Two global leaders in the healthy building movement have agreed to collaborate to strengthen and accelerate market transformation to healthy buildings. The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), the world's leading organization focused on deploying people first places to advance a global culture of health, and Carrier Global Corporation, a founding member of IWBI and a leading global provider of healthy, safe, and sustainable building and cold chain solutions, intend to join forces to advance industry engagement globally through education about and encouragement of the adoption of healthy building practices.
"Carrier has been a force in the healthy building movement from the beginning, just as they were with the green building movement. The company has long been a leader in the assessment and optimization of buildings, including improved indoor air quality and the fundamental elements of safety and security, and we're pleased to see their continued leadership in this critical space," said Rachel Hodgdon, President & CEO, IWBI. "We're excited to have such a tremendous global powerhouse working alongside us toward the same goal: getting us back indoors, in the places we love, with confidence." Hodgdon also noted that Carrier's Healthy Buildings Program suite of solutions, tools, programs and services can be helpful for organizations seeking to implement certain features within WELL offerings, including the WELL Health-Safety Rating.
Carrier, along with Environmental Market Solutions Inc. (EMSI), a Carrier brand and leading provider of green building consulting services, has achieved the WELL Health-Safety Rating for its new factory in Shanghai and its offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
People spend approximately 90% of their lives indoors, which means a healthier future starts with healthier buildings – beginning with enhanced ventilation. "Carrier is excited to collaborate with IWBI to provide safer indoor environments, which is critical during the pandemic and will remain an imperative for generations to come," said Carrier President & CEO Dave Gitlin. Carrier provides a one-stop-shop for expertise, solutions and services for building owners and managers around the world seeking healthier indoor environments and WELL certification. "In addition to our offerings, customers can turn to us knowing that they're working with a company that's walking the talk. We are working toward achieving the WELL Health-Safety Rating for Carrier facilities and to implementing broad WELL Accredited Professional status across our company. Together, with our experiences and our offerings, we're committed to making healthy buildings more prevalent around the world, and to giving customers visibility and confidence in the safety of their indoor environments."
The WELL Health-Safety Rating and WELL AP engagement is just the beginning of Carrier and IWBI's intended collaboration, which is expected to include:
- Research
- New healthy building solutions designed to help people feel more confident indoors
- Policy work to advance initiatives that will help restore confidence in workspaces, get economies back on track and improve accessibility to healthier and safer residences for everyone
This work will be supported by Carrier experts who are expected to serve on two IWBI / WELL Advisory Boards. Chris Kmetz, Senior Vice President, Engineering, is expected to serve on IWBI's Health Equity Advisory, to help accelerate accessibility of healthier spaces to all individuals. Chris Kafura, Senior Director, Residential & Light Commercial HVAC Engineering, is expected to serve on the WELL Homes Advisory, which joins leaders in the building and public health space to address health and well-being in the design and construction of single-family homes and enhancements to multi-family residences.
To learn more about Carrier's Healthy Buildings program, visit Corporate.Carrier.com/HealthyBuildings.