Dive Brief:
- The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) has announced that Rick Fedrizzi, co-founder and soon-to-be-former CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council, will join the IWBI, immediately as chairman and then as CEO in November.
- During his 12-year stint with the USGBC, Fedrizzi was a force behind the development of the now-ubiquitous LEED building certification.
- The WELL Building Standard focuses on how buildings affect the health and wellbeing of their occupants, and the IWBI has developed a certification program, similar to LEED, to acknowledge building features that advance those goals.
Dive Insight
Although WELL was only introduced in 2014, the IWBI has certified more than 200 projects, representing 45 million square feet of both residential and commercial building space in 21 countries. In an IWBI press release, Fedrizzi said he "looks forward to leveraging the strengths of both the USGBC and IWBI."
Fedrizzi announced his departure from the USGBC in June 2015, and the organization revealed soon after that Chief Operating Officer Mahesh Ramanujam would take over the CEO position at the end of 2016.
The WELL Building Standard was created by New York-based company Delos and focuses on a building's effect on air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, mind and comfort. In April, the American Institute of Architects announced an IWBI partnership that AIA officials said will institute a health and design education initiative for AIA members.
Commercial real estate company CBRE was one of the first firms to pursue the WELL Building Standard for its Los Angeles headquarters. IWBI representatives said they’ve seen more office building adoption of WELL, but they expect other types of buildings to follow suit as the trend toward greater workplace wellness picks up steam.
