of Community
• Minimizes Morbity + Absenteeism
• Enhances Social Equality for Vulnerable Groups
• Improves Physical Activity
• Promotes Tenant Safety
• Promotes Healthy Food Choices
• Instills Feelings of Well-Being

Where would your building’s design fall based on the Fitwel Standard?