(HOUSTON) – Hines, the international real estate firm, today announced that it has earned WELL Health-Safety Rating labels for over 100 of its properties, representing 42 million net rentable square feet across its portfolio. Created by the International WELL Building Institute ™ (IWBI ™), the WELL Health-Safety Rating is an evidence-based, third-party verified rating that recognizes building owners and operators for implementing operational policies, maintenance protocols, stakeholder engagement and emergency plans to prioritize the health and safety of their building occupants in a post-COVID-19 environment, now and into the future.
“As a leading and innovative real estate firm, we are committed to providing spaces that address the health, safety, and well-being of all occupants,” said Hines Senior Vice President, Corporate Operations and Engineering Services and Global Sustainability Officer, Clayton Ulrich. “We are proud to invest in certifying these buildings through one of the leading health and safety benchmark programs, illustrating our prioritization of providing a safe and healthy environment for all the occupants of our properties. Attaining WELL Health-Safety Rating labels for these properties demonstrates our enduring commitment to being an industry leader in the health and safety space.”
The WELL Health-Safety Rating aligns with Hines’ operations and engineering standards and the firm will continue to provide for the safety of its staff, tenants, visitors and stakeholders, in order to meet the specific intents and requirements of the program. Hines-certified properties include features such as the implementation of emergency preparedness programs, enhanced cleaning and sanitation procedures, installation of safety and educational signage, as well as enhanced tenant communications and bridging technology and building systems to make healthier workspaces.
About Hines
Hines is a privately owned global real estate investment firm founded in 1957 with a presence in 255 cities in 27 countries. Hines oversees investment assets under management totaling approximately $83.6 billion¹. In addition, Hines provides third-party property-level services to more than 367 properties totaling 138.3 million square feet. Historically, Hines has developed, redeveloped or acquired approximately 1,486 properties, totaling over 492 million square feet. The firm currently has more than 171 developments underway around the world. With extensive experience in investments across the risk spectrum and all property types, and a foundational commitment to ESG, Hines is one of the largest and most-respected real estate organizations in the world. Visit www.hines.com for more information. ¹Includes both the global Hines organization as well as RIA AUM as of June 30, 2021.
About WELL Health-Safety
Designed to help guide users in preparing their spaces for re-occupancy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the WELL Health-Safety Rating leverages core principles already established by IWBI’s WELL Building Standard, the premier framework for advancing health in buildings and spaces of all kinds, combined with insights drawn from the IWBI Task Force on COVID-19 and guidance developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as other disease control and prevention centers, emergency management agencies, standard-making associations such as ASTM International and ASHRAE, and leading academic and research institutions. To learn more about the WELL Health-Safety Rating, visit https://www.wellcertified.com/health-safety.
