Brandywine, Nemours, and WSFS buildings awarded Star 1 rating
Wilmington, DE — BPG|360, the commercial property management division of the Buccini/Pollin Group, is proud to announce that it has achieved Fitwel Certification for the Brandywine (1000 N West St.), Nemours (1007 N Orange St.), and WSFS (500 Delaware Ave.) buildings in downtown Wilmington.
Fitwel is a certification systems for buildings and communities that optimize projects to support health. Administered by the Center for Active Design (CFAD), Fitwel assesses projects across 12 categories that improve occupant health and productivity.
The Brandywine, Nemours, and WSFS buildings all received scores above 90 points earning them a Star 1 rating (96.95, 93.60, and 94.02 respectively). The Brandywine, Nemours, and WSFS building are also the first Fitwel rated properties located in the state of Delaware.
The Fitwel Certification for these three buildings demonstrates BPG|360’s commitment to advancing tenant wellbeing. In consultation with Evolution Sustainability Group, BPG|360’s decision to pursue the Fitwel certification follows the great strides the organization made during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure the health and safety our tenants as they returned to the workplace.
All three of these buildings incorporate a number of evidence-based design and operations strategies that support the physical, mental, and social health of occupants to earn the Fitwel Certification. Some examples include providing regular occupants access to a common break area, an outdoor amenity space, and publicly accessible uses on the ground floor like a restaurant or retail store, as well as implementing an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Policy, which identifies areas for improvement in air quality and provides benchmarks to ensure air quality remains high over time. These strategies relate to overall tenant health and wellbeing by increasing physical activity levels, pedestrian activity, social interaction, community engagement and exposure to daylight, which all contribute to enhanced physical and mental health.
This recognition comes at a time when BPG|360 is heavily concentrating on optimizing the tenant experience with several physical improvements across the portfolio as well as implementation of additional services.
BPG|360 recently completed a $2 million renovation to the ground floor of the Brandywine Building to introduce a state-of-the-art conferencing facility and stadium-style seating area with a 12’ display and grab-and-go market. The new amenity space has been widely used by tenants throughout the building as an extension of their office space for company-wide gatherings, external client meetings, viewing parties, and more. BPG|360 plans to unveil a similar 4,500 s/f amenity space at the WSFS building in 2023 with a conferencing center, lounge, grab-and-go market, and fitness center.
Additionally, the company is implementing a new shuttle service in 2023 to provide tenants with easier access to and from the Wilmington Train Station and offering tenants a basic gym membership from CoreTen Fitness, Wilmington’s premier boutique fitness center, at no cost.
“BPG|360 has been focused on our tenant’s wellness long before the COVID-19 pandemic. The operational protocols, cleaning guidelines, and tenant programming we have implemented over the years have now been validated through the Fitwel Certification process, and our team couldn’t be more deserving of this recognition,” said Ralph Rossi, senior vice president of Commercial Operations for BPG|360. “With that said, this does not mark the end of efforts. The Fitwel Star rating is a simply a baseline for us to continue to improve and make the office as welcoming and healthy as it has ever been.”