OFS Corporate Headquarters achieves WELL certification.
OFS is thrilled to accept the WELL Platinum award after 3 years of adaptation to ensure our office best supports employees and visitors in their journey to wellness.
More than just a check-in
"Hi. How are you?" is a question we ask ourselves and others daily, instead of truly considering our mental, physical, and emotional health, we and others often retort with a quick surface-level answer. These check-ins must transition into real, consistent and daily smarter choices. So, we took action to make choosing healthy both easier and automatic, such as access to abundant natural light and good air.
Starting in 2014, we acknowledged that we need to dig deeper to be able to best support one another and our employees in their overall well-being. We began to ask the following questions under the guidance of the International WELL Building Institute:
- How is your mental, physical, and emotional health?
- Do you feel supported and encouraged?
- Do the people we are trying to support have real opportunities to make good choices to promote their daily well-being?
In our workplace and every space that we touch, we are working to increase awareness of healthy practices and contribute to places that improve people’s lives. Together with you and WELL, we know we can help people start this journey and make a difference.
The WELL Building Standard™
The WELL Building Standard™ is the first building standard to focus on the health and wellness of building occupants. Developed by Delos and managed by the International WELL Building Institute™, WELL was designed using evidence-based medical and scientific research to create a built environment that better supports human health and well-being.
The WELL building Standard™ provides a model for design and construction to integrate human health features in the built environment. This program is a performance based system to measure the impact of built environments on human health.
- Air
- Water
- Nourishment
- Light
- Movement
- Thermal comfort
- Sound
- Materials
- Mind
- Community
OFS Headquarters certification facts:
- 11th Platinum space in the U.S.
- 5th WELLv2 Platinum space in the U.S.
- 1st WELL certification out of both WELL versions in Indiana
Find a member of our WELL team near you to help with project goals or questions
Find a WELL AP in your areaInviting you to tour our corporate headquarters
Our WELL Scorecard: What was tested and how we measured up.
- Preconditions
- Fundamental Air Quality
- Smoke-Free Environment
- Ventilation Effectiveness
- Optimizations
- Enhanced Air Quality
- Enhanced Ventilation
- Pollution Infiltration Management
- Air Filtration
- Microbe and Mold Control
- Preconditions
- Fundamental Water Quality
- Water Contaminants
- Legionella Control
- Optimizations
- Enhanced Water Quality
- Water Quality Consistency
- Drinking Water Promotion
- Moisture Management
- Preconditions
- Fruits and Vegetables
- Nutritional Transparency
- Refined Ingredients
- Optimizations
- Refined Ingredients
- Food Advertising
- Artificial Ingredients
- Portion Sizes
- Nutrition Education
- Mindful Eating
- Special Diets
- Food Preparation
- Food Production
- Preconditions
- Light Exposure and Education
- Visual Lighting Design
- Optimizations
- Glare Control
- Enhanced Daylight Access
- Occupant Control of Lighting Environment
- Preconditions
- Active Buildings and Communities
- Visual and Physical Ergonomics
- Optimizations
- Movement Network and Circulation
- Active Commuter and Occupant Support
- Physical Activity Opportunities
- Physical Activity Spaces and Equipment
- Exterior Active Design
- Physical Activity Promotion
- Preconditions
- Thermal Performance
- Optimizations
- Individual Thermal Control
- Humidity Control
- Preconditions
- Sound Mapping
- Optimizations
- Maximum Noise Levels
- Sound Barriers
- Preconditions
- Fundamental Material Precautions
- Hazardous Material Abatement
- Outdoor Structures
- Optimizations
- Waste Management
- Long-Term Emission Control
- Short-Term Emission Control
- Material Transparency
- Preconditions
- Mental Health Promotion
- Access to Nature
- Optimizations
- Mental Health Support
- Restorative Spaces
- Enhanced Access to Nature
- Focus Support
- Tobacco Prevention and Cessation
- Preconditions
- Health and Wellness Awareness
- Integrative Design
- Occupant Survey
- Optimizations
- Enhanced Occupant Survey
- Health Services and Benefits
- Health Promotion
- New Mother Support
- Organizational Transparency
- Accessibility and Universal Design
- Emergency Preparedness
Our strongest areas of performance
We began this project knowing the challenges we would face and the costs that we may have to incur. However, the end goal was something we felt was too important not to pursue. By providing a space that promotes holistic well-being we couldn’t be happier to positively impact the lives of the employees that allow this company to operate.
