12. 09. 2022
In Prague, on 16th November 2020: Grinityannounced it has earned the WELL Health-Safety Rating for Facility Operations and Management for its Czech Republic premises through the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). The WELL Health-Safety Rating is an evidence-based, third-party 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 alike to take the necessary steps in order to prioritize the health and safety of their staff, visitors and stakeholders, the WELL Health-Safety Rating can help guide users in preparing their spaces for re-entry in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, instilling confidence in those who come through the building as well as the broader community.
“Arcadis strives to lead by example and to show the way for others by learning, gaining know-how and pioneering techniques to achieve different features of all cutting-edge standards available on the market. Having read all features included in WELL Health-Safety Rating, the team concluded that the majority of the features are already implemented within our company and remaining ones make sense. Some features of WELL Health-Safety Rating have given Arcadis a new perspective on how to enhance both well-being and protection of employees in this challenging time, and provided us with the opportunity to improve measures and implement new features contributing to better well-being of our own people,” says Silvie Figurová, Sustainability consultant at Grinity.
“WELL Health-Safety Rating was created in response to the coronavirus pandemic and extends the evaluation of the interiors of WELL buildings with health and safety aspects. For tenants and building managers, it serves as a guide on how to create a safe and healthy working environment, and for people who move around in such spaces, it is the highest possible guarantee of the quality of the environment. We wanted to lead by example and let our office be the first in continental Europe to be successfully tested,” notes Pavel Čermák, Grinity.
In order to achieve the WELL Health-Safety Rating, Arcadis has implemented the following features:
Although the industrial sector may seem considerably standardized and relatively straightforward from the construction-technical point of view, it is generally characterized by a very different complexity of the individual projects. Grinity offers a wide range of services for industrial developers, always tailored for a specific project and client. In addition, within all projects, we implement international standards and process management, which are required not only by foreign investors. As part of long-term cooperation with multinational and local developers, we primarily provide quality control services on the construction site and professional management support. At the same time, in the case of highly complex projects, we are often approached to perform specialized services in cost management and technical advisory due to the experience from relevant projects. A concrete example would be a cooperation with the Slovak Sihotpark, a member of the multinational SISBAN group, for whom we have been continuously providing all the services mentioned above since 2019. The revitalization of brownfields for industrial use is also an increasingly common topic. Such development increases the complexity and cost of projects, and therefore we help developers find optimal technical and economical solutions. The requirement for sustainability is becoming standard practice among the demand of potential tenants. The use of brownfields is one of the ways to meet these requirements.
Office layout and equipment:
Office operations were adjusted to reflect the requirements for the health and safety of our colleagues:
Our specialists have, in close cooperation with the building owner, carried out an extensive technical audit of ventilation and water systems. The audit resulted in the implementation of the following adjustments:
“The technical audit of our ventilation system showed that the fresh air distribution within our sustainability team premises is significantly reducing the risk of cross-contamination. As the system was designed by our own team for maximizing thermal comfort, it was great to learn that is also enhances safety of the people within the open office space,” adds Lenka Matějíčková, Head of Sustainability at Grinity.
Indoor air parameters 09.10.2020
Indoor air parameters 15.10.2020
“Congratulations to our long-term tenant Grinity on obtaining the prestigious office environment quality rating and we are glad that we were able to contribute to accomplishing this great success. The facility manager and owner of the Bredovský dvůr building followed the post-audit recommendations of Arcadis experts, and thanks to the implementation of various elements in the AHU system, we achieved improvement in the quality of the air supplied to the building. We believe that the other tenants of Bredovský dvůr will also appreciate this enhancement,” Jana Kučerová, Euramco Asset Czech, Property Manager for Bredovský dvůr.
“Congratulations to Grinity for achieving the WELL Health-Safety Rating at its Czech Republic office and leading the way to prioritise the health and safety of its people during these pandemic times,” said International WELL Building Institute President and CEO Rachel Gutter, and adds, “Grinity has implemented important operational interventions backed by scientific evidence to enable their employees to be confident in their workplace and get back to business.”
By achieving the WELL Health-Safety Rating through an independent third-party body, Grinity has proven to be both a good employer that values and prioritizes employees’ well-being and a company proficient in the field of sustainability.
The WELL Health-Safety Rating empowers owners and operators to take the necessary steps to prioritize the health and safety of their staff, visitors and stakeholders, and is verified through a third-party to validate documentation and ensure integrity. 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. The rating draws on core principles already established by IWBI’s WELL Building Standard, the premier framework for advancing health in buildings and spaces of all kinds.
