The IMMUNE Building Standard is a blueprint for the healthy buildings of the future, leading to healthier people, businesses and economies. As the world’s first standard to address the immunity of built environments, IMMUNE redesigns and reengineers buildings for the post-COVID world and beyond.
Inspired by technologies and procedures grounded in science, this innovative standard that better prepares people, businesses and communities to withstand health threats, and aids them with the power to transform the future.
What is the IMMUNE Building Standard?
The IMMUNE Building Standard, through the Healthy by Design Building Institute (HDBI) in Brussels, is an evidence based, third-party certified rating for the built environment, focusing on providing building operators with the tools and strategy to monitor, communicate and adjust the health of the indoor physical space, with an efficient response protocol in case of viral, bacteriological, or toxicological events.
The IMMUNE Building Standard is based on a practical investment in a Healthy by Design System (HbDS), incorporating a network of devices and available technologies, specialised equipment, dedicated personnel, and new amenities, promoting operational and health rules focused on the physical space where occupants and visitors interact.
How does The IMMUNE Building Standard work?
The IMMUNE Assessment Scoring Index is comprised of a set of 135+ recommended measures, technical solutions, and facility management practices to certify the level of resilience of a building to present and future health challenges.
Any building owner or tenant can consult the list of measures and implement them – entirely or partially, as needed – in their workspace and follow the Assessment Scoring Index to independently evaluate the level of resilience of the assessed building against health threats.
To receive an IMMUNE certification, an authorised assessor – an independent third-party company specialised in the field of sustainable building design, development, and certification – needs to evaluate the building using a Scorecard. Each measure earns a number of points and, based on the total score, a building will be awarded with one of the three IMMUNE labels, in order of importance:
- Strong – equivalent of 3 stars
- Powerful – equivalent of 4 stars
- Resilient – equivalent of 5 stars.
As an inaugural edition, the present version of the IMMUNE standard will remain under constant, frequent review. As the medical, scientific, architectural, and engineering bodies develop new research for a better, in-depth understanding of the Covid-19 pandemic, the IMMUNE™ standard will also grow and evolve by including and standardising more measures to combat existing and future health risks.
Based on the number of points received during the official assessment, the evaluated building will be awarded with one of the three IMMUNE labels, in order of importance: Strong; Powerful; and Resilient.
How was The IMMUNE Building Standard developed?
The IMMUNE Building Standard is a collaborative standard developed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, in a very short timeframe, following an initial investment of one million Euros in research, development and implementation.
Pioneered by Liviu Tudor, European business-property entrepreneur and president of the European Property Federation, IMMUNE was developed in Romania in 2020, mid Covid-19 pandemic, together with an international team of experts in health, technology, architecture, constructions, engineering, and facility management, as a blueprint to improve the immunity of office buildings against health risks.
We invite collaboration, support, and contributions from a variety of experts and qualified people to help further update the criteria to reflect emerging findings as the scientific evidence base around Covid-19 continues to unroll.
What is the Assessment Scoring Index?
The IMMUNE Assessment Scoring Index stands as the Scorecard used by the assessor to evaluate the resilience of the assessed building. The Index extensively evaluates architectural engineering, technology, design and two levels of operational practices – perpetual and ready-to-activate – and offers a rigorous, solid structure of measures, policies, protocols and relevant answers to help property developers and landlords achieve the resilience of a building. The Index is structured by the following seven modules:
- Legislation, Governance and Compliance Measures
- Exterior Measures for Building Accessibility
- Outdoor Space De-densification
- Building Receptions and Common Areas Prevention Measures
- Office Area Prevention Measures
- Restrooms Specific Prevention Measures
- Facility Management Measures
Why should you design a building using the Healthy by Design approach?
Healthy by Design is a comprehensive playbook for helping developers and landlords to implement a coherent system for the built environment to withstand present and future health challenges and minimise their impact. Healthy by Design® is more than a proprietary, innovative concept, it is ultimately the real-estate industry’s response to a shift in the society’s culture, to a new mindset that emerged organically following the harsh impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Health has rightfully become one of the primary, fundamental concerns for companies, individuals and communities worldwide. As a direct consequence, it is now mandatory for developers to address this new reality by identifying and implementing overarching solutions to secure the health and safety levels of their developments.
Can one certify an existing building with the IMMUNE Building Standard?
