Fitwel Certification
Healthier buildings, greater value
Fitwel is the health and wellbeing certification that works as well for an existing building as a new one. It looks at how a building, and the way it is run, affects the people inside: from stairs and air to food and outdoor space.
As a Fitwel Ambassador I set up the scorecard, build the evidence and manage the submission, either directly for owners and occupiers or as a subcontractor to consultancies and contractors.
What is Fitwel?
Fitwel was created by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the General Services Administration. It is operated by the Center for Active Design, a not-for-profit, through its business unit Adai, and its strategies are rooted in more than 7,000 peer-reviewed studies.
Version 3 is current. It has replaced v2.1 for all new registrations since July 2024.
Scorecard
Matched to the asset: workplace, multifamily, retail, senior housing or site.
Strategy
Evidence-based design and policy strategies, each worth points.
Health impact
Strategies are mapped to seven health impact categories.
Stars
90 points or more earns a star rating, up to three stars.
The seven health impact categories
Fitwel judges a building by its effect on people, not by its kit. Every category below is about a health outcome.
Community health
Benefits that reach people who live, work or learn nearby.
Morbidity and absenteeism
Less illness, fewer missed days and lower chronic disease risk.
Social equity
Fair access for children, older adults, disabled and disadvantaged groups.
Feelings of well-being
Inclusion, relaxation, safety, nature and social contact.
Healthy food
Nutritious, affordable food that is easier to get.
Occupant safety
Safer walking, cycling and stairs, and protection from traffic and crime.
Physical activity
Movement built into the day: active travel, stairs and fitness space.
Which scorecard?
Building
One building, one scorecard
- Workplace: commercial interior, single tenant, multi-tenant whole or base building
- Multifamily residential
- Retail and multi-tenant retail
- Senior housing
Valid three years
Site
Whole sites
- Community site
- Commercial and industrial site
Valid three years
Multi-building
Groups of homes
- Low-rise residential, with or without shared interior space (beta)
Valid three years
Two routes: Design Certification for new construction and major renovation. Built Certification for existing or recently completed buildings that are occupied and in use.
Fitwel in numbers
Projects under 90 points do not receive a star rating. Higher scores earn two or three stars.
The process
- 1
Register
Register the project on the Fitwel platform. The fee is $500 per project.
- 2
Document
Choose strategies on the scorecard and attach the evidence for each.
- 3
Submit
Submit for review and pay the certification fee, which depends on project size.
- 4
Review
Initial review, your response to comments, then the final review and score.
- 5
Certified
Valid for up to three years. Start recertification within that time to avoid a lapse.
The role
What a Fitwel Ambassador actually does
A Fitwel Ambassador is trained in the Fitwel standard and can take a project from registration to certification. Ambassador submissions are also eligible for a faster review: as little as 12 weeks, against up to 16.
A good share of the strategies are policies and operational practices rather than physical works, which makes Fitwel a realistic option for existing buildings.
Queries about Fitwel?The Fitwel Ambassador
Scorecard set-up, strategy selection, evidence and submission. That is me.
Fitwel's certification team
Third-party reviewers: initial review, response to comments, final review and score.
Your team
Facilities, HR and design teams: the policies and operational evidence behind each strategy.
Worth knowing: Fitwel earns full points in GRESB
Since GRESB's 2025 assessment, Fitwel Star Certification has counted as a Green Building Certification with full points. Fitwel called that a first, and says it still applies for 2026.
In other words, the certificate can also count in the investor reporting many owners already do.
Fitwel FAQs
What is Fitwel, and who runs it now?
Fitwel is a healthy building certification. It started as a joint project between the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the General Services Administration. It's now operated by the Center for Active Design, a not-for-profit, through its business unit Adai. The CDC stays on as research and evaluation partner.
The current version is v3, launched in June 2024. It has eight scorecards and 140 strategies, rooted in more than 7,000 peer-reviewed studies. Registration for the old v2.1 closed in July 2024, so anything new goes in under v3.
