Largest Office Portfolio – Nearly 100 Properties and More than 75 Million Square Feet – to Achieve the Designation from the International WELL Building Institute
Together with 114 Retail Properties in the U.S., More than 200 Million Square Feet of Space Operated by Brookfield Properties Receives the Designation
Brookfield Properties and the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) announced that the North American office and retail portfolios operated by Brookfield Properties have achieved IWBI’s WELL Health-Safety Rating. Covering nearly 100 office properties and more than 75 million square feet in 10 major markets, the office portfolio is the largest to achieve the rating. Combined with 114 of the shopping centers operated by Brookfield Properties, more than 200 million square feet of space has been rated. The WELL Health- Safety Rating is an evidence-based, third-party verified rating for all new and existing building and space types focusing on operational policies, maintenance protocols, stakeholder engagement and emergency plans to address acute health threats like COVID-19 today and into the future.
“Creating healthy buildings and spaces has been a top priority for us for many years, and today, it’s more important – to us, our tenants and our visitors – than ever before,” said Bill Powell, Managing Partner, Brookfield Property Group and Chief Operating Officer, Brookfield Properties. “We have responded accordingly, installing or improving on the latest systems and programs to ensure a healthy and safe environment at our office and retail properties. The WELL Health-Safety Rating is an important validation of those efforts, and we are proud to have achieved it across 200 million square feet of office and retail space.”
The rating covers office properties in and around the following 10 markets: Calgary, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, San Francisco, Toronto and Washington, D.C. These include major, mixed-use placemaking destinations, such as Brookfield Place New York and Manhattan West in New York, Brookfield Place Toronto, Houston Center and Allen Center in Houston, Brookfield Place Calgary, Wells Fargo Center in Los Angeles, The Yards and Halley Rise in the greater Washington D.C. area, and Denver City Center and Wells Fargo Center in Denver.
On the retail side, it covers some of the leading shopping centers throughout the U.S., including, Ala Moana Center in Honolulu, Oakbrook Center outside of Chicago, Park Meadows near Denver and Tysons Galleria in the greater Washington D.C. area.
The WELL Health-Safety Rating requires exceptional operational strategies and protocols that prioritize the health and well-being of its occupants. Brookfield Properties has enacted a number of programs and initiatives to promote a healthy workplace in all of its office properties, including:
• Proactive re-occupancy testing to evaluate HVAC system performance;
• Comprehensive water system inspections;
• Advanced indoor air quality and drinking water testing;
• Widespread physical distancing strategies and signage;
• Ongoing wellness programming for building communities.
“Brookfield Properties’ leading efforts to earn the WELL Health-Safety Rating underscores the important role that buildings, and those who own and operate them, can play in supporting people’s health, safety and well-being,” said IWBI president and CEO Rachel Hodgdon. “We are proud to celebrate this achievement with Brookfield Properties as they lead the way toward a healthy, resilient recovery and help drive transformative action in North America and globally.”
“WELL offerings now exceed 1.8 billion square feet in more than 80 countries,” said IWBI Founder Paul Scialla. “It’s clear that healthy buildings are becoming a key asset in real estate portfolios worldwide and Brookfield is at the forefront of the effort to help the global economy get back to business with confidence.”
The WELL Health-Safety Rating provides a centralized source and governing body to third-party validate efforts made by owners and operators. It leverages insights drawn from the IWBI Task Force on COVID-19, in addition to guidance on the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), global disease control and prevention centers and emergency management agencies, as well as recognized standard-making associations such as ASTM International and ASHRAE, and leading academic and research institutions, as well as core principles already established by IWBI’s WELL Building Standard, the premier framework for advancing health in buildings and spaces of all kinds.