Design Dialogues: Healthy Buildings and the Workplace

The COVID-19 pandemic puts health and safety in homes and workplaces to the test. Improved ventilation and sanitation have taken on special urgency among the many performance aspects of building design. ESD Global executive chairman Raj Gupta and International WELL Building Institute president and CEO Rachel Hodgdon will present examples of office towers being adapted for safe re-occupancy, such as Chicago’s 150 North Riverside, and explain the growing use and relevance of the WELL Building Standard (a certification akin to LEED for energy efficiency) in the healthy buildings movement. Chicago Architecture Center President and CEO Lynn Osmond moderates a discussion to follow, during which speakers will delve into the challenges and opportunities of implementation and competitive advantages for healthy buildings. What will it take to transform our work environments?