GRESB launches Health and Well-being Module for real estate industry

GRESB, the global standard for environmental, social and governance (ESG) assessment of real estate portfolios and infrastructure assets, has launched the GRESB Health and Well-being Module.

This protocol is an optional supplement to the GRESB Real Estate Assessment--an annual survey of a large group of institutional investors that captures information regarding the ESG performance of property companies, fund managers, and developers.

The new module evaluates and benchmarks actions by property companies and funds to promote the health and well-being of employees and strategies to create value through products and services that promote health and well-being for tenants and customers.

“Real estate development can serve to create superior places—places that enhance productivity, support physical activity, promote social interaction, provide access to vital services and contribute to happiness,” GRESB says. “As interest in health and well-being in the built environment grows, the industry has recognized the need for practical tools for systematic assessment, objective scoring, and peer benchmarking of health and well-being.”

New York City has two very large buildings dedicated to answering the 911 calls of its five boroughs. With more than 11 million emergency calls annually, it makes perfect sense. The second of these buildings, the Public Safety Answering Center II (PSAC II) is located on a nine-acre parcel of land in the Bronx. It’s an imposing 450,000 square-foot structure—a 240-foot-wide by 240-foot-tall cube. The gleaming aluminum cube risesthe equivalent of 24 stories from behind a grassy berm, projecting the unlikely impression that it might actually be floating. Like most visually striking structures, the building has drawn as much scorn as it has admiration.