“WELL” is a relatively new concept focused on improving “the people live by developing spaces that enhance occupant health and quality of life“. The WELL Building Standard encompasses seven categories of human well-being – air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind – and the building must perform in each to receive certification.
And now, “Delos®, the pioneer of Wellness Real Estate™, and Strategic Property Partners announced a partnership to create the world’s first WELL Certified™ city district in Tampa, Florida. Through this project, Delos, Strategic Property Partners and the City of Tampa will not only create a roadmap for how cities worldwide can be designed and developed to support public health, they will also demonstrate the concept on a $2 billion, 40-acre urban mixed-use development project.”
All buildings within the Tampa city district will pursue WELL Certification, including new buildings such as a 400-500 room hotel, a 650,000 square foot signature office tower, the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute, and approximately 200,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space. Additionally, the community itself will become the world’s first WELL Certified city district and will feature design and technology strategies including enhanced walkability, abundant green space including low pollen trees, sound barriers to support acoustic comfort, access to healthy foods, green infrastructure, daily monitoring and reporting of district air quality, and access to the amenities of an urban waterfront – all of which contribute to the wellness and quality of life of the people who live and work in the development.
By combining smart city technologies and design strategies such as comprehensive air quality monitoring, low-emissions transportation, green infrastructure and walkability, the Tampa wellness city district will show that people have the choice to not only create cities that can thrive in harmony with the natural systems, but also to build communities that proactively eliminate risk factors for chronic disease.
“More than half of all people in the world now live in cities, and we spend 90 percent of our time indoors,” explained Delos Founder Paul Scialla. “The built environment – our cities – are human habitat, and we have the knowledge to design them to sustain our health, not to harm it.”
The Tampa Wellness City District will break ground in 2016 with Phase One expected to be completed within 5 years. project is targeted to break ground in 2016 with phase one to be completed within five years.
It is estimated that approximately 7,500 people will directly benefit from the wellness community through living and working environments. Importantly, an additional three million people per year who are users and visitors to the Tampa wellness city district will also be positively affected.
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn noted, “Tampa is proud to be the first city in the world to be home to a WELL Certified District and to be the pioneer for this exciting initiative. Together, we will demonstrate that city design – not just building design – can be healthy and sustainable, making Tampa a leader in the wellness industry and our downtown, a destination. We look forward to participating with our partners Delos and SPP to play a role in crafting a WELL Community Standard that will become the basis for similar projects in other cities.”
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