CBRE Earns Top Workplace Certification

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CBRE has raised the bar on the work environment for employees in Calgary.

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The commercial real estate company became the first in Alberta to achieve platinum-level certification from the International Well Building Institute.

Four other offices in the province achieved a Well certification, but below the platinum level.

CBRE announced the certification Tuesday, after moving into its new 16,000 square foot office at Eighth Avenue Place last August.

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Greg Kwong, regional general manager for CBRE in Alberta, said they had a decision to make during the pandemic – either permanently move to a more remote work environment or invest in a place of collaboration where they could develop a culture of work.

“We had to create an environment that encourages staff to come back to the office,” said Greg Kwong. “If we give them an environment worse than their home, they’ll probably say ‘no, I’d rather be home’. ”

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Kwong noted that the organization’s daily office presence is around 90%, with some still working remotely.

The institute examines 10 different categories when examining the Well certification – air, water, food, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, spirit and community.

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CBRE’s new office can accommodate 90 employees and makes the most of uninterrupted 280-degree views to the east, south and west, providing maximum natural light. It also has a fitness center, a social center where employees can collaborate, high-end air filtration, nutritious food and beverage options, access outside, a wellness room and furniture that incorporates safe and non-toxic materials. .

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“Our office layout is more conducive to collaboration and, quite frankly, to a better overall culture within our company,” Kwong said.

Eighth Avenue Place, built in 2014, is also a Class AA tower with a LEED Platinum rating and is managed by real estate company Hines. It is owned by three investment companies — Ivanhoé Cambridge, Alberta Investment Management Corp. and Matco Investments Ltd.

CBRE began planning the move to new office space in October 2020.

“In addition to the comprehensive approach to all areas of the 10 Well concept. . . the project team was really intentional in creating collaborative spaces to encourage connection among employees,” said Olesy Alekseev, Vice President and Canadian Head of IWBI, in an email. “The project also made it a priority to create natural and easy access to wellness so that people’s default choices are actually healthy choices.

The other four Alberta offices with some level of Well certification include a company in Calgary, which the IWBI could not disclose, and three in Edmonton – HSBC Place, the CBRE Edmonton office and Manulife Place.

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