Delos, HKS Partnership To Study Built Environment, Health Impacts

The two firms will collaborate to discover, evaluate, and improve upon the effects of the built environment on occupant health and well-being.

Delos™, a wellness real estate and technology firm, announced a partnership with HKS, an international design firm, to study and measure the impact of interventions in the built environment on human health and well-being. The new HKS and Delos partnership will focus on applied research and will build on the strengths of each company to target peer-reviewed open sourced publications, and advance Delos’ mission to transform buildings into healthier spaces.

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Photo: Delos

As part of the partnership, Delos and HKS will explore collaborations between the Well Living Lab™, Delos’ Applied Research Program, and a newly-opened applied research laboratory in HKS’ Dallas, TX office. The HKS Lab will offer a facility in which the teams can test how features that are supported by basic research can be implemented in practice, and can result in improved and measurable health and well-being outcomes.

“We look forward to collaborating with HKS on research that will uncover new ways we can improve the effects of the built environment on occupants,” said Delos founder and CEO, Paul Scialla. “HKS is highly regarded for its work in health and we are excited to utilize these new findings as we continue to grow the healthy building movement.”

“At HKS, we believe in designing places that sustain life and regenerate people and communities,” said HKS chief sustainability officer, Rand Ekman. “Our partnership with Delos will advance that mission in a way that connects research to projects and ultimately to people. Delos is clearly at the forefront of this work and we are proud to help.”

In addition to partnering with Delos to research the impact of the built environment on human health and well-being, HKS will educate and pursue accreditation of its teams through the WELL Accredited Professional (WELL AP™) program. The WELL AP credential signifies advanced knowledge of health and well-being in the built environment and specialization in the WELL Building Standard™ (WELL).

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WELL Building Standard concepts (Image: Delos)

Beyond its commitment to further the healthy building movement through these research and education initiatives, HKS is working on its first WELL project. The HKS-designed MeadowView of Marion senior care complex is registered to pursue WELL Certification through the multifamily residential and commercial kitchen pilot programs, and is set to become one of the earliest WELL Certified™ assisted living facilities in the world.

Administered by the International WELL Building Institute, WELL is a performance-based system for measuring, certifying and monitoring features that impact human health and well-being in the built environment. It marries best practices in design and construction with evidence-based medical and scientific research. To date, WELL has enrolled nearly 330 projects encompassing 70 million square feet in 27 countries.