International WELL Building Institute CEO Rachel Hodgdon on the rise of building health ratings

2022-08-29T14:16:00-04:00

The adoption of WELL Certification during the past eight years has been nothing short of incredible—the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) has just crossed the 4 billion mark for square footage enrolled to pursue WELL Certification, which means more than 36,000 spaces in more than 120 countries, serving more than 17 million people every day.

Rachel Hodgdon, President & CEO of the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) and former U.S. Green Building Council Knowledge SVP and Center for Green Schools Director, shared with Multi-Housing News that the institute is currently in development of a single-family residential certification and will soon debut its new WELL Equity Rating, which Hodgdon says is “designed to empower organizations to create places where everyone can feel welcome, seen, and heard.”

Previously on Archinect: New WELL Performance Rating aims to recognize smart, healthy buildings

She also commented on the rise in green building certifications across all building types that has been recorded since the pandemic, providing statistics that support the organizational tide change that the updated rating systems are meant to engender.

“Not only has the WELL Health-Safety Rating been hugely popular, with 2.8 billion square feet enrolled since its launch just two years ago, but we are also finding that most of...

Penn State Architecture appoints first associate dean for access and equity

2021-07-19T10:26:00-04:00

The Penn State College of Arts and Architecture has announced Folayemi “Fo” Wilson as their associate dean for access and equity. Wilson will be the first individual to take up the inaugural role, which will be dedicated to helping Penn State question and address assumptions about diversity, inclusion, access and equity. Welcoming Wilson the position, B. Stephen Carpenter II, dean of the College of Arts and Architecture said “[Wilson’s] efforts will lead us forward in response to our commitment to addressing social, cultural, and institutional challenges.”

Wilson is currently co-director of academic diversity, equity and inclusion at Columbia College Chicago, where she is also a professor of art and art history. She is also a co-founder and principal of blkHaUS studios, a socially-focused design studio in Chicago that is centered on transforming and uplifting marginalized communities.

Wilson lectures and exhibits widely, with her design work included in the collection of the Coo...

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International WELL Building Institute CEO Rachel Hodgdon on the rise of building health ratings

Penn State Architecture appoints first associate dean for access and equity