Blogs

Dakota Building Weybridge Secures First Multi-Tenant Fitwel Certification In Europe

360 Workplace has successfully guided developers RO Real Estate to secure Fitwel accreditation for the Dakota building in Weybridge. Fitwel is an approachable, and evidence-based healthy building measure that is quickly gaining traction in the UK and Europe. 360 Workplace and RO Real Estate are leading the way in Europe, with Dakota as the first UK Fitwel certified property outside of London and first multi-tenanted building to secure the accreditation in Europe.

Fitwel is rooted in the concept that buildings can be optimized to encourage wellbeing for their occupiers and their employees, visitors and guests through design and operational strategies. Hence, the rating system is being applied by companies of all sizes and industries as a part of employers’ wellness commitments.

The Fitwel standard provides a route map, backed by scientific research, for making positive changes that are scientifically proven to improve wellbeing. As a points-based system, they satisfy developers and occupiers’ demand for data and evidence. The Fitwel certification is achieved through a streamlined and user-friendly online interface. Georgia Elliott-Smith, Director at Fourfront Group and Fitwel Ambassador, guided the RO team through the process. She said,

“We’re delighted that we could assist RO with this fantastic achievement. RO’s commitment to put building users’ health and wellbeing at the heart of the project sets a new standard for UK commercial property development. The wellbeing agenda is not going away, and we hope that this will encourage others to focus on user experience, making the health of occupants and end user communities a priority.”

Dakota, which comprises around 39,461 sq. ft. office space across four floors is a multi-let workplace. Gaining Fitwel accreditation sets it apart. Nick Moore, Head of Investment at RO Real Estate said,

“At RO we pride ourselves on creating unique, inspiring workplaces and improving the built environment.  As a family run business, relationships are integral to everything we do, and we were keen to ensure that the building would be a perfect business environment for our future tenants.  Whilst we recognised that wellbeing is increasingly crucial to modern living and therefore occupiers, it wasn’t till we heard of the Fitwel standard that we could begin to quantify whether we had fully incorporated this into our design.

It has taken six months to fully integrate the Fitwel standard and ensure that Dakota remains an inspiring workplace.  I am really proud of what has been achieved and we are now adopting the key principles throughout our portfolio, with the next scheme already in the pipeline.”

Fitwel has been embraced by developers and workplace strategists. In Europe, there are over 4.1 million sq. ft. of office space currently registered with Fitwel and seeking Fitwel certification, and over 100 individuals’ part of the Fitwel Ambassador program. There are no preconditions and there is a single certification and registration fee of $6,500 for all projects regardless of size which is valid for three years.

Reena Agarwal, COO at Center for Active Design said,

“By Fitwel certifying the Dakota, RO Real Estate jointly with the Fourfront Group have advanced the healthy building movement and helped to set the standard for multi-let buildings within Europe. We are proud to work with these industry leaders, dedicated to impacting the health of their future tenants.”

Podcast

Your Workplace or Mine? Podcast: Paving the Way for Inclusive Environments

White Paper

Technologies’ Crucial Role in Hybrid Working Environments

Podcast

Your Workplace or Mine? Podcast: Being a Part of the Solution with Fourfront Group

Get in touch