Every WELL Building project has individual WELL concepts where it may perform better and achieve more optimization points. The OFS Corporate Office project scored highest in the following concepts.
- Air
- Nourishment
- Movement
- Community
The OFS Corporate Office project scored a total of 10 points within the WELLv2 Air Concept. We were able to do this by controlled construction pollution management during our office refresh project. This involved minimizing interior dust and pollution creation while the job site was active as well as installing temporary barriers and walk-off mats between construction areas and active office areas. Sealing of ducts, replacing filters and storing absorptive materials in designated areas where they were protected from potential moisture damage.
We also achieved points for enhanced air quality and enhanced ventilation. Enhanced Air Quality was achieved through performance testing. Our results showed that our air tested below the thresholds for particulate matter, organic gases (formaldehyde and benzene) and inorganic gases (carbon monoxide, ozone and nitrogen dioxide). Enhanced ventilation was achieved by operating a demand controlled ventilation system that regulates our outdoor ventilation rate to control CO2 levels and keep them at a minimum.
Other areas of point creation were in Air Filtration and Microbe and Mold Control. All filters within our HVAC system are MERV 8 or higher and on a regular maintenance schedule. UVC light sanitizers were also installed in each of our main air handling units to minimize any potential mold or microbe growth that may form on cooling coils and drain pans.
The WELLv2 Nourishment Concept was important for our project. The office refresh included the creation of our Social Hub and Roots Café. We wanted to create a space in the center or our office where employees could socialize, get a coffee or tea, and have multiple healthy food options for breakfast, lunch or just a quick snack. Close coordination with our Hospitality Manager was necessary to ensure we were putting together menu options that met WELLv2’s requirements for Fruits and Vegetables, Nutritional Transparency, Refined Ingredients, Artificial Ingredients, Portion Sizes, and Special Diets.
Special considerations were also given to Food Advertising, Nutritional Education, Mindful Eating spaces, Food Preparation, and Food Production. Educational materials including cookbooks and books on healthy eating and nutrition are provided throughout the Roots Café for all employees to use and enjoy at their pleasure. A variety of eating spaces and configurations are also provided throughout the Café and Social Hub. The Café also provides all of the amenities needed for occupants to prepare their meals and clean up afterwards. During the growing season vegetables from our onsite Corporate Garden are brought into the Social Hub for occupants to take as they wish and our hospitality manager also incorporates into different dishes available to all employees.
The original design and construction of the OFS Corporate Office provided an ideal interior environment that promotes movement throughout the space as well as many physical activity opportunities covered under the WELLv2 Movement Concept. The ~2300 square foot Fitness Center was included in the design back in 2004-2005. This space includes a lap pool, multiple aerobic exercise machines, free-weights, and multiple cable-weight cross training machines. The fitness center also includes dry saunas, steam rooms and Jacuzzis as restorative spaces. Showers and lockers are also provided for active occupants. A quick glance out of the large window wall from the Fitness Center presents a view of the Ecocenter and lake. Here there is a 1/5 mile long walking/running path that circles around the lake. All of these amenities are available to each of OFS’ employees and all are encouraged to use them at a time that best suits their schedules.
The layout of the office is also conducive to stair use and free movement between different open office spaces. No long narrow hallways exist within the office space and point-of-decision signage has been installed to encourage stair use. Everything feels light and airy with ample daylight and views, with atria that allow daylight to filter down to the lower two floors.
Our office is also our largest showroom and our furniture is showcased throughout the space. Active furnishings are provided to employees throughout the office that include sit/stand workstations, adjustable ergonomic seating, and adjustable monitor arms.
Health and Wellness awareness is a large and important aspect of our certification process under the WELLv2 Community Concept. Educating our employees about what is being offered at the Corporate Office to support their health and wellness is the first step to thinking about how they may improve their own lives. The workplace is not often thought of as a catalyst to develop lifestyle changes so it was important for us to put the policies in place that encourage healthy decision making. These policies include but are not limited to health services and benefits, new mother support, organizational transparency, health risk assessments, and emergency preparedness.
Occupant surveys are also conducted to provide us with information on how we can be improving our space to the benefit or our employees and to also keep us accountable.
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Learn more about WELL
Discover more about the WELL Building Standard, how we integrate it into our furniture, and our commitment to fostering well-being in the workplace.
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