Research to Action: Building Health for All in the Face of COVID-19
As our community of real estate professionals, designers, and other building industry professionals have urgently requested guidance on how to adapt their projects and portfolios to respond to the unique challenges presented by the pandemic, our team at the Center for Active Design has prepared tailored content to respond to this demand, using the best available evidence to date.
Today we are excited to release the first two chapters from this resource to our community, with forthcoming chapters scheduled for publication on a rolling basis. As the scientific evidence base around COVID-19 continues to evolve, we will update this material periodically to reflect emerging findings. As your feedback will help our team prioritize the development of future resources, please reach out to us at covid19@fitwel.org with any comments, questions, and insights.
- Available Now: Leveraging Buildings to Mitigate Viral Transmission. This chapter provides an overview of the basics of viral transmission, as well as strategies to mitigate transmission—including limiting physical interactions, handwashing, regular cleaning, ventilation, filtration, and humidity. (Date of Issue: May 6)
- Available Now: Building Trust in the Workplace. This chapter will provide guidance for cultivating employee and tenant trust, and enhancing perceptions of safety once office buildings are ready to re-open. We will cover topics, including but not limited to, emergency preparedness, communication, surveying, and signage. (Date of Issue: May 8)
- Mental Health and COVID-19. This chapter will focus on the importance of considering mental health during crises, and how home and workplace environments can be optimized to promote feelings of well-being. Strategies covered will include greenery, outdoor spaces, high quality indoor air, sleep environments, daylight, and views of nature. (Coming soon)
- Density and Resiliency. This chapter will focus on how density can contribute to resiliency and public health, concentrating on a number of areas, including energy savings, affordable housing, diversity, public transit, sustainability, active transportation, and healthcare. (Coming soon)
- Chronic Disease, Equity, and COVID-19. This chapter will explore the interconnected relationships between COVID-19, the social determinants of health, and chronic disease. Topics covered will include healthcare access, food access, housing quality, and job roles, among others. This resource will also dig into specific strategies that can help address many of the inequities associated with negative COVID-19 outcomes, such as pollution, food environments, access to outdoor space, and community resiliency. (Coming soon)
Download the first two chapters now →
Now Available:
Building Collaboration Tool
One strategy featured in Research to Action’s Chapter 2 is how building owners can use coordination to build trust with their tenants. As such, we have created the Building Collaboration Tool as a way to support you as you work with your tenants to respond to COVID-19 challenges and for the long-term. There is a clear value when building owners and tenants work together to optimize buildings for your residents, tenants, and employees.Tenants that locate within a Fitwel-certified building benefit from the existing healthy amenities provided by the building owner, and likewise, the overall building will benefit from additional healthy policies that are prioritized and implemented by a tenant. Based on this mutually beneficial relationship, we have developed the Building Collaboration Tool corresponding with Fitwel v2.1 to provide direction on the roles of the building owner and tenant, and to assist in the communication and collaboration in the implementation of the Fitwel Strategies. This tool also offers building owners with a mechanism for prioritizing strategies and sections that will extend additional health impacts to their tenants.
Download this resource today at fitwel.org/resources →
Receive a 50% discount on the Fitwel Ambassador Course
In response to immediate demand for online learning and professional development opportunities, we are offering a 50% discount on the Ambassador Course fee (Retail: $250). Register today using the code 50AMB to redeem this offer. This promotion will run until May 15.