DSGW Architecture’s home office, the Spina Building in Duluth, Minnesota, has achieved a Fitwel 1 Star Rating. This certification, awarded by Fitwel for Buildings: Single-Tenant Building v2.1 on September 23, 2024, marks a significant milestone in our commitment to designing environments that prioritize health and wellness.
Fitwel, developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the General Services Administration (GSA), is the world’s leading certification system for health-promoting buildings. This certification assesses evidence-based criteria such as air quality, healthy materials, and active design elements, all aimed at creating spaces that enhance occupants’ well-being.
“We are seeing an increased interest from clients across all markets to incorporate health and wellness as part of a sustainable strategy, focusing on healthy materials, air quality, and active design,” says Katherine Gerzina, Architect and certified Fitwel Ambassador at DSGW. “Given that the average American spends over 90% of their life indoors, it’s important to design environments — especially the workplace — with health-promoting standards. It’s an exciting movement, and we have already started to implement Fitwel standards in many of our projects.”
Leading the Charge with Fitwel Ambassadorship
To help guide our health-focused design efforts, Katherine Gerzina continues to gain knowledge and keep her “pencil sharpened” in Fitwel related areas by completing various continuing education courses, and has completed Fitwel’s Ambassador Course, a rigorous program that equips design professionals with knowledge about Fitwel’s high-impact strategies. This Ambassadorship allows DSGW to embed cutting-edge health principles into our projects, fostering environments that benefit building occupants and their surrounding communities.
“Achieving the Fitwel certification is a testament to DSGW’s commitment to sustainable and healthy building practices,” adds John Geissler, CEO of DSGW Architecture. “We are proud to lead by example, transforming our own space to meet these standards while inspiring our clients to prioritize the health and well-being of their spaces.”
DSGW is committed to integrating these health-promoting standards into future projects across all sectors, from education and healthcare to civic and indigenous projects. Our work will continue to focus on optimizing spaces that support productivity, comfort, and health, strengthening our impact on both the built environment and the people it serves.
Looking ahead to the future:
DSGW received a 1 star Fitwel rating, however we were very close to achieving 2 stars. We look forward to continuing our goals of creating healthy and sustainable environments and look forward to hopefully achieving 2 star certification at our next renewal in 3 years! #goals
About Fitwel Certification
Fitwel’s certification system addresses the built environment’s impact on health through workplace design, operational policies, and evidence-based improvements. Fitwel Ambassadors, like Katherine Gerzina, are trained in these high-impact strategies, helping transform spaces to benefit building occupants and communities alike.
For more information on Fitwel, please visit www.fitwel.org.
The break room features a Solatube, which is a tubular daylighting device that brings natural light into interior spaces through a rooftop dome and reflective tubing. It captures sunlight on the roof and channels it down a reflective tube to a diffuser installed on the ceiling, where the light disperses evenly into the room below. Solatubes are often used in areas where traditional windows are impractical, such as interior bathrooms, hallways, and closets, providing high-quality natural light without requiring structural modifications.
