Ambient Energy, a third-party consulting firm specializing in commissioning, energy analysis, and sustainable design, has received WELL Silver Certification for their Denver office space. The company is one of only six in Colorado and among the first in the nation to achieve this important certification. The certification was awarded by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI).
Delivered by IWBI and created through seven years of rigorous research and development, WELL is a performance-based certification system that marries best practices in design and construction with evidence-based scientific research. Ambient Energy earned the WELL Silver Certification designation based on ten categories of performance — Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, Thermal Comfort, Sound, Materials, Mind and Community.
“There is a heightened sense of awareness among building owners, property managers and tenants regarding the well-being of tenants and occupants in the workspace, even more so due to the recent pandemic” said Renee Azerbegi, President of Ambient Energy. “Having our Denver office be one of the few in Colorado to achieve a WELL Silver certification shows our ability to help clients navigate this process and work with them to deliver buildings and spaces that help people thrive.”
Project features that helped Ambient Energy receive the WELL Silver Certification include:
- Dimmable LED light fixtures with high Color Rendering Index (CRI) and automatic daylighting controls
- Natural materials like Colorado beetle kill wood and locally made, salvaged wood conference table
- Biophilic design elements such as living wall and plants throughout, in many areas
- Window shades that are highly adjustable through both top down and bottom up operability
- Company bicycles and ample indoor storage for employee bikes
- Sports, healthy food and vegetable, and landscape artwork
- Open office environment that is well daylit
- Specially selected healthy food and beverages
- Sit/stand desks for 100% of employees
- Health and wellness library
- Sound masking system
- Treadmill desk
Located on the 4th floor of Metropolitan State University of Denver Aerospace and Engineering Sciences (AES) building, Ambient Energy’s office includes 3,400 square feet of open office and collaboration spaces. In 2018 Ambient Energy started the design process for the tenant improvement project, working closely with MSU Denver and the design team to ensure WELL requirements were incorporated in the construction documents. Since MSU Denver’s AES building was pursuing a LEED v2009 Gold certification, many of the material requirements were already included in the base building design, though several features needed to be modified to achieve WELL compliance.
“This award speaks volumes to Ambient Energy’s incredible commitment to providing a workspace that promotes health and wellness, not just for their employees, but by setting a standard for other employers to strive toward,” said Jason Murillo, MSU Denver building engineer, who oversaw the space modification. “That drive for excellence aligns perfectly with our values at MSU Denver.”
To be awarded the Silver Certification by IWBI, Ambient Energy underwent rigorous review carried out by Green Business Certification Inc., which is the third-party certification body for WELL, to ensure it met all WELL performance requirements.