Not sure Fitwel is the right scheme for your building? Ask me.
Design or Built Certification?
Design Certification is for new build and major renovation, once the design is fixed and before anyone moves in. Built Certification is for buildings that are finished, occupied and in use, whether they opened last year or twenty years ago.
You can do both. Design locks in the commitments early, then the project can go for Built at any point once it's fully built, running and occupied.
Tell me where your project is and I'll tell you which route fits.
How do points and stars work?
Every strategy on the scorecard is worth points. You choose the strategies that suit the building, evidence them, and Fitwel's certification team reviews and scores the submission. The total score sets the star rating.
If the score falls short of what you wanted, there's a Remediation Process after final review. It's open to any project, whatever the score, and typically takes 2 to 4 weeks.
I'd rather we pick the strategies properly at the start, though. Remediation is a safety net, not a plan.
Want a view on which strategies are realistic for your building? Ask me.
How long does it take, and what does it cost?
Fitwel's own fees come in two parts. Registration is $500 per project. The certification fee depends on the size of the project, on Fitwel's published pricing bands. Both are in US dollars.
Once documentation is in, Fitwel's certification team reviews it within 16 weeks. Projects submitted by a Fitwel Ambassador, which I am, or by a Fitwel Champion are eligible for an expedited review of as little as 12 weeks.
How long the documentation takes before that depends on how much of the evidence already exists. I'll give you a realistic timeline once I've seen what you've got.
Send me the building size and I'll come back with Fitwel's fees and mine.
Fitwel or WELL?
Both are about health, but they're verified differently. WELL needs on-site performance testing: an IWBI-approved agent tests the building before it can certify. Fitwel doesn't. It's assessed on the evidence you submit for each strategy.
Both certifications last three years, and neither is a one-off. To stay certified you recertify. Fitwel lets you start recertification at any point in those three years, so the certificate doesn't lapse.
I'm a Fitwel Ambassador and a WELL AP, so I've no reason to push you one way. The right answer depends on what the client wants to prove and who's going to run it.
Weighing up Fitwel against WELL? I'll run both against your brief.
Does Fitwel work for an existing building?
Yes, and it's often where Fitwel makes most sense. Built Certification is designed for buildings that are occupied and in use. The strategies cover policies and the way the building is run, not just physical features, so a landlord or occupier can make real progress without a capital project.
That means most of the work is with facilities, HR and whoever writes the policies, not the design team. I'll tell you early which strategies are realistic and which would need spend.
Got an existing building in mind? Send me what you already have in place.
Do you work under our brand?
If that's what the project needs, yes. I work in your systems, to your templates and within your reporting lines. You keep the client relationship throughout and your project lead still leads.
Often the client doesn't know I'm not one of your team, and that suits me fine.
How do you charge?
Depends on the engagement. A fixed fee works well for a defined scope on a single project. Day rate or retained capacity tends to suit teams with recurring workload or a framework agreement.
Either way you'll get a clear scope and a fee before anything starts, and I'll tell you if I think the work doesn't need me.
Services
Specialist capacity, without the headcount
Consultancy, contractor or in-house team with more certification work than people to deliver it? I plug in for as long as the work exists across commercial fit-outs and refurbishments. You keep the client. I do the certification work.
Licensed Assessor and AP
BREEAM services
Licensed Assessor for UK New Construction, and AP (Design and Site) from concept design to site.
SKA Assessor
SKA Rating services
Fit-out assessments, from scoping the measures to issuing the certificate.
WELL AP
WELL services
Route, scorecard and documentation, with the submission managed through IWBI review.
WiredScore AP
WiredScore services
Gap analysis, target level, evidence pack and improvement advice.
ActiveScore and ModeScore AP
ActiveScore services
Submission, score modelling and the improvements worth making.
Got a Fitwel project that needs a pair of hands?
Email or call me. Tell me what the project is, where it's up to and which scheme it's after, and attach drawings, a programme or a scope of works if you have them.
- Emailgeorge@welscape.co.uk
- Phone+44 7542 341750