Yes. Upgrading existing buildings and facilities to become IMMUNE compliant is the short term objective. The process starts with an evaluation performed by an Assessor, an independent third-party company specialised in the field of sustainable building design, development, and certification. The Assessor is trained by the Accreditor to verify how the architectural engineering and design measures were implemented in the assessed building and how the Facility Management (FM) team is implementing the operational practices.
What are the benefits of implementing and complying with the IMMUNE Building Standard?
Health and safety requirements have become paramount for any development, especially following the structural economic and social changes generated by the Covid-19 pandemic. In order to reach such desiderate, we strongly believe that every building will have to incorporate by design clear measures, technologies, policies and protocols to deliver and secure a safe environment to their tenants. This is more than a trend, but rather an element of “hygiene” that has become an absolute must-have in the industry.
The objectives of the IMMUNE Building Standard are:
- To implement a mandatory set of requirements in built environment focused on health and safety.
- To offer a clear guide to ensure compliance with such measures, preventing risk and management of present and future health adversities as viral crises.
- To instruct, educate, and prepare facility management teams to act with efficacy in case of a pandemic threat.
- To efficiently protect visitors and building occupants, in the present and future.
- To ensure a productive space for people, spaces where they conduct activities that are Healthy by Design®.
- To promote widespread adoption at a time of global crisis by developing IMMUNE as a platform for buildings to model and implement. The platform invites collaboration, support, and contributions from a variety of experts and competent people to further update the criteria.
What types of buildings does the IMMUNE Building Standard cover?
IMMUNE was initially designed for offices and now has been extended to industrial and residential buildings. The standard is under co nstant development, with the aim to extend its outreach to other types of buildings, like retail, hospitality, healthcare or education in the future.
The standard can be used and implemented by any international building assessment and certification entity to certify buildings and facilities at any stage of their life cycle, such as new, in-use, or regeneration projects.
How does one benefit from implementing the IMMUNE Building Standard in a building / facility?
The IMMUNE certification validates the resilience of a building or facility. It is a mark of its unique ability to efficiently prevent and fight against health risks, minimising the impact of potential bacteriological or toxicological threats.
An IMMUNE label communicates vision and leadership in facilities operations and management, it builds a strong reputation in the industry by promoting market share and creating a best in class service and, most importantly, boosts confidence and trust among existing and future tenants and the broader community due to the secure health environment it nurtures.
Features of an IMMUNE rated building
As per the recommended engineering and design in the criteria, the workplace of the future could include, various unique features established by IMMUNE, such as:
- IMMUNE Stewards would be deployed within each building to implement and monitor activities.
- The IMMUNE Quarantine/Room – a specially designed, fully equipped, and ready to use area in case of an immediate need to isolate any exposed people.
- The Emergency IMMUNE Warehouse – contriving a rapid and effective relief logistic system for pandemic-response, containing specific protective materials including PPE. The IMMUNE Steward will be responsible to maintain the stock materials and to distribute at building level all the necessary to ensure safety to all occupants.
- IMMUNE Digital Twin – digital screens placed in receptions to display immunity-boosting indicators such as daily improvement of indoor air quality in comparison to outside air, water parameters vs. the water source received from the city network, and different measures imposed by the IMMUNE Steward, relevant information related to the good functioning of IMMUNE equipment throughout the building.
Other elements include:
- Built-in technologies to enhance the sanitisations of indoor spaces in the prevention of bacteria, viruses, and toxins spreading.
- Bathrooms to be fully equipped with Bio Sanitisers – Urinal & WC Hygiene Flushing System.
- UV lighting disinfection and air purification systems installed in the elevator shafts to ensure safe transportation between floors.
- Hydrogen peroxide ions air disinfection installed in the ventilation system to keep the indoor environment as healthy as possible.
- UV-C air disinfection system installed in the AHU unit.
- Humidity Comfort Control System combined with the Extra filtration in the ventilation system to reduce health risks related to fine particles and air pollution.
- High-class Water Purification system using the Reverse Osmosis technology designed to remove a large majority of contaminants.
- Walls covered with antimicrobial paint proven to prevent bacteria as well as mould and mildew growth.
- Rounded corners to minimise bacterial deposits in toilet cubicles, crowded areas such as meeting rooms.
- High-class air filters across cafeterias and break out rooms.
- Entry and exit for an IMMUNE building through touchless access control technology, while highly used areas like doors, elevator buttons or vending machines in the cafeteria are safer to use due to the self-cleaning technology placed on each surface.