TD Centre’s 222 Bay first to achieve WELL Core and Shell Certification

TORONTO — Cadillac Fairview has announced that Toronto-Dominion (TD) Centre’s 222 Bay St. tower is the first existing building in North America to achieve a Gold level certification for its core and shell under the WELL Building Standard.

WELL is administered by the International WELL Building Institute and is said to be the first standard to integrate health and wellness in the design, construction, maintenance and operations of buildings, says Cadillac Fairview in a statement. Features of the standard are structured under seven concepts — air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind.

Pursuit of Gold-level WELL certification required meeting the standard’s 30 preconditions and additional optimization features, a Cadillac Fairview media statement issued May 1 indicates.

Design, operational and programming elements that contributed to the certification include:

• building HVAC systems and operational protocols that enhance air quality delivered to tenant spaces, including high grade air filtration, HVAC maintenance protocols, ongoing commissioning of building systems that impact air quality, and controls around the introduction of indoor air pollutants from building materials.

• promotion of stairwell use and upgrades like painting, lighting and installation of motivational nature scenes to provide pleasant vertical paths of travel for occupants. Occupants are also able to join classes that provide exercise techniques for getting the most out of stairwell usage.

• supporting occupants in healthy food choices during the work week through lunch n’ learns, expert assessment of healthy meal options at TD Centre, and a series of nutritional communications installed in lobbies, posted in elevators and shared with tenants for distribution to their employees.

The TD Centre consists of six buildings: 66 Wellington St. W., 77 King St. W, 100 Wellington St. W., 79 Wellington St. W., 222 Bay St. and 95 Wellington St. W.

"Buildings are living and breathing human environments that have a material impact on the mind, body and spirit of people who live and work in them," said David Hoffman, general manager, Toronto-Dominion Centre, in a statement. "Through smart investments in building design and operations that enhance human health and wellness, TD Centre is delivering significant new value for our tenants, supporting the productivity and competitiveness of their businesses."

Standard such as WELL can improve employee productivity by up to 11 per cent, according to studies quoted by the World Green Building Council. Buildings that promote the physical fitness of their occupants can help reduce absenteeism, with the Public Health Agency of Canada finding that physically active employees take 27 per cent fewer sick days, says Cadillac Fairview.