City Sanctuary Joins IWBI’s WELL for Residential Program

LONDON and NEW YORK, November 9, 2023 /3BL/ - The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), the global authority for driving market transformation through healthy buildings, organizations and communities, and City Sanctuary Developments announced today that the London-based boutique residential developer became an early adopter of IWBI’s WELL for residential program, which is now open for enrollments. The first-of-its-kind, WELL for residential is an evidence-based, third-party verified certification program designed to transform the way homes are designed, built and maintained to support human health and well-being. This collaboration will allow City Sanctuary to renovate its Albion Court project using WELL strategies designed to positively impact resident health.

Grounded in the science-backed principles of the WELL Building Standard (WELL) and its 10 WELL concepts, the WELL for residential program consists of more than 100 health strategies that support new and existing residences and are applicable to both single-family homes and multifamily buildings. During the launch phase of the program, IWBI is partnering with leading architects, builders, developers, operators and owners - such as City Sanctuary- to transform the global residential market to make healthier and more resilient homes more accessible to more people in more places.

“City Sanctuary is excited to join IWBI as an early adopter of the WELL for residential program as this collaboration evidences our vision to build toward a radically healthier future,” said Alex Uregian, Managing Director of City Sanctuary. “Evidence-based WELL strategies will reinforce our design principles for Albion Court, a protected historic building on the UK’s National Register of Historic Places, that will both honor the heritage of the building and reimagine the space to nurture resident health.”

City Sanctuary, which is supported by consultancy Ekkist, is eager to explore how to best apply the WELL Air, Light, and Mind elements, among others, from the pilot WELL for residential program within the historic building context, where the number of design solutions can be far more limited.

“IWBI applauds City Sanctuary for joining the WELL for residential program at this early stage” said Ann Marie Aguilar, IWBI’s senior vice president and head of Europe, Middle East and East Africa. “By adopting WELL strategies for homes that can positively impact resident health and well-being, City Sanctuary exemplifies health-focused leadership in the residential sector.”

The development of the WELL for residential program drew upon two years of industry input, market insight and expert recommendations from IWBI’s WELL for residential advisory, a working group of over 100 globally renowned subject matter experts including leading builders and developers, architects and engineers, public health and building scientists, government officials and academics, as well as other real estate professionals. Companies can earn the WELL Residence seal for residences upon completion of third-party review and verification of selected strategies. To be certified as a WELL Residence, a home must achieve at least 40 points. Projects also have an opportunity to earn precertified WELL Residence status for participating units upon preliminary design review, a milestone step forward that allows participants to communicate achievement before construction is completed.

Today, in the U.S. alone, the residential sector spans more than 120 million homes totaling roughly 224 billion square feet of real estate. The importance of creating healthier environments in the residential sector has become a top priority among homeowners.

The WELL for residential program adds to the WELL ecosystem and provides a new pathway for creating people-first residences. This program builds upon the work IWBI has already done within the multifamily sector through its WELL Certification and WELL ratings. IWBI applauds the leadership demonstrated by the multifamily residential developers and owners who have pursued WELL Certification. Their experiences have helped inform and inspire the development of the new WELL for residential program.

While numerous studies show healthy homes are increasingly in demand, regulations and standards focused on resident health in homes are largely lacking. The WELL for residential program seeks to provide a solution that helps transform the global residential market and ensure that everyone, no matter their backgrounds, has access to a home that enhances their health and enables them to make healthier decisions.

The WELL ecosystem comprises WELL Certification under the WELL Building Standard, a library of building and organizational strategies focused on health, the WELL Health-Safety Rating, WELL Performance Rating, WELL Equity Rating and certification under the WELL Community Standard. WELL’s holistic, evidence-based approach has provided a roadmap for organizations to promote human and social capital performance and enhance their ESG strategy. As a result, thousands of organizations including nearly 30% of Fortune 500 companies across nearly 130 countries have adopted WELL strategies in more than 40,000 locations totalling almost five billion square feet of space.

About City Sanctuary Development
City Sanctuary Developments is a boutique London based real estate developer focused on building beautiful living spaces designed to boost the health and mental wellbeing of its occupants.

We’re building towards a radically healthier future where a house is more than a home. It’s a sanctuary. Our progressive designs seek to combine the latest neuroscientific research in areas like air quality, natural light and sleep, with observations of how people use spaces. As we create, we add incremental enhancements throughout the space, calibrated to amplify a sense of wellbeing.

These calculated enhancements add up to create spaces that profoundly change the way people feel. They’re more than spaces to co-exist in. They redefine what a home can be. Spaces that are not only smarter and more integrated, but resonate on a deeper, more human level. Places that make us feel at home.

About the International WELL Building Institute
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is a public benefit corporation and the world’s leading organization focused on deploying people first places to advance a global culture of health. IWBI mobilizes its community through the administration of the WELL Building Standard (WELL) and its WELL ratings, management of the WELL AP credential, the pursuit of applicable research, the development of educational resources, and advocacy for policies that promote health and wellbeing everywhere. More information on WELL can be found here.

International WELL Building Institute, IWBI, the WELL Building Standard, WELL v2, WELL Certified, WELL AP, WELL EP, WELL Score, The WELL Conference, We Are WELL, the WELL Community Standard, WELL Health-Safety Rated, WELL Performance Rated, WELL Equity Rated, WELL Equity, Works with WELL, WELL and others, and their related logos are trademarks or certification marks of International WELL Building Institute pbc in the United States and other countries.

Media contact:
City Sanctuary: media@citysanctuary.com
IWBI: media@wellcertified.com

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