Fitwel is a relatively new green certification system that is rapidly gaining popularity both abroad and in Russia. Fitwel was launched in 2017. It has undergone major changes over the years, and recently its latest version, Fitwel v2.1, was released.
The Fitwel standard has been developed for several years by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with the support of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). Licensed Operator – Active Design Center (CfAD), USA.
The Center for Active Design (CfAD) is a leader among global non-profit organizations, working since 2012 to create a healthy, accessible environment that supports a high quality of life.
The idea of the standard is to improve the health and well-being of users. The global project of the creators of this system is to form a healthy society through healthy structures. Due to the large volume of research results and scientific publications, the new certification system quickly became one with such popular standards as LEED, BREEAM and WELL. In 2020, the number of scientific studies on which the Fitwel standard is based exceeded 5,000.
Fitwel assumes that objects receive certificates indicating the star rank. So, the highest level – 3 stars, get those projects whose total points range from 125 to 144. Two stars can be obtained by scoring 105-124 points. The object receives a certificate with one star if it has scored at least 90 points.
The positive trend of improving general well-being, especially at the time of the coronavirus pandemic, has become quite a valuable attribute of buildings. The Fitwel standard, due to its flexibility, offers several dozen ways to achieve a certain internal environment. Such an environment must meet the following requirements: safety, comfort, inclusivity, encouragement of physical activity and competent recreation, affordable healthy food and clean water.
It is important to note that Fitwel for new construction involves obtaining two certificates: a Certificate for design and a Certificate for construction.
For the initial certification of the facility, CfAD fees will be at least $ 5,500 plus $500 for registration. For example, the amount of the same operations for WELL certification is from $ 6800, excluding the cost of on-site WELL inspections. This is not required in Fitwel.
The certificate is valid for three years. This is followed by re-certification. Before the expiration of 3 years from the date of receipt of the first certificates, it will be only $ 500. Further, depending on the expired period, the amount increases significantly (at least 9 times).
Get acquainted with the WELL standard
October 12, 2021