Wellness the next building evolution 

With Australia’s first project registered to pursue WELL Certification, Macquarie Group says wellness is the next evolution for sustainable buildings.

While building owners and managers around the country are pondering how to measure the health and wellbeing of occupiers, Macquarie Group has taken a leap into this brave new world by pursuing WELL Certification for its redevelopment at Martin Place, in Sydney’s CBD.

The rating system, established in the United States by the International WELL Building Instituteâ„¢ (IWBIâ„¢), uses evidence-based medical and scientific research to harness the built environment as a vehicle to support human health and wellbeing.

By the end of 2015, almost two million sqm of space had registered or achieved WELL Certification in 12 countries.

So, are WELL ratings set to become the next disruptor, just as Green Star was a decade ago? Macquarie Group’s head of corporate real estate, Michael Silman, doesn’t think so.

Silman, who led the company’s WELL project, says sustainability rating systems such as Green Star and NABERS “live harmoniously” with WELL.

“Green Star is centred on the building, while WELL is focused on the people within the building and looks at the impact of everything from the food in the café to fitness regimes and amenities,” Silman says.

“WELL is a natural evolution of Green Star, but the two go hand-in-hand.”

The WELL Building Standardâ„¢ assesses buildings against seven impact categories: air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind.

“Macquarie has a strong focus on wellness and health, so we found it relatively easy to adapt what we were already doing to strive to achieve a WELL rating,” Silman explains.

The assessment process helped Silman and his team with fine tuning the building, such as adjusting the lighting systems to respond to circadian rhythms.

“We had to apply a lot of American health standards to the Australian environment – and WELL had to make a few adjustments.” While IWBI allows international projects to submit alternative strategies to meet the intent behind WELL, Silman hopes Macquarie Group’s groundwork will make it easier for other Australian companies to benchmark their health and wellness.

“We need to meet 90 features to get a platinum rating, which is pretty hard in terms of documentation. But the process has focused us on some of the positive changes we can make.”

“Food served in the building’s café now has a lower sugar content. We have yoga and music rooms, fitness facilities, mindfulness training programs, a choir and a roof garden with chickens, beehives and vegetables.”

Macquarie Group is now setting its sights on its building at 1 Shelley Street in Sydney, which will also undergo the WELL certification process during 2016. Other successful initiatives at Martin Place are being transported elsewhere. A beehive will soon be found on the roof of the company’s building in New York, for example.

The company has also committed to training facility managers and operations staff in WELL, and will undertake a gap analysis on each of its main buildings globally.

“We will be looking for opportunities to pursue more WELL ratings where we can.”

Silman says, “WELL’s processes and assessment are helping to validate our efforts and provide another proof point. And it’s a good way to get a comparison. Having our processes assessed against other organisations is a good thing.”

“Macquarie Group already had a great community, and WELL has helped us solidify our thinking around our holistic approach to health and wellbeing, and focus on the explicitness of our programs. We now have more formalised programs that provide a sense of connectivity for people across the building.”

Michael Silman will be speaking at Green Cities 2016 on 23 March in ‘A dose of disruption: The healthy buildings prescription’. Book your tickets online.