Washington, D.C. (July 6, 2016) – U. S. Green Building Council (USGBC) CEO and founding Chairman Rick Fedrizzi is joining the International WELL Building Institute as CEO and Chairman of its Board of Directors. Fedrizzi will assume the position of Chairman immediately and assume the CEO role November 4, 2016, when he will add his executive leadership to the IWBI team full-time after he steps back from USGBC.
IWBI administers the WELL Building Standard (WELL), an evidence-based system for measuring, certifying, and monitoring the performance of building features that impact health and well-being.
“As we continue to grow and expand the adoption of both the WELL Building Standard and the WELL Accredited Professional (WELL AP) program globally, we enthusiastically welcome Rick Fedrizzi into this leadership role to help lead IWBI to new heights,” said IWBI Founder Paul Scialla. “I can’t think of a person better suited to lead this process than Rick. His management experience and global vision will be huge assets to IWBI, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him.”
“I’m very excited about the opportunity to take on a leadership role with IWBI and build upon the work we’ve been doing at USGBC,” said Fedrizzi, who announced last summer his plans to leave the USGBC, which he co-founded in 1993. “Our buildings and communities should help humans thrive. Sustainability plus health is a powerful lens through which to view the world, and WELL has approached this goal in a similar way to how we developed the LEED green building program.
“Leveraging the strengths of both USGBC and IWBI will advance a much needed change in the improvement of the wellness and quality of life of our families, friends and colleagues through a healthier, more sustainable built environment,” added Fedrizzi.
The WELL Building Standard V1 was introduced in October 2014. To date, WELL has registered and certified over 200 projects, totaling more than 45 million square feet across 21 countries.
Fedrizzi co-founded USGBC while he was environmental marketing director at United Technologies Corporation. He has served as USGBC’s CEO since 2004, and during the past decade, has led USGBC’s efforts to establish green building as a global mainstream movement. During his 12 years as CEO, he has championed the idea of improving the world’s building stock in ways that improve the health, safety and well-being of the people who occupy them, and has been a force for driving collaboration across the built environment continuum.
Fedrizzi serves on numerous boards and advisory committees, including the Center for Health and the Global Environment at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, whose mission is focused on the design and development of leading-edge research on how to improve human health and well-being through the built environment, as well as Bank of America’s National Community Advisory Council, Clinton Global Initiative’s Scaling Sustainable Buildings Action Network, Delos’ Advisory Board, Watsco, Energy Focus, VIEW, and Global Green. In 2015, he authored Greenthink: How Profit Can Save the Planet, which recently received the IPPY Gold Medal in the Public Affairs Category.
Fedrizzi holds a BA from Le Moyne College and an MBA from Syracuse University, where he recently received the Arents Award. A native of Syracuse, he spent more than 25 years at United Technologies Corporation, culminating in his role as in-house environmental marketing consultant. In 2001 Rick founded Green-Think, an environmentally focused marketing and communications consulting firm. He transitioned from the role of volunteer founding chair of USGBC during this time to becoming its full-time CEO in 2004.
About the International WELL Building Institute
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is a public benefit corporation whose mission is to improve human health and well-being through the built environment. IWBI administers the WELL Building Standard (WELL) – a performance-based system for measuring, certifying, and monitoring features of buildings that impact the health and well-being of the people who live, work, and learn in them. Fulfilling the vision of IWBI Founder Paul Scialla, IWBI has a pioneering altruistic capitalism model that will address social responsibility and demonstrate a sustainable model for philanthropy. IWBI has committed to direct 51% of net profits, after taxes, generated by registration fees, certification fees, and recertification fees received from real estate projects applying for WELL Certification toward charitable contributions and impact investment focused on health, wellness, and the built environment. IWBI was established by Delos in 2013 pursuant to a Clinton Global Initiative commitment to improve the way people live by developing spaces that enhance occupant health and quality of life by sharing the WELL Building Standard globally. www.wellcertified.com
Related Stories
Green Specifications | May 12, 2022
MG2’s Sustainable Materials Evaluation System
Learn how MG2’s Sustainable Materials Evaluation System helps clients, prospects, and staff choose the most environmentally feasible materials for their building projects. Candon Murphy, LEED GA, Assoc. IIDA, Design Lab Manager and Materials & Sustainability Specialist with MG2, speaks with BD+C Executive Editor Rob Cassidy.
Sponsored | Healthcare Facilities | May 3, 2022
Planning for hospital campus access that works for people
This course defines the elements of hospital campus access that are essential to promoting the efficient, stress-free movement of patients, staff, family, and visitors. Campus access elements include signage and wayfinding, parking facilities, transportation demand management, shuttle buses, curb access, valet parking management, roadways, and pedestrian walkways.
Sponsored | BD+C University Course | May 3, 2022
For glass openings, how big is too big?
Advances in glazing materials and glass building systems offer a seemingly unlimited horizon for not only glass performance, but also for the size and extent of these light, transparent forms. Both for enclosures and for indoor environments, novel products and assemblies allow for more glass and less opaque structure—often in places that previously limited their use.
Codes and Standards | May 2, 2022
Developer Hines, engineer MKA develop free embodied carbon reduction guide
Real estate management and investment firm Hines has released the Hines Embodied Carbon Reduction Guide. The free guide, produced with Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA), is the result of a two-year effort, relying on MKA’s industry-leading knowledge of carbon accounting and involvement in programs such as the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3) Tool.
Codes and Standards | Apr 28, 2022
Architecture firm Perkins&Will to deliver ‘carbon forecasts’ for clients
Global architecture firm Perkins&Will says it will issue its clients a “carbon forecast” for their projects.
Green | Apr 26, 2022
Climate justice is the design challenge of our lives
As climate change accelerates, poor nations and disadvantaged communities are suffering the first and worst impacts.
Architects | Apr 22, 2022
Top 10 green building projects for 2022
The American Institute of Architects' Committee on the Environment (COTE) has announced its COTE Top Ten Awards for significant achievements in advancing climate action.
Building Team | Apr 20, 2022
White House works with state, local governments to bolster building performance standards
The former head of the U.S. Green Building Council says the Biden Administration’s formation of the National Building Performance Standards Coalition is a “tremendous” step in the right direction to raise building performance standards in the U.S.
Multifamily Housing | Apr 20, 2022
A Frankfurt tower gives residents greenery-framed views
In Frankfurt, Germany, the 27-floor EDEN tower boasts an exterior “living wall system”: 186,000 plants that cover about 20 percent of the building’s facade.
Wood | Apr 13, 2022
Mass timber: Multifamily’s next big building system
Mass timber construction experts offer advice on how to use prefabricated wood systems to help you reach for the heights with your next apartment or condominium project.
