Center for Active Design announces four groundbreaking projects advancing healthy design and development at neighborhood scale
MEMPHIS—The Center for Active Design (CfAD), operator of the Fitwel Certification System, has announced the certification of four trailblazing projects through Fitwel Community, a cutting-edge, evidence-based standard for optimizing holistic health benefits at the neighborhood scale.
While nine projects around the country were selected to participate in the Fitwel pilot program, four unique developments—including Crosstown Concourse—emerged as leaders in piloting the Fitwel Community Scorecard to achieve certification:
- Crosstown Concourse in Memphis, Tennessee
- Quartier des Lumières in Montréal, Québec
- Camp North End in Charlotte, North Carolina
- Horizon Uptown in Aurora, Colorado
LRK achieved a 3 Star Rating for Crosstown Concourse, the only project of the four to receive “Built” versus “Design” certification, illustrating proof in the concept for Crosstown Concourse’s vertical urban village.
“This program has not only proven but also promoted the broader vision of Crosstown Concourse, which is community wellness,” said LRK’s Rogean Cadieux-Smith, a Fitwel ambassador who navigated the certification process with the team behind Crosstown Concourse.
The destination’s achievement is credited to the founding collaboration and continuing contributions of Crosstown’s partners, including Church Health and Crosstown Arts, architects and planners at LRK, and the community of Crosstown Concourse.
The team fully realized a vision to transform a long-shuttered Sears, Roebuck & Co. distribution center into a dynamic vertical urban village that embodies the elements of a thriving neighborhood. Anchored by thearts, educational incubators, and a destination for holistic healthcare, the 1.2 million-square-foot urban site’s public interior atria and exterior greenspaces have become pivotal gathering places for the greater community.
“Church Health is grateful for the Crosstown Concourse community’s intentional commitment to being a welcoming, healthy, active and supportive environment for individuals and families,” said Ann Langston, Church Health Senior Director. “The Fitwel certification inspires us to continue to build on our work with the YMCA and other Crosstown neighbors to find more ways to be healthier and better together. Crosstown lifts our spirits and keeps us moving in this big place.”
Cadieux-Smith, who is the first architect in Memphis that has been certified in the program, has led initiatives to train fellow LRK architects to inform design with principles of active design and Fitwel on current and future projects.
“We commend the professional development component Rogean is leading at LRK on behalf of our clients, as the integration of Fitwel with our other wellness build programs WELL and LEED are valuable demonstrations of a building’s contribution to the greater community,” said LRK principal Tony Pellicciotti.Fitwel Community will be made available for widespread public use beginning January 30.
“As a mission-driven organization, our goal is to foster market transformation in order to build health for all,” says Joanna Frank, President & CEO of CfAD. “Fitwel Community unites CfAD’s core expertise in healthy neighborhood design with Fitwel’s user-friendly digital tools—and responds to the market demand for health-promoting strategies tailored to larger, site-scale projects. We deeply appreciate the trust and leadership of our pilot users who partnered with us to create this impactful standard.”
ABOUT FITWEL & CfAD. Fitwel is the world’s leading certification system committed to building health for all™. Generated by expert analysis of 5,000+ academic research studies, Fitwel is implementing a vision for a healthier future where all buildings and communities are enhanced to strengthen health and wellbeing. Fitwel was created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. General Services Administration. The Center for Active Design, a global not-for-profit organization, was selected as the licensed operator of Fitwel, charged with expanding Fitwel to the global market.
ABOUT LRK. With over three decades of architecture and design expertise in eight offices, LRK’s team is a nationally recognized architectural, planning, and interior design firm. LRK’s sophisticated multidisciplinary approach, responsibility to clients, and commitment to design quality have resulted in a portfolio of accomplished and award-winning urban redevelopments, neighborhoods, corporate headquarters, and civic buildings/places. For more information, visit LRK.com.