ENVIRONMENTAL
INTRODUCTION
ESG OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGY
SOCIAL
GOVERNANCE
APPENDICES
35
ESRT enrolled in WELL at Scale in November 2022 , to demonstrate our leadership and dedication to IEQ across our entire portfolio. ESRT is the first REIT to recertify WELL Health- Safety three times and is an early adopter of the WELL Equity Rating. Under WELL at Scale, ESRT will be able to receive benchmarking of performance, achieve WELL Certification and WELL ratings and obtain a WELL Score. The participation of WELL at Scale will drive our leadership further in IEQ. For the past decade, ESRT has focused on health and well- being and pioneered and showcased many sustainability practices through our renovations at the Empire State Building — practices we subsequently rolled out throughout our entire commercial portfolio. ESRT believes in the power of building performance to improve employee productivity and well-being.
IEQ DURING CONSTRUCTION ESRT design and construction of new spaces and renovations represent significant opportunities to drive energy efficiency, sustainability, and healthy environments. ESRT has implemented rigorous standards for sustainability and IEQ during construction of base building and tenant projects, as outlined in our High Performance Sustainable Healthy Design and Construction Guidelines and Sustainability Guidelines. These include all of our IEQ policies, plans, and standards in alignment with the most advanced national and international standards, including LEED v4.1, WELL v2, and WELL Health-Safety.
We are partners with the WELL Living Lab and Mayo Clinic to advance the study of the indoor environment’s impact on human health and to help develop practices that can be implemented across the country. ESRT is part of the WELL Living Lab Alliance, a global consortium of organizations that support the advancement of knowledge of IEQ to improve human health and well-being. Our engagement in this effort will extend the WELL Living Lab’s pioneering research at the intersection of health, building, and behavioral sciences. Through our partnership with Delos and WELL Living Lab, a company dedicated to the scientific research, evaluation, and solutions to deliver positive IEQ impacts on building occupants’ health and well-being, we help the industry provide guidance that our tenants can depend on to promote functional, energy-efficient, and human health-enhancing spaces. We continue to monitor and track performance as science, data, and knowledge evolve. Bipolar ionization air purification is installed in over three million square feet of office space across our portfolio. This technology syncs the ionization technologies with a building’s IT infrastructure, provides encrypted data, notifications, and reports through self-calibrating sensors that monitor for chemical and biological contaminants.
Pathway Interruption • Ensure walk-off mats are installed as appropriate Housekeeping • Institute cleaning activities concentrated on HVAC equipment and building equipment to remove contaminants prior to occupancy • Use green cleaning and pollution mitigation practices Monitoring • Have general contractor document adherence to IEQ plan through weekly reports and on-site inspections Flush-out and/or air tests • Conduct a flush-out or air test at owner’s discretion if all measures have been consistently adhered to and documented; otherwise, a flush-out or air test is required prior to occupancy
Construction Indoor Air Quality Management Plan • In alignment with LEED v4.1, WELL v2, Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning National Contractors Association recommendations HVAC equipment and pressurization protection • Limit use of ventilation system during construction • Replace filtration media prior to occupancy if HVAC is operated during construction, with no less than MERV 13 filters Source Control • Use low or no VOC and no Red List products, Health Product Declarations (HPD) and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) whenever possible • Prohibit use of gasoline or diesel equipment whenever possible • Prohibit smoking and vaping • Protect absorptive materials from moisture damage
EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST: 2022 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
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