July 29, 2020
UL announced that its customer, Lenovo DCG Taipei Design Center, a subsidiary of Lenovo, has earned the Fitwel 2 Star Rating in Taiwan, becoming the first office in Taiwan to achieve this milestone. This project was initiated in August 2019 through a unified effort by UL, Green Matrix Consulting Co. and Lenovo Corporate Real Estate to achieve Fitwel Certification.
Fitwel, one of the world’s leading building certification systems for health, evaluates how environment impacts human health and develops evidence-based design and operational strategies to promote healthy buildings. The project is based on UL's partnership with the Center for Active Design (Fitwel's operator) to promote and expand healthy buildings, communities and products in Asia.
Based on UL's expertise in auditing, testing and certification, training and best practices, and UL's close cooperation with Green Matrix Consulting Co. and Lenovo Taipei Real Estate and Workplace Solutions, the application process was simplified and streamlined, reducing time to certification.
Ting Tseng, Chairperson of Taiwan Legal Entity at Lenovo, said “Lenovo is committed to building a sustainable future. The sustainability of the earth and the health of employees are issues that we attach great importance to. It's our honor to be able to integrate and cooperate with UL and Green Matrix Consulting Co. obtain Taiwan's first Fitwel 2-star health quality office certification for Lenovo DCG Taipei Design Center. It is also the first office space in the entire Lenovo Group to obtain this honor. This not only highlights our corporate social responsibility but also implements Lenovo's people-oriented corporate culture.”
Alston Wang, Lenovo's Senior Real Estate Manager, said, "At Lenovo, our colleagues' safety, health and well-being have always been a priority. We hope that through the Fitwel building health certification system, we can further strengthen the company's existing health and welfare policies."
Lenovo DCG Taipei Design Center is located in Nangang Software Park in Taiwan. It leverages a number of strategic measures to improve the physical and mental health of workers. For example, to ensure that employees enjoy good indoor air quality (IAQ), there are strict requirements for renovation projects to comply with IAQ management plans during construction, to procure healthy building materials and furniture, and to conduct third-party monitoring of indoor air quality. The office also incorporates close-to-life designs into common areas and offers a variety of seating types to relieve stress while avoiding the negative health impacts of maintaining the same posture for long periods of time. Accessible stairwells with signage encourage stair climbing, while anti-slip flooring treatments ensure employees can climb stairs safely. The building promotes healthy eating and water dispensers are available throughout the building to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
"Lenovo DCG Taiwan Design Center employs many of the critical best practices for achieving healthy buildings. By earning Fitwel Certification, Lenovo demonstrates its commitment to the health and well-being of its employees,” said Jiaming Huang, general manager of Lenovo.
Feng Hao, Global Vice President and Managing Director of UL Greater China, expressed congratulations to Lenovo and said, "UL is proud to collaborate with Lenovo and the Center for Active Design to promote and increase healthy, green buildings in Greater China.”
Lenovo sets the bar for companies that are making an effort to achieve certification to rigorous building rating schema like Fitwel. They also demonstrate their commitment to healthy building that promotes the long-term health and wellness of employees, the community and people worldwide.
For more information, visit www.ul.com.