Los Angeles, 4 November 2014 – CBRE Group, Inc. was awarded the H. Bruce Russell Global Innovator’s Award from CoreNet Global, the world’s premier association for corporate real estate professionals, economic developers and service providers. CBRE, in partnership with Delos®, was recognized for the innovative design of its Downtown Los Angeles corporate headquarters office, which is the first office in the world to be WELL Certified™ by the International Well Building Institute under the pilot program in November 2013.
The Global Innovator’s Award recognizes excellence and innovation in corporate real estate. Since 2000, the award has honored the “game changers” in the commercial real estate industry—those individuals and companies whose work, ideas and best practices elevate the practice of corporate real estate.
A result of seven years of rigorous research in collaboration with leading physicians, scientists, and industry professionals, The WELL Building Standard focuses on seven categories of building performance: the mind, comfort, fitness, light, nourishment, water and air. The CBRE corporate headquarters office features more than 50 wellness designs and elements within these categories, including: circadian rhythm lighting, hydration stations, live plants, exercise promotion, sit/stand work stations and desks built atop treadmills.
Wellness is a core component of CBRE’s global “Workplace360” workplace strategy initiative, which in addition to the Downtown Los Angeles headquarters office, has now been implemented in 20 other offices around the world. Designed to optimize the health, wellness and productivity of its occupants, each office features a balance of private and collaborative workspaces designed to support the way employees work through enhanced flexibility, mobility, technology, productivity and wellness.
“We took a bold step in bringing this new way of working to the U.S. with our Downtown LA office, and in making health and wellness a cornerstone of the space,” said Lewis C. Horne, President of the Greater Los Angeles and Orange County Region for CBRE, who along with Laura O’Brien, Onno Zwaneveld, Lenny Beaudoin and Beth Moore, led the implementation of the WELL initiative in the Los Angeles office.
“One year after moving into our new work environment, 92 percent of employees said the space has created a positive effect on their health and well-being and 90 percent said they would not choose to go back to a traditional way of working. This feedback from our employees is a tremendous validation of our workplace approach,” added Mr. Horne.
“The office is a place where people spend a lot of their time, and by investing in employees—and especially in their health and well-being—companies will be better positioned to win the war for talent, and better able to make their employees truly productive,” said Mr. Beaudoin, Senior Managing Director for Workplace Strategy at CBRE, who accepted the award on CBRE’s behalf, along with Ms. Moore, Workplace Strategy Director, at the CoreNet Global North American Summit in Washington, D.C.
“As corporate real estate professionals are increasingly focused on workplace strategy, including the role health and wellness plays in overall performance, our Downtown LA office offers important insights to those who are looking to inform their own workplace decisions,” said Karen Ellzey, Executive Managing Director of Consulting for Global Corporate Services. “We are thrilled to be recognized by CoreNet for our leadership in bringing health and wellness to the workplace environment.”
“CBRE has set a new standard for healthy office space and its global corporate headquarters serves as a great example of how health and wellness can change the way people work,” said Paul Scialla, Delos Founder and CEO and Founder of the International WELL Building Institute. “We are tremendously proud to have introduced the world’s first WELL Certified office space with CBRE, and honored to be awarded by CoreNet for our healthy building leadership.”
About CBRE
CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBG), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Los Angeles, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm (in terms of 2013 revenue). The Company has approximately 44,000 employees (excluding affiliates), and serves real estate owners, investors and occupiers through more than 350 offices (excluding affiliates) worldwide. CBRE offers strategic advice and execution for property sales and leasing; corporate services; property, facilities and project management; mortgage banking; appraisal and valuation; development services; investment management; and research and consulting. Please visit our website at www.cbre.com.
