Workbar’s newest location in Boston achieves WELL CertifiedTM Silver; world’s first coworking space to receive this designation
BOSTON, MA (April 23, 2018) – Workbar, a Massachusetts-based coworking and office space company announced today that its newest workspace in Boston’s Back Bay, designed by Analogue Studio, has been awarded WELL Certification by the International WELL Building InstituteTM. The distinction was awarded through IWBI’s WELL Building StandardTM (WELL), which is the premier building standard to focus on enhancing people’s health and wellness through the buildings where people live, work and play. The 11,000-square foot space can accommodate up to 300 coworking members and features Workbar’s signature neighborhoods designed to meet the needs of different work styles.
“Workbar’s vision of the ideal coworking space goes far beyond providing cool furniture, advanced tech, and free snacks. We create environments in which individuals and businesses forge healthy, productive, and innovative communities where people connect and great things happen,” said Bill Jacobson, CEO of Workbar. “Earning this WELL certification is the culmination of our efforts to provide an unparalleled coworking experience.”
“Analogue Studio’s workspace design is driven by the belief that thoughtful, holistic design can advance human well-being and productivity. This approach to designing the complete experience is what attracted Workbar to us in 2012 when our partnership began,” said Vince Pan, Founder and Principal of Analogue Studio. “Since then, Workbar and Analogue Studio have collaborated to create a member experience that is focused on taking care of people and enriching their lives rather than securing investment or chasing design trends. This core value drives every design decision and aligns closely with WELL standards – making the adoption of WELL a natural fit.”
Created through seven years of rigorous research and development working with leading physicians, scientists, and industry professionals, the WELL Building StandardTM is a performance-based certification system that marries best practices in design and construction with evidence-based scientific research. Workbar Back Bay earned the distinction based on seven categories of building performance— Air, Water, Light, Nourishment, Fitness, Comfort and Mind —and achieved a Silver level rating.
Project features that helped Workbar Back Bay achieve its WELL CertifiedTM Silver Rating include:
- Cutting-Edge Smart-Lighting Systems
- WELL-managed energy efficiency and water conservation
- Smart heating and cooling sensors that adjust room temperatures based upon the number of occupants in the room
- Healthy materials, finishes and furniture with little to no Volatile Organic Compounds
- Ultra-modern construction pollution management systems
- Water filtration system
- Environmentally-safe cleaning products
“As a coworking space, Workbar is dedicated to creating motivational and productive work environments,” says IWBI Chairman and CEO Rick Fedrizzi. “Its achievement of WELL Certification in Boston’s Back Bay office has deepened Workbar’s commitment to productivity and growth, promoting the health and well-being of all of its clients.”
Steps from Boston’s Public Garden and Newbury Street, Workbar Back Bay offers offers a functional neighborhood-style open plan design, ten private offices, ten phone rooms, nine conference rooms, a Café, multiple breakout meeting spaces, a podcast recording room, and free access to the location’s gym. In partnership with Analogue Studio, Osram, and Equity Office, Workbar Back Bay incorporates wellness features into seven concepts: air, mind, water, nourishment, light, fitness, and comfort.
WELL is grounded in a body of evidence-based research that explores the connection between the buildings where we spend approximately 90 percent of our time, and the health and wellness impacts on us as occupants of these buildings. To be awarded WELL Certification by IWBI, Workbar Back Bay underwent rigorous testing and a final evaluation carried out by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), which is the third-party certification body for WELL, to ensure it met all WELL CertifiedTM Silver performance requirements.
About Workbar:
Workbar is Boston’s original coworking space, with eight existing locations throughout Greater Boston, including Back Bay, South Station, Cambridge, Somerville, Danvers, Norwood, Brighton and Arlington, and partnerships with 12 more coworking sites across the state. The network of shared workspaces offers a “hub-and-spoke” system for people whose work takes them all over the region. Workbar caters to small businesses, freelancers, entrepreneurs, startups, and corporate clients with remote teams looking for an affordable, flexible place to work and to meet with clients and other like-minded professionals. With professionally managed space and top-tier office amenities, Workbar coworking spaces are built with the connections needed to inspire, provoke, and ignite productivity and passion.
About Analogue Studio:
Analogue Studio creates experiences that foster innovation, learning, and culture. We are an interdisciplinary studio that believes all forms of design have the power to solve problems and unleash possibility. Our projects are more than the solutions we develop; they are the relationships we build. We are fortunate to work with leading innovators, educators, and tastemakers to bring their ideas to life – and we are just as proud of the award-winning workplaces, campus centers, and restaurants that we have designed as we are of the brands, products, and graphics that we have created.
