First Project in Virginia Awarded Prestigious WELL Certification

Markon has been awarded WELL Certification at the Silver level for its headquarters expansion project by the International WELL Building Institute™ (IWBI™). This is the first project in Virginia to achieve this certification.

The prestigious distinction was awarded through IWBI’s WELL Building Standard™ (WELL), which is the premier building standard to focus on enhancing people’s health and wellness through the built environment. The project includes 1,905 square feet of office space, storage, a conference room, and kitchenette.

Created through seven years of rigorous research and development working with leading physicians, scientists, and industry professionals, the WELL Building Standard™ is a performance-based certification system that marries best practices in design and construction with evidence-based scientific research. Markon’s headquarters expansion earned the distinction based on seven categories of building performance—Air, Water, Light, Nourishment, Fitness, Comfort and Mind—and achieved a Silver level rating.

“We wanted to create an innovative space that would help our team stay healthy and to produce their best work,” says Ray Carney, WELL AP, Vice President at Markon. “As a construction project management firm, we were able to easily incorporate WELL features into our design and construction. Our hope is to share that expertise with other companies who want to provide the best for their employees/building occupants.”

Project features that helped Markon’s headquarters expansion achieve its WELL Certified™ Silver rating include:

• Focus on biophilia with a natural wood plank table, cork floor, and plants throughout
• Circadian lighting, which uses NASA research to mirror sunlight as closely as possible in an LED bulb
• Active desks with daylight views
• Corporate culture highlights throughout the space showcasing current initiatives and philanthropic art

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, Markon’s headquarters expansion 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 Certified™ Silver performance requirements.