Canada: And-Co, a coworking and event space in Vancouver’s Coal Harbour, has become the first flexible workspace in Canada to achieve the WELL Coworking Rating.
The rating, developed by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) in collaboration with The Instant Group, recognises workspaces that meet evidence-based health and wellness criteria tailored to the coworking sector.
Located at 1575 W Georgia Street, And-Co occupies a WELL Certified Platinum building. The new rating builds upon that certification and demonstrates how the space supports occupant health through features such as air and water quality, lighting, thermal comfort, nourishment, and opportunities for movement.
The WELL Coworking Rating is the result of a strategic partnership between IWBI and The Instant Group, announced in April 2024.
The rating integrates into Instant’s platform, which offers over 350,000 flexible workspaces globally and is used by more than 26,000 flex operators, landlords, and investors.
And-Co’s validation under the rating includes nearly 50 metrics aligned with the WELL Building Standard. The goal is to give users of flexible space clearer insight into how environments support wellbeing and productivity.
According to IWBI, WELL Certified spaces have been linked to a 28 per cent increase in employee satisfaction and an eight percent boost in performance from improved air quality.
Businesses operating from certified healthy buildings have also seen economic benefits such as longer leases, higher rents per square foot, and improved talent attraction and retention.
Sam Pickering, executive director, head of sustainability at The Instant Group said: “It is kudos to And-Co for committing to early adoption and setting out to achieve the WELL Coworking Rating, which is derived from health strategies in the WELL Building Standard.
“The process evaluates nearly 50 different features spanning 10 WELL concepts, from air and water quality to light and thermal comfort, and movement and nourishment. It was a pleasure to work with And-Co and their commitment sets them apart as a leader in healthy flexible workspace.”
Highlights:
– And-Co has become the first coworking and event space in Canada to achieve the WELL Coworking Rating.
– IWBI and The Instant Group have launched the rating to evaluate the health and wellness performance of flexible workspaces.
– And-Co has achieved the rating while operating within a WELL Certified Platinum building in Vancouver’s Coal Harbour.
