In June 2020, Webcor’s San Francisco headquarters (aka King Street office) became the 10th office in California to achieve WELL Gold certification, a milestone sustainability achievement underscoring our commitment to employee health and well-being.

• WELL is a science-based healthy building certification centered on our physical and social environments’ impact on human health, well-being, and performance.
• WELL’s rigorous standards are based on 10 concepts: air, water, nourishment, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, mind, and community.

The King Street office has officially achieved WELL recertification, a process Sustainability’s required to lead every three years to maintain our WELL Gold status.

Why it Matters: The popularity of “healthy buildings” — buildings committed to creating and maintaining people-first spaces—is rapidly increasing. More leaders are embracing the scientifically backed evidence connecting a healthy building to employee well-being and productivity.

• Healthy building certification programs include WELL and Fitwel, under which our Alameda and LA offices are certified.
• “Earning and maintaining these certifications perfectly aligns with the Healthy Workplaces goal we established under the ‘People’ component of our corporate social responsibility (CSR) plan in 2020,” says Sustainability Manager Kavita Karmarkar.

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What it Took: Since no significant changes were made to the office’s benefits or physical space, the recertification process was fairly simple. It included:

• Submission of WELL-related documentation, such as our monthly WELL-Informed newsletters and completion of annual certification requirements.
• Testing and balancing (TAB) of HVAC
  • This process revealed several HVAC-related issues that contributed to the office’s temperature inconsistencies, which were particularly evident in certain conference rooms and sections of the overall office.
  • “This was a great example of the value of the recertification process,” Kavita says. “The process confirms whether everything is working the way it should, which isn’t something every building owner prioritizes. Participating in a program like WELL ensures we maintain high building health standards.”
• Performance verification
  • The office’s thermal, water, and air quality were thoroughly tested to ensure they met WELL’s high standards, e.g. the air was tested for various gases and contaminants.
  • “I think Webcorians would appreciate knowing the office’s air and water quality are tested every year!” Kavita says.

WELL Survey Results: In compliance with recertification requirements, Sustainability surveyed Webcorians reporting to the King Street office on their satisfaction with its WELL-related features.

The results revealed that:

• 95 percent of survey respondents were satisfied with “the building overall”
• 95 percent were satisfied with “the air quality in [their] workspace (i.e. stuffy/stale air, cleanliness, odors.”
• 90 percent were satisfied with “[their] personal workspace, all things considered.”
• 90 percent were satisfied with “the comfort of [their] office furnishings, (chair, desk, computer, equipment, etc.).”

“Based on these annual surveys, Webcorians generally think the office is visually and acoustically comfortable, which is one of WELL’s main focus areas,” Kavita says. “I think everyone appreciates the green walls and planters throughout the office, as well as the WELL-Informed monthly newsletter dedicated to mental and physical wellness.”