To help catalyze and spur leadership in health and well-being across the residential sector, Assembly OSM is participating in a first-of-its-kind program aimed at establishing IWBI's new global standard for healthier and more resilient homes
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / November 14, 2023 / The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), the global authority for driving market transformation through healthy buildings, organizations and communities, and Assembly OSM announced today that the offsite modular design and build company became an early adopter of IWBI's WELL for residential program, which is now open for enrollments. The first-of-its-kind, WELL for residential is an evidence-based, third-party verified certification program designed to transform the way homes are designed, built and maintained to support human health and well-being. This collaboration will allow Assembly OSM to build two of its New York City modular projects, Saint Felix in Brooklyn and 117 Harlem in East Harlem, using WELL strategies designed to positively impact resident health.
Grounded in the science-backed principles of the WELL Building Standard (WELL) and its 10 WELL concepts, the WELL for residential program consists of more than 100 health strategies that support new and existing residences and are applicable to both single-family homes and multifamily buildings. During the launch phase of the program, IWBI is partnering with leading architects, builders, developers, operators and owners - such as Assembly OSM - to transform the global residential market to make healthier and more resilient homes more accessible to more people in more places.
"We are proud to be an early adopter of the innovative WELL for residential program for our first two projects because it reaffirms our commitment to building high quality, sustainable and healthy housing at scale," said Andrew Staniforth, CEO of Assembly OSM.
The WELL for residential program complements the other sustainability initiatives for Assembly's first two projects. Both projects will also be all-electric, are targeting Passive House (PHIUS) certifications, and utilize building systems and constructions that reduce embodied carbon by up to 38%, reflecting Assembly's philosophy that truly sustainable buildings should support both people and the planet. Delivered through Assembly's unique modular offsite process, these projects represent a groundbreaking approach to building construction that unlocks unprecedented environmental benefits.
Assembly's pilot project (Saint Felix) features multiple innovations that both support well-being and cut carbon emissions. The bulk of the project was constructed offsite in a controlled facility and assembled on site in nine hours, drastically reducing Assembly's impact on the surrounding community. The building includes sustainability features such as argon-filled triple-pane windows, induction cooktops, heat-pump dryers, and electric vehicle charging stations. Following on the heels of Saint Felix, 117 Harlem, a 15-story building with cutting-edge technologies like next generation air source heat pump HVAC systems, will be Assembly's first high-rise project pursuing the WELL for residential standard.
"Congratulations to Assembly OSM for becoming an early adopter of the WELL for residential program and integrating healthy home strategies into its innovative homebuilding technologies," said Liz Miles, vice president of stakeholder relations at IWBI. "The new WELL for residential program is designed to spur such collaborations that push the industry status quo and help transform the way we create homes."
The development of the WELL for residential program drew upon two years of industry input, market insight and expert recommendations from IWBI's WELL for residential advisory, a working group of over 100 globally renowned subject matter experts including leading builders and developers, architects and engineers, public health and building scientists, government officials and academics, as well as other real estate professionals. Companies can earn the WELL Residence seal for residences upon completion of third-party review and verification of selected strategies. To be certified as a WELL Residence, a home must achieve at least 40 points. Projects also have an opportunity to earn precertified WELL Residence status for participating units upon preliminary design review, a milestone step forward that allows participants to communicate achievement before construction is completed.
Today, in the U.S. alone, the residential sector spans more than 120 million homes totaling roughly 224 billion square feet of real estate. The importance of creating healthier environments in the residential sector has become a top priority among homeowners.
The WELL for residential program adds to the WELL ecosystem and provides a new pathway for creating people-first residences. This program builds upon the work IWBI has already done within the multifamily sector through its WELL Certification and WELL ratings. IWBI applauds the leadership demonstrated by the multifamily residential developers and owners who have pursued WELL Certification. Their experiences have helped inform and inspire the development of the new WELL for residential program.
While numerous studies show healthy homes are increasingly in demand, regulations and standards focused on resident health in homes are largely lacking. The WELL for residential program seeks to provide a solution that helps transform the global residential market and ensure that everyone, no matter their backgrounds, has access to a home that enhances their health and enables them to make healthier decisions.
The WELL ecosystem comprises WELL Certification under the WELL Building Standard, a library of building and organizational strategies focused on health, the WELL Health-Safety Rating, WELL Performance Rating, WELL Equity Rating and certification under the WELL Community Standard. WELL's holistic, evidence-based approach has provided a roadmap for organizations to promote human and social capital performance and enhance their ESG strategy. As a result, thousands of organizations including nearly 30% of Fortune 500 companies across nearly 130 countries have adopted WELL strategies in more than 40,000 locations totalling almost five billion square feet of space.
About Assembly OSM:
Assembly OSM is an offsite modular start-up based in New York City that aims to make urban development more scalable and sustainable. Backed by advanced technology and manufacturing processes, Assembly delivers customizable turn-key high-rise buildings faster and with significantly reduced carbon emissions.
About the International WELL Building Institute
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is a public benefit corporation and the world's leading organization focused on deploying people first places to advance a global culture of health. IWBI mobilizes its community through the administration of the WELL Building Standard (WELL) and its WELL ratings, management of the WELL AP credential, the pursuit of applicable research, the development of educational resources, and advocacy for policies that promote health and wellbeing everywhere. More information on WELL can be found here.
International WELL Building Institute, IWBI, the WELL Building Standard, WELL v2, WELL Certified, WELL AP, WELL EP, WELL Score, The WELL Conference, We Are WELL, the WELL Community Standard, WELL Health-Safety Rated, WELL Performance Rated, WELL Equity Rated, WELL Equity, , Works with WELL, WELL and others, and their related logos are trademarks or certification marks of International WELL Building Institute pbc in the United States and other countries.
Media contact:
info@assemblyosm.com
IWBI: media@wellcertified.com
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SOURCE: International WELL Building Institute
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