BOMA to Offer Fitwel Certification in Canada
Commercial buildings in Canada could soon provide healthier working through a strategic partnership between BOMA Canada’s BOMA Best certification program and the new Fitwel health-promoting building certification.
Launched in February the Fitwel certification monitors various evidence-based criteria to rate their effectiveness in promoting health.
The adoption of Fitwell “should lead to healthier buildings and better health for the occupants,” says John Smiciklas, director, energy and environment at BOMA Canada.
The partnership with Fitwel is the result of demand from BOMA members. “It’s the BOMA members who have BOMA-certified properties that came to us and said ‘you should do this,’ ” he says.
“Literally it’s brand new. So it was a little bit surprising to hear some people call us and say ‘you have to get onboard.’ ”
Smiciklas, who oversees BOMA BEST program management, notes there is “little or no overlap” between the two certification programs, both of which are cost-effective, have high impacts and are run by non-profits.
“We have two organizations that think alike, have gone to market in the same way and everything that we’re trying to do is so alike, so it just made so much sense.”
