Teknion Corporation announced its plans to pursue WELL Certification for its New York and Toronto showrooms by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) through its WELL Building Standard.

This is the first building standard to focus on enhancing people’s health and well-being through the built environment. Now registered for this pioneering new building certification program, the New York and Toronto showrooms will be Teknion’s first WELL Certified projects.

“We are proud to be joining a select group of corporations that have committed to enhancing human health and well-being through the WELL Building Standard,” said Tracy Backus, Teknion’s Director of Sustainable Programs. “In addition to positively impacting the health and well-being of our employees and visitors to our showrooms, WELL benefits business owners through increased productivity and employee satisfaction, healthier work environments and lower overhead costs.”

In its efforts to achieve certification, Teknion will implement advanced technologies such as Ventilation Effectiveness, VOC Reduction, Fundamental Material Safety, Health and Wellness Awareness, Beauty and Design, Ergonomics and Biophilia.

Administered by IWBI, WELL is a performance-based system for measuring, certifying and monitoring features of the built environment that impact human health and well-being, through air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind. WELL is grounded in a body of medical research that explores the connection between the buildings where we spend more than 90 per cent of our time, and the health and wellness impacts on us as occupants.

Already completed and open, Teknion’s New York and Toronto showrooms would be awarded WELL Certification by IWBI upon rigorous testing and a final evaluation by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), which is the third-party certification body for WELL, to ensure it meets all WELL performance requirements.