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With the adoption of healthier buildings for better performance, more companies in Asia Pacific are also investing in wellness programmes to enhance the health and well-being of their employees, revealed a CBRE report.
The survey showed that about 30 percent of occupiers within the region currently run wellness programmes and another 30 percent indicated a desire to introduce one.
In fact, some plan to register for the International WELL Building Institute’s (IWBI) well building standard.
Launched in 2014, this is the first certification that gives specific focus on how built space affects the occupants’ health and well-being.
“For businesses, employees are a valuable asset; investing in them, and helping to improve their well-being is indispensable. Embracing a longer-term strategy of workplace wellness can drive fundamental change and have a lasting impact on the bottom line,” said Craig Hudleston, executive managing director of asset services at CBRE Asia Pacific.
As at July 2017, 146 projects within Asia Pacific were registered for the well building standard, two-thirds of which are situated in China, mainly in Shanghai and Beijing. Australia emerged as the second biggest market, with many of the projects registered in Melbourne and Sydney.
CBRE said landlords and occupiers are key drivers of the “certification, which measures the attributes impacting occupant health in seven categories: air, water, light comfort, fitness, nourishment and mind”.
It noted that mitigating air pollution emerged as a major challenge to qualifying for the well building standard in Asia Pacific, particularly in India and China.
Air quality, however, is far less of a concern in Australia, while workplace stress is more of a concern in Japan and South Korea than in other markets.
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
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