New York, NY On March 4th the Professional Development Advisory Council (PDAC), one of the four committees at Professional Women in Construction New York, held its first panel discussion of 2020: “Making the Case for WELL Design.” PDAC brought together six professionals to discuss how new design practices can impact human health and wellness in the built environment.
WELL and other wellness-focused standards are leading building professionals into creating spaces that promote the health and well-being of the individuals occupying that space. These practices take a holistic approach to optimizing occupants’ physical and mental health, including social development.
During the panel, the audience was provided with an overview of well design standards and the importance of building spaces to promote health and wellness. By focusing the goals of design and construction on the health of the occupants, and not focusing exclusively on cost-saving or building efficiency, the industry can achieve long term benefits in quality of life and productivity of the workforce utilizing these new spaces.
The panel was held at M Moser Associates offices, a space designed to meet LEED, WELL Platinum and RESET Certifications. The office incorporates lighting, green walls, flexible workspaces and other design elements that take into account the well-being of its occupants.
The event was moderated by Helen Burke, director at M Moser Associates. Panelists included:
• Thomas Baade-Mathiesen, VP Corporate Engagements of Altanova;
• Maria Lomanto, principal of DesignGLXY;
• Whitney Nielsen, workplace strategist of M Moser Associates;
• John Opperman, executive director of Earth Day Initiative; and
• Angela Spangler, director of International WELL Building Institute.
Learn more about PWC, keep up-to-date on programming, and become a member, please visit https://www.pwcusa.org
PWC New York is the founding chapter of Professional Women in Construction, a national nonprofit organization founded in 1980 that seeks to support, advance, and connect women and promote diversity within the architecture, engineering, construction (AEC) and related industries. PWC’s members represent a broad spectrum of the industry that serves real estate owners, developers, facilities and property managers and public agencies. They include general construction and specialty contractors, architectural and engineering firms, environmental services, and suppliers. Because their core client industries have many needs, PWC also draws representatives from the services sector: law and accounting firms, insurance/surety and bonding companies, banks and financial services, graphic designers, printers, computer consultants, travel agencies, marketing specialists and more.
Membership is open to professional women and men, private companies and public agencies in construction and allied industries.
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