Feature Short

Fitwel: Science That Works

Users say it’s like Energy Star for active design. CDC hopes its reach will be much, much bigger.

It looks modest enough: a handy app that facility managers download onto an iPad. Starting at the street, they perform a walkthrough of the building and report on how their building promotes wellness and productivity. The app spits out a score and an automated gap analysis suggesting what the project could do to score higher and have a larger impact on health.

Users never need to read the 3,000+ studies that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reviewed in order to create the system. They never have to agonize over the meta-studies that led to the program’s elaborate system of weightings. And they certainly don’t see what may be the most surprising part of all: that CDC wants this new certification system to take over the world—and make us all healthier, happier, and more productive.

Originally published March 8, 2017 Reviewed March 6, 2020

Melton, P. (2020, March 6). Fitwel: Science That Works. Retrieved from https://www.buildinggreen.com/feature-shorts/fitwel-science-works