17Seventeen Gaedeke Group Announces 17Seventeen Fitwel® Viral Response Approval
Dallas, Texas – Gaedeke Group is proud to announce 17Seventeen, a Class A building in Uptown, has qualified to receive Fitwel® Viral Response Approval. 17Seventeen is the second building in the company’s portfolio to receive asset-level approval. Gaedeke Group received entity-level certification in 2021.
The wellbeing of Gaedeke Group customers has always been at the center of every decision the firm makes and has resulted in the company leading the industry in innovative initiatives for over 25 years – including being one of the first US companies to achieve Fitwel® Viral Response Certification.
Fitwel®’s Viral Response Module was originally created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. General Services Administration to safeguard the health and wellness of building occupants in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The module was developed with input from a diverse group of public health experts, prototyped by industry leaders, and provides turnkey policy solutions that allow companies to seamlessly adopt Fitwel®’s strategies for a multi-faceted approach to optimize health and wellness throughout individual properties.
Joanna Frank, president and CEO of the Center for Active Design (CfAD), which operates the Fitwel standard, said, "As employees return to the office, it's critical to their emotional and physical well-being to know that their employers have done everything possible to mitigate the risk of them getting sick, while creating an environment that is conducive to managing stress and anxiety. We are excited to see Gaedeke Group earn Viral Response Approval at 17Seventeen and continue to promote the health and safety of their occupants."
As of today, there are only 774 Viral Response Approved properties worldwide and only 40 in the state of Texas with 17Seventeen’s asset-level approval being the first in Texas in 2022.
About Gaedeke Group
Gaedeke Group is a best-in-class, full-service owner and operator of office buildings across the U.S. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, its mission is to provide impeccable customer service and high-quality office environments by investing new capital, sound management principles, and leading-edge sustainability practices.
One of the first U.S. companies to achieve Fitwel® Viral Response certification, Gaedeke Group recently launched its WellSpace™ initiative to enhance the wellness of its customers across over 3 million square feet of Class A office properties in Arizona, Texas, Florida, New York and Washington, D.C.
About Fitwel and the Center for Active Design
Fitwel has become the leading global health certification system, seeing a dramatic uptick in use, with 80% growth in certifications annually. Generated by expert analysis of over 5,600 academic research studies, Fitwel is implementing a vision for a healthier future where all buildings and communities are enhanced to strengthen health and well-being. Fitwel was created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. General Services Administration. The Center for Active Design, a global not-for-profit organization, was selected as the licensed operator of Fitwel, charged with expanding Fitwel to the global market.