Delos™ and Tsinghua University Collaborate to Advance Mutual Interests in Societal Health Outcomes for Both the United States and China Through Healthy City Research
Delos™, a wellness real estate and technology firm, announced that its China subsidiary, Delos (Beijing) Building Technology Co., Ltd. (Delos Beijing), entered into a cooperation agreement with Tsinghua University that will establish a Healthy City Research Center (HCRC). The cooperation will further scientific research on solutions and strategies to improve human health and well-being in the built environment, communities and cities. Research findings may potentially inform policy making to address public health challenges in Chinese and global cities.
The HCRC will be built on Tsinghua University’s campus in a new building that will also house the Institute of China Urbanization, as well as the university’s Earth Science department. The HCRC intends to register and pursue WELL Certification for the facility. As collaborators in the establishment of the HCRC, Delos and Tsinghua University will work in tandem on all marketing, operational and research aspects of the HCRC. The HCRC Council will be established to lead the HCRC, which will include the three Founding HCRC Council Members. These positions will be occupied by the leader of the HCRC, a Delos member and a member from Tsinghua University’s Institute for China’s Sustainable Urbanization (TUCSU). Delos and Tsinghua University will also establish a Scientific Advisory Council for the HCRC.
“China’s urbanization has begun a new stage with needs to build healthy cities by way of more practical and actionable interventions,” said Shengyao Jiang, vice president of Tsinghua University. “We welcome the opportunity to work with Delos and leverage Delos’ expertise in wellness innovation.”
Delos will play an active role in the research projects of the HCRC, contributing to and reviewing study design, publications, presentations, and other research activities. By generating innovative new research practices and methodologies, this collaboration will impact and inform the way cities are developed with public health at the center of design and decision making. The International WELL Building Institute™ pbc, founded by Delos, delivers the WELL Building Standard (WELL), a performance-based building certification system that has already been adopted in more than 30 countries, and the WELL Community Standard, which is currently in pilot.
Delos’ commitment to conduct research on human health and wellness in the built environment is also demonstrated through the activities of the Well Living Lab (US), a research center Delos created with Mayo Clinic that uses exclusively human-centered research to understand the interaction between health and well-being and indoor environments. In addition, Delos Beijing is in the process of establishing the Well Living Lab (China) where HCRC intends to commission research studies. Delos and the Well Living Lab (China) will serve as building blocks and effective resources to assist the HCRC in setting the research agenda and then implementing such agenda.
“There is a world of untapped potential as it relates to the spaces in which we spend approximately 90% of our time and how these spaces can contribute to our well-being,” said Delos Chief Operating Officer Peter Scialla. “This collaboration with Tsinghua University and the establishment of the Healthy City Research Center will enable us to explore effective ways to make our cities healthier, happier environments for everyone to live, work and play.”
Scialla, who often speaks on topics regarding how the built environment can have positive impacts on human health and well-being, also stated, “the impact that building healthy cities can have is very powerful. Not only can they affect millions of peoples’ lives, they can also guide us towards better health care policies and smarter ways to manage our cities.”
The announcement was made in Beijing during the second New Urbanization Forum of China. Zucai Hu, Vice Chairman of China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) attended the Forum. NDRC is a collaborative partner of TUCSU. Professor Peng Gong, Vice President of TUCSU and a renowned expert on earth science said, “Delos has made substantial progress in understanding the impact that our built environment has on human health and well-being. This is an important, first of its kind collaboration between the United States and China, and is a demonstration of cooperation to advance mutual interests in societal health outcomes for both countries. Together, we are working to solve health problems through the built environment where people spend 90% of their time. We believe people’s health and well-being will be significantly impacted in a positive way when Delos and Tsinghua join forces to pursue healthy city research.”
About Delos™
As the pioneer of Wellness Real Estate™, Delos is transforming our homes, offices, schools, and other indoor environments by placing health and wellness at the center of design and construction decisions. Delos helps create spaces that actively contribute to human health, performance and wellness by marrying the best innovations in technology, health, science, and real estate. The Delos platform includes programming, design, consulting, research, and an array of innovative solutions and technologies designed to improve health and wellness. More information on Delos is available at www.delos.com.
About Institute of China Sustainable Urbanization, Tsinghua University
Tsinghua is a premier academic institution in China. In 2015, Tsinghua and National Development and Reform Commission (“NDRC”) co-founded the non-profit Tsinghua University Institute for China Sustainable Urbanization, to evaluate urbanization process around China and provide policy recommendations to improve both environmental and human sustainability at a city-scale.
Delos Press Contact:
Callie Stanton
646.654.3438
cstanton@nikecomm.com
