Prologis Park Tacoma, Building D is the first logistics facility in the world to be awarded WELL certification by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). The distinction was given through IWBI’s WELL Building Standard (WELL), a benchmark that focuses on enhancing health and wellness.

Launched in 2013, WELL is a performance-based system that measures, certifies and monitors indoor building features that impact human health and well-being. Grounded in medical research, WELL emphasizes the connection between buildings where people spend approximately 90 percent of their time and the health and wellness of the occupants.

In partnership with Prologis, IWBI launched its warehouse pilot program in 2017 to develop a standard for the health and well-being of people working in logistics and distribution centers. Under WELL’s warehouse pilot program, Prologis designed Prologis Park Tacoma, Building D with the following features to integrate employee health and wellness:

• Sustainable design elements, including energy-efficient lighting, water-conserving components and use of local and recycled building materials
• Insulation, ventilation and natural daylight, which can improve occupant comfort and productivity
• An outdoor walking trail for use during breaks, as well as before and after work
• A learning garden with a blueberry patch to promote healthy eating and awareness of native species
• A collection of eight murals painted by a local artist to depict a story, bring color and design to the interior, and provide a feeling of connection to the outdoors, nature and space—also referred to as “biophilia,” an important component of the WELL standard

“The WELL certification of Prologis Park Tacoma demonstrates our ongoing commitment to sustainability, future-proofing our buildings and offering the highest quality buildings to our customers,” said Grant Stevens, managing director of global construction and development services, Prologis. “We are proud to be the first logistics real estate developer to differentiate our space in this meaningful way. We will continue to seek opportunities to increase productivity and improve health and well-being in the built environment as part of our partnership with IWBI on this new sustainability benchmark and as part of our ongoing environmental stewardship, social responsibility and governance initiatives.”

See related article: Simon Achieves WELL Health-Safety Rating

Created through seven years of rigorous research and development with leading physicians, scientists and industry professionals, WELL marries best practices in design and construction with evidence-based research. To be awarded WELL certification, Prologis Park Tacoma underwent rigorous testing and a final evaluation carried out by Green Business Certification Inc., the third-party certification body for WELL, to ensure it met all WELL Certified performance requirements. The building earned the distinction based on seven categories of building performance: air, water, light, nourishment, fitness, comfort and mind. 

WELL is designed to be interoperable with leading global sustainable building design standards and rating systems. Developers and property managers who have already made a sustainable building commitment—using LEED, BREEAM or Green Star, for instance—are well positioned to reap the opportunities provided by WELL Certified buildings.

Source: Prologis