CHARLOTTE, NC – Northwood Office is proud to announce it has earned the WELL Health-Safety Rating (WELL HSR) for 47 locations, representing 5,937,698 square feet across its portfolio through the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). WELL HSR is an evidence-based, thirdparty verified rating for all new and existing building and space types focusing on operational policies, maintenance protocols, stakeholder engagement and emergency plans to address a post-COVID-19 environment now and into the future.

Designed to empower owners and operators across large and small businesses to prioritize the health and safety of their staff, visitors and stakeholders, WELL HSR helps guide users in preparing their spaces for re-entry in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the leading viral response building certification, WELL HSR instills confidence in all building visitors as well as the broader community.

"We’d like to thank WELL HSR for recognizing our team’s efforts to implement new protocols and buildings features in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Paul Cattieu, director of sustainability, Northwood Office. "The health, safety and well-being of our customers and guests have always been paramount to Northwood, and we will continue to do our part to instill confidence in our community as they return to the office environment.”

The following properties received the WELL HSR certification:

• 230 Congress (Boston, MA)
• 555 Mangum (Durham, NC)
• 800/900 Culver Pointe (Culver City, CA)
• Ballantyne (Charlotte, NC)
• Metropolitan (Charlotte, NC)
• McEwen (Franklin, TN)

To achieve the certification, Northwood Office implemented the following actions and features across its 47 locations:

• Enhanced Cleaning & Sanitization Procedures – new maintenance protocols were designed to enhance indoor health and safety and reduce the risk of disease transmission.
• Health Service Resources – new operational policies were put in place to facilitate a safe and healthy workplace for all.
• Emergency Preparedness Programs – emergency plans and protocols were developed to safeguard people within a building and recover from a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Communication – regular communications, educational resources and signage were created to share important updates, activities and information.
• Air & Water Quality Management – installation of filters per WELLv2 criteria
• Innovation – designated a WELL Accredited Professional to represent for WELL HSR accreditation.

WELL HSR provides a centralized source and governing body to 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 standards-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.

Northwood Office was awarded the WELL HSR certification following the successful completion of thirdparty documentation review by GBCI to confirm it has met the feature-specific intents and requirements.