As a US Army Partner, Corvias Continues to Enhance Military Family Housing
Warwick, RI (March 20, 2024) – Homes can be vehicles to enhance their residents’ health and well-being. Advancing this notion, the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), the world’s largest certification body for healthy buildings, recently launched the WELL for residential program, which is helping identify and measure ways that homes can support residents’ health and resilience, through factors such as air, water, light, thermal comfort, sound, materials, nourishment, community, mind, and movement. By committing to enroll 22,000 homes across seven military installations, Corvias is now the largest participant in the WELL for residential program. Corvias invites individuals to stay informed about this program by signing up here: www.corvias.com/wellness-residential-program
IWBI launched the program in January 2024 with 25 pilot participants in 10 countries, and a total of 30,000 enrolled homes. A cornerstone of the program is understanding that more resilient homes help maintain residents’ current well-being as well as fortify against future health challenges. More than 7,000 peer-reviewed studies inform the science of the program.
Corvias’ leadership brings the program into military housing for the first time. Corvias operates and manages housing for service members and their families through partnerships with the U.S. Army and Department of Defense as part of the military housing privatization initiative.
“By participating in the WELL for residential program, Corvias is demonstrating exceptional leadership, underscoring its continued commitment to improving the well-being of our service members and their families,” said Rachel Hodgdon, President and CEO of the International WELL Building Institute. “We commend Corvias for its leadership and for setting an example that will inspire others to follow. Not only are these efforts aligned with the Department of Defense’s recently announced blueprint for Resilient and Healthy Communities, but also a testament to Corvias’ steadfast dedication to innovation and excellence.”
Corvias CEO, Chris Wilson, says, “This is a foundational moment for creating and measuring standards for military housing. By joining the WELL for residential program, Corvias affirms our commitment to service members and their families and embodies our promise of Solutions Through Partnerships® to the U.S. Army.” He adds, “Joining this program also demonstrates our spirit of evolution. Corvias is excited about what we will learn to further support the well-being and resilience of military families, through the science of this third-party, evidence-based program.”
Since its inception nearly a decade ago, the WELL standard has prioritized requirements for ongoing performance verification, emphasizing real-world outcomes, rather than relying solely on design intent. Given the fact that operators of existing home portfolios are unable to design healthy spaces from scratch, as is the case in new home construction, Corvias has committed to a strategic approach for deploying interventions across air, water and light quality that are designed to provide measurable improvements to indoor environmental quality (IEQ). Corvias has already successfully deployed this residential wellness prototype across a representative sample of its Fort Meade residential units to help improve indoor environmental conditions to meet certifiable standards.
The prototype is a precursor to implementing similar interventions across its full portfolio of 22,000 privatized military homes, which will require approval by the Army. The seven-step program, designed to enhance the quality of life and well-being of service members and their families, includes a scientific assessment, pre- and post-installation measurements, and the prescription of high-impact interventions across major indoor health domains such as air, water, and light quality. The process also includes in-field installation, annual sustainment and third-party performance validation, and ongoing reporting across relevant metrics and related key performance indicators (KPIs) via a digital dashboard. With interventions executed predominantly at point-of-use, the program is designed for efficient, rapid deployment that minimizes resident disruption.
The prototype program implementation resulted in substantial, measurable improvements to indoor environmental conditions and positive resident feedback, with 82% of participants expressing increased satisfaction with their on-post housing after implementation. These proven, performance-based upgrades are important steps on Corvias’ path to achieve the coveted WELL designation for Residential certification.
To learn how Corvias provides Solutions Through Partnerships® to infrastructure challenges, please visit Corvias.com.
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About Corvias
Corvias partners with the Department of Defense and higher education institutions to solve infrastructure and energy resiliency challenges and to create long-term, sustainable value through our unique Solutions Through Partnerships® approach. Corvias’ partnerships enhance the well-being in our communities, including at the largest renewable energy project in Kansas and at resiliency projects nationwide. Our more than 72,000 residents consistently highly rank the courtesy and professionalism of our maintenance and leasing personnel. To learn more, please visit: www.corvias.com.
About the International WELL Building Institute
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is a public benefit corporation and the world’s leading organization focused on deploying people first places to advance a global culture of health. IWBI mobilizes its community through the administration of the WELL Building Standard (WELL) and its WELL ratings, management of the WELL AP credential, the pursuit of applicable research, the development of educational resources, and advocacy for policies that promote health and well-being everywhere. More information on WELL can be found here.