ASID Office Gets World’s First Platinum LEED, WELL Certifications

July 19, 2017  by Jane Chero in Designer Weekly, Industry, Legal, Special Events   

The space, designed by Perkins+Will, incorporates the most innovative health and wellness design features, and has sustainability as a central philosophy.

“At ASID, we take tremendous pride in being a champion for good design and demonstrating that design impacts lives – to be the first space awarded WELL Certified Platinum under WELL v1 and LEED Certified Platinum is an incredible honor,” said ASID CEO Randy W. Fiser.

“We began this project with a clear goal of showcasing the many ways design can positively affect the health and well-being of employees while boosting resource efficiency. At ASID, we believe in research-based results in design and placed an emphasis on third-party validation of the space. Becoming WELL Certified Platinum and LEED Certified Platinum is the product of revolutionary visioning from the project designer Perkins+Will, commitment from our construction partners and consultants, and complete buy-in from ASID staff,” Fiser said.

The 8,500 square-foot office was LEED Certified Platinum on Jan. 18 and WELL Certified on June 9.

The WELL Building Standard is a performance-based system for measuring, certifying, and monitoring features that impact human health and wellness in the built environment, through air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind.

The ASID office features human-centric design elements including: biophilic design strategies, which introduce natural elements into a space to help reduce stress and increase air quality; sound masking systems; rigorous water quality standards; and a circadian lighting system developed to expand efficiency by helping to regulate the body’s physiological processes.

These design foundations are coupled with policies and procedures that emphasize employee health and productivity. Fresh fruit and vegetables are provided, sit/stand desks are present at workstations, and a wellness room is available to provide mental breaks, among other features. 

Through funding by the ASID Foundation, the office is serving as a living laboratory for the design community.

Research by Cornell University found that employee satisfaction on the environmental quality of the office increased significantly, as did overall job satisfaction, perceived support by the organization, and perceived organizational productivity.