Building for Wellness: The Business Case

"Anyone in the industry who is not intently focused on sustainability and health is behind the curve," according to William Gatti, president of TREK Development Group. TREK's The Century Building includes 28 workforce apartments, 32 market-rate apartments, office, and retail. The building was fully leased within 90 days and has a 90 percent retention rate.

The value, for the developer, of building for wellness is clearly described through 13 development profiles, including The Century Building. Featured housing developments include:

• master-planned communities such as Rancho Sahuarita in Arizona and Mueller in Texas,
• mixed-income multifamily developments such as Via Verde in New York, and
• market-rate apartments such as ECO Modern Flats in Arkansas and Via6 in Seattle.

Wellness features vary among projects, but often include:

• Built fitness amenities, such as fitness or health centers, gardens, or open-air workout space
• Bicycle storage, bike-sharing, or other bicycling support
• Active design, such as prominent and active staircases or interconnected interior corridors
• Spaces or programming for social interaction
• Fitness programming, such as wellness seminars or a walking school bus
• Clean indoor air through selection of materials or adoption of nonsmoking policies

Image: Eric Staudenmaier Photography