The first office buildings in 9 U.S. cities receive Viral Response Approval from Fitwel as BentallGreenOak takes the lead on mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in commercial real estate

Beth McCandry

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE) – BentallGreenOak (BGO) announced that it has received Viral Response Approval from Fitwel for 17 office buildings in the United States. This makes BentallGreenOak the largest commercial real estate portfolio in the country to have received this award. These approvals include the first Viral Response Approved approved office buildings in New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Denver, Charlotte, Portland, Jersey City, and Wellesley. These 9 cities are among the first in the U.S. to have commercial real estate buildings whose certification, policies, and practices have been certified by third parties to validate their readiness to contain the spread of infectious diseases.

Fitwel is a rigorous third-party healthy building certification system operated by the Center for Active Design (CfAD) that sets the industry standard for evidence-based strategies that promote positive health outcomes for building residents and communities.

Fitwel’s VR (Viral Response) module was developed in consultation with leading public health experts and real estate companies to effectively address the unique challenges associated with COVID-19 pandemics and other infectious respiratory diseases. The VR module enables building owners, businesses and commercial tenants to demonstrate adherence to evidence-based, cost-effective strategies that reduce virus transmission and build trust to create a healthy and resilient environment for all residents. BGO has been at the forefront of real estate-level advances in addressing the challenges of COVID-19 by using the company as an industry advisor and an early adopter of these strategies.

“As cities grapple with the tremendous challenges of containing the spread of COVID-19, real estate asset managers must play their role in supporting these efforts by implementing leading practices that ensure the safety of tenants and the public as well Keep our buildings running, ”said Amy Price, President of BentallGreenOak. “This social imperative is in clear alignment with our fiduciary responsibility as stewards of our clients’ capital to ensure the resilience and long-term success of their real estate investments.”

Joanna Frank, President and CEO of CfAD added, “We congratulate BGO on obtaining multiple viral responses approvals. This reflects the company’s remarkable efforts to rapidly adopt evidence-based virus reduction guidelines and to implement them on a large scale across its US portfolio. This achievement demonstrates BGO’s significant commitment to the health and well-being of its residents and reflects its role as a leader in the healthy building movement. ”

BGO retained the services of Underwriters Laboratories (UL) to run a number of independent tests on its certified portfolio, including indoor air quality, water quality and janitorial effectiveness, as well as building repopulation studies. UL will continue its test regime for an additional 13 buildings in BGO’s US office portfolio.

List of BentallGreenOak approved office buildings for viral reactions in the United States

* 475 Sansome Street

San Francisco, CA.

* 625 Market Street

San Francisco, CA.

* 1900 16th Street

Denver, CO

Terrace tower

Greenwood Village, CO

Patriots Plaza I – 2061

Washington, DC

Patriots Plaza II – 2261

Washington, DC

Patriots Plaza III – 2262

Washington, DC

* 200 West Madison

Chicago, IL

* 343 Congress (seaport selection portfolio)

Boston, MA

* Fort Point Creative Portfolio B.

Boston, MA

* Park 9 – Wellesley Hills Building II

Wellesley Hills, MA

* Park 9 – Wellesley Hills Building IV

Wellesley Hills, MA

* Morehead Place

Charlotte, NC

* Newport Tower

Jersey City, NJ

* 101 Greenwich St.

New York, NY

757 Third Avenue

New York, NY

* Brewery block 2

Portland, OR

* means that approval for the virus response from Fitwel in the respective city is given first

About BentallGreenOak

BentallGreenOak is a leading global real estate investment management consultant and a globally recognized provider of real estate services. BentallGreenOak serves the interests of more than 750 institutional clients with assets under management of approximately $ 50 billion as of September 30, 2020 and expertise in asset management of office, retail, industrial and multi-family properties around the world . BentallGreenOak has offices in 24 cities in twelve countries with in-depth local knowledge, experience and extensive networks in the regions in which we invest in and manage real estate on behalf of our customers. BentallGreenOak is part of SLC Management, Sun Life’s institutional alternative and traditional asset management business.

The assets under management shown above include real estate capital and mortgage investments managed by the BentallGreenOak group of companies and its affiliates.

More information is available at www.bentallgreenoak.com

About Fitwel and the Center for Active Design

Fitwel is the world’s leading certification system that aims to create health for everyone. Based on expert analysis of more than 5,600 academic research studies, Fitwel implements a vision for a healthier future in which all buildings and communities are improved to enhance health and wellbeing. Fitwel was originally developed by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention and the US General Services Administration. The CDC remains the research and evaluation partner for Fitwel. The Center for Active Design, a global not-for-profit organization, has been selected as the licensed operator of Fitwel, tasked with expanding Fitwel to the world market.

To learn more about Fitwel, please visit: www.fitwel.org