Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. Recognized by the Center for Active Design and Fitwel for Exceptional Achievements in Advancing Building Health
PASADENA, Calif., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE: ARE), an urban office REIT and the first and longest-tenured owner, operator and developer uniquely focused on collaborative life science, technology and agtech campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, today announced that it has been recognized by the Center for Active Design (CfAD), operator of Fitwel(®), for the efficient, responsible and healthy design, construction and operation of Alexandria LaunchLabs(®) at the Alexandria Center(®) at One Kendall Square (Alexandria LaunchLabs - Cambridge). Alexandria LaunchLabs is the premier platform accelerating early-stage life science company growth. The platform's Cambridge site earned this year the Fitwel Impact Award for highest certification score of all time as well as the highest score in 2019 for a commercial interior space in the Fitwel 2020 Best in Building Health awards program. This marks the second consecutive year Alexandria LaunchLabs - Cambridge has held the record for Fitwel's top certification score. The awards will be presented at CfAD and Fitwel's annual Best in Building Health((TM)) event on February 27, 2020, in San Francisco.
Fitwel, the world's leading certification system for optimizing building design and operations to support health, was created as a joint initiative led by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the General Services Administration. As part of its annual awards program, CfAD is honoring exceptional companies from diverse industries, including real estate, technology, construction, healthcare and consulting, for their unique achievements in leading the real estate industry toward healthy buildings.
"We congratulate Alexandria on its leadership in advancing the healthy building movement through Fitwel," said Joanna Frank, president and chief executive officer of CfAD. "As the first company to adopt Fitwel, Alexandria continues to be a tremendous partner, playing a critical role in guiding Fitwel's continued development and raising awareness about the benefits of and opportunities in supporting and improving public health through buildings."
"As a mission-driven company focused on advancing human health and improving the quality of people's lives, we are proud to be recognized by CfAD and Fitwel for our dedication to creating and operating dynamic campuses and cutting-edge spaces that support the highest levels of health and wellness for our innovative tenants and LaunchLabs members," said Ari Frankel, assistant vice president of sustainability and high performance buildings at Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. "Fitwel remains important to our ongoing efforts to foster the well-being and productivity of our innovative tenants, which enhance their ability to attract and retain top talent and ultimately enable them to discover and develop the scientific breakthroughs that will benefit humankind."
Alexandria LaunchLabs - Cambridge's achievements of the highest ever certification score for any Fitwel project and the highest-scoring commercial interior of 2019 are representative of its ability to support the health, wellness and productivity of its member companies. The space also earned LEED v4 Gold certification for the efficient, responsible design and construction of an interior. The thoughtfully designed space incorporates a number of sustainability elements, including ample natural light, an outdoor garden and seating, active workstations that enable occupants to sit or stand while they work and complimentary fitness center access.
In 2019, Alexandria also achieved a Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) 5 Star Rating, receiving 5 out of 5 stars, the highest rating within the benchmark. Alexandria's noteworthy GRESB results reflect its comprehensive sustainability programs, goals for 2025 and accomplishments across the ESG realms, including its longstanding leadership in promoting health and wellness. The company uses healthy building certifications such as Fitwel and the WELL Building Standard to optimize building design and construction across its asset base. All of its new ground-up development projects target Fitwel certification, which goes toward its goal to achieve 50 healthy building certifications by 2025. As of December 31, 2019, the company has 37 projects targeting or achieving healthy building certifications, which include 33 Fitwel certifications.
To learn more about Alexandria's corporate responsibility program, which is fundamental to its strategic efforts to fulfill its mission, please visit www.are.com/corporate-responsibility.html.
About Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.
Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE), an S&P 500(®) urban office REIT, is the first and longest-tenured owner, operator and developer uniquely focused on collaborative life science, technology and agtech campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, with a total market capitalization of $26.3 billion as of December 31, 2019, and an asset base in North America of 39.2 million SF. The asset base in North America includes 27.0 million RSF of operating properties and 2.1 million RSF of Class A properties undergoing construction, 6.3 million RSF of near-term and intermediate-term development and redevelopment projects and 3.8 million SF of future development projects. Founded in 1994, Alexandria pioneered this niche and has since established a significant market presence in key locations, including Greater Boston, San Francisco, New York City, San Diego, Seattle, Maryland and Research Triangle. Alexandria has a longstanding and proven track record of developing Class A properties clustered in urban life science, technology and agtech campuses that provide our innovative tenants with highly dynamic and collaborative environments that enhance their ability to successfully recruit and retain world-class talent and inspire productivity, efficiency, creativity and success. Alexandria also provides strategic capital to transformative life science, technology and agtech companies through our venture capital arm. We believe our unique business model and diligent underwriting ensure a high-quality and diverse tenant base that results in higher occupancy levels, longer lease terms, higher rental income, higher returns, and greater long-term asset value. For additional information on Alexandria, please visit www.are.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding Alexandria's ESG policies, practices and performance, its 2025 sustainability goals and its healthy building certifications. These forward-looking statements are based on Alexandria's present intent, beliefs or expectations, but forward-looking statements are not guaranteed to occur and may not occur. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in or implied by Alexandria's forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors. All forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and Alexandria assumes no obligation to update this information. For more discussion relating to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the Company's forward-looking statements, and risks and uncertainties to the Company's business in general, please refer to the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequently filed quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.
CONTACT: Sara Kabakoff, Vice President - Corporate Communications, (626) 788?5578, skabakoff@are.com
SOURCE Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.
