Columbia Property Trust Announces Achievement of WELL Health-Safety Ratings
As part of its ongoing commitment to providing safe and healthy workplaces, Columbia certifies initial half of its portfolio through WELL's rigorous COVID-19 response program
Remainder of portfolio to be certified through Fitwel by year end
Columbia Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE:CXP) announced today that it has earned the WELL Health-Safety Rating for seven of its properties, representing 2.4 million 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.
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201 California is one of seven Columbia Property Trust buildings to achieve the WELL Health-Safety Rating 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. (Photo: Business Wire)
Columbia's WELL Health-Safety Rated properties include 249 West 17th Street, 218 W 18th Street, and 229 West 43rd Street in New York City; 221 Main Street and 201 California Street in San Francisco; 1800 M Street in Washington, DC; and 116 Huntington Avenue in Boston.
In addition to the WELL Health-Safety Rating, Columbia is pursuing Fitwel Certification for its remaining operating properties and projects under development, to assure occupants across its entire owned portfolio of the health, wellness, and safety of their buildings. Last week, 799 Broadway in Greenwich Village was awarded a Fitwel 2 Star Rating, and the remaining property certifications are anticipated before year end.
"As an office real estate company, we are committed to providing workplaces that address the health, safety, and well-being of all occupants," said Nelson Mills, CEO of Columbia. "We have invested in certifying our full portfolio through leading health and safety benchmark programs in order to provide our team, tenants, and all building occupants with a third-party assurance of the steps we have taken to provide for their safety and well-being. Attaining WELL Health-Safety Rating for these seven properties demonstrates our enduring commitment to being an industry leader in the health and safety space."
The WELL Health-Safety Rating affirms that Columbia has taken extra measures at each property to provide for the safety of its staff, tenants, visitors and stakeholders, in order to meet the specific intents and requirements of the program. Columbia certified properties boast features such as bipolar ionization (BPI) air purification technology installations, implementation of emergency preparedness programs, enhanced cleaning and sanitation procedures, and installation of safety and educational signage, as well as ongoing, elevated stakeholder engagement.
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.
About Columbia Property Trust
Columbia Property Trust (NYSE:CXP) creates value through owning, operating, and developing storied properties for legendary companies in New York, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Boston. The Columbia team is deeply experienced in asset management and repositioning, leasing, development, transactions, and property management. It employs these competencies to grow value across its high-quality, well-leased office portfolio of 15 properties that contain more than six million rentable square feet, as well as four properties under development, and also has approximately eight million square feet under management for private investors and third parties. Columbia has investment-grade ratings from both Moody's and S&P Global Ratings and has been named one of Fortune's "Best Workplaces in New York 2021" among Small and Medium-sized employers, as well as one of the "Best Places to Work in NYC 2021" by Crain's New York. For more information, please visit www.columbia.reit.
Forward-Looking Statements:
Certain statements in this press release, including statements regarding future business operations, may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from projections. For a discussion of some of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those presented in our forward-looking statements, see Columbia Property Trust's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the most recent annual report on Form 10-K. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are based on current expectations and speak as of the date of such statements. We make no representations or warranties (express or implied) about the accuracy of, nor do we intend to publicly update or revise any such forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
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