NYC Wins First WELL Certified Project

By Barbra Murray, Contributing Editor

New York—All is well at Structure Tone’s new Manhattan headquarters at 330 W. 34th St. The construction services provider’s 82,000-square-foot home base recently obtained a WELL Certified Silver rating from the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). The headquarters’ new designation makes it the inaugural project in New York to secure WELL certification under the WELL Building Standard, the first performance-based system for the measuring and accreditation of the built environment’s impact on human health.

Rick Fedrizzi, CEO of IWBI

“Targeting WELL certification for our new office was important to us not only for our employees’ health and wellness, but also to ensure as construction managers that we understand what it takes to build these kinds of spaces,” James Donaghy, chairman of the board at Structure Tone, said in a prepared statement.

Structure Tone, which signed a lease agreement with Vornado for its new home in the first quarter of 2016, is no newbie to the wellness movement. The company formed a partnership in 2016 with Delos—the wellness real estate and technology firm that established the WELL Building Standard—calling for Structure Tone to accredit 150 employees through the WELL Accredited Professional program for the purpose of providing clients with expert guidance on the benefits of health and well-being in the built environment.

Now, Structure Tone can use its own headquarters to promote the importance of wellness-centric properties. The Well Standard revolves around seven building performance categories: air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind. With the assistance of architectural firm Gensler, Structure Tone was able to skillfully check all seven of the requirements for WELL Silver certification off its list.

The construction services company installed high-quality HVAC systems and upgraded ventilation to alleviate any air concerns, and put point of source water filters in place as well. Addressing nourishment, Structure Tone opened the WELL Café to provide employees with nutritional options. Lighting was tweaked to maintain harmony with the body’s circadian rhythms, thereby creating an environment conducive to preserving one’s bright-eyed-and bushy-tailed disposition during the day and promoting improved sleep at night. On the fitness front, subsidized memberships to bike share program CitiBike and discounted fitness facility memberships were made available. As for comfort and mind, Structure Tone provided every employee with a sit/stand desk, and recruited consultants to ensure that noise in the open-plan office area isn’t loud enough to dampen productivity or hinder concentration.

“This is a company that at its core deeply understands the connection between the health of people and the importance of designing and constructing spaces that enhance health and wellness,” Rick Fedrizzi, CEO of IWBI, said in prepared remarks on Structure Tone’s certification.

 Image courtesy of IWBI