ASID Headquarters Becomes World’s First Space to Earn LEED and WELL Platinum Certification

In a ceremony on July 7, the ASID headquarters in Washington, DC, officially became the first space in the world to receive both LEED Platinum and WELL Platinum certification. The new 8,500-square-foot office was designed by Perkins+Will (ranked #2 in Interior Design‘s Giants survey). Rick Fedrizzi, chairman of the International Well Building Institute; Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council; and Paul Scialla, founder and CEO of Delos, presented ASID CEO Randy Fiser with the two plaques.

The office is brimming with features that support health and wellness. One is a circadian lighting system that mimics natural daylight, paired with automated shades that follow the sun’s movement to help eliminate eye strain. The design team also implemented biophilic design strategies, for instance by using a range of natural materials and patterns.

With employee wellbeing in mind, ASID HQ is letting employees choose their workstations and move to different environments throughout the day. In order to reserve office space, the staff uses integrated software that has an added benefit: it tracks how employees are using the space and could be used to make future adjustments. The data-driven approach is also evident in a digital dashboard that displays metrics about the workplace’s environmental performance, monitoring air quality, sound levels, and more.

By receiving these honors, the project encourages designers to keep the highest certification standards in mind. “We began this project with a clear goal of showcasing the many ways design can positively affect the health and wellbeing of employees while boosting resource efficiency,” Fiser says. “We believe in research-based results in design and placed an emphasis on third-party validation of the space.”