How does Fitwel define a single building?

When using a building scorecard, Fitwel is only applicable to single buildings. However, there are important notes about how Fitwel defines – and applies – to single buildings.

Multiple Buildings with Contiguous Floors

Multiple buildings that are connected by at least one contiguous floor may qualify and pursue certification as a single project. However, it is required that the shared floor be both indoor and programmable— that it must serve purposes such as common shared areas, workspaces, lobby space, or other regularly occupied uses. Parking garages, pedestrian circulation and storage areas do not qualify as programmable spaces.

Single Buildings as Part of a Campus

For adjacent, related, and individual workplace properties, Fitwel offers the option for multiple buildings to be recognized as a Fitwel-certified campus. Projects seeking this recognition should register and certify each adjacent building separately on the Fitwel Platform. (Select Part of a Campus when registering each project.) Once each building is certified individually, the campus can be awarded an overall score and star rating based on the average score of all buildings within the campus. Examples of qualifying projects include educational, corporate, and government campuses.

Understanding the Term “Base Building”

The base building of a project includes all areas that are controlled and/or managed by the building owner, and not those that are controlled by tenants.These areas commonly include workspaces and common shared areas that serve on-site building staff. 

Certifying Mixed-Use Properties

Fitwel does not offer a mixed-use scorecard, however single buildings composed of multiple uses, such as a combination of residential and commercial use, may still certify. To apply Fitwel certification to mixed-use properties, each use of the building must register and certify separately each qualifying use type of the building separately.