SL Green Earns WELL Health-Safety Rating for Portfolio

NEW YORK -- SL Green Realty Corp., Manhattan’s largest office landlord, has earned the WELL Health-Safety Rating across its entire 23 million square foot core portfolio, including One Vanderbilt Avenue, SL Green’s headquarters and the skyline defining tower in the heart of East Midtown.

The WELL Health-Safety Rating is an evidence-based rating verified through the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) that focuses on operational policies, maintenance protocols, stakeholder engagement, and emergency plans to address a post-COVID-19 environment.

“Our goal is to make our tenants and their employees, our dedicated SL Green staff, our vendors, and everyone who visits our properties confident that they are entering buildings that are safe and healthy. We have done everything in our power to ensure our portfolio is industry-leading and we will continue to take extraordinary steps to maintain the most stringent health and safety standards,” said Edward V. Piccinich, Chief Operating Officer, SL Green Realty Corp.

Achieving the WELL Health-Safety Rating across the entire core portfolio is a testament to the effectiveness of SL Green’s response to the new operating conditions under COVID-19. The company is at the forefront of instituting new policies and initiatives to protect occupant health and to keep tenants and employees informed through a comprehensive COVID-19 plan called SL Green Forward.

To achieve the WELL Health-Safety Rating, SL Green has implemented features across 5 different categories: Cleaning and Sanitization Procedures, Emergency Preparedness Programs, Health Service Resources, Air and Water Quality Management, and Stakeholder Engagement and Communication. These features include increasing cleaning frequency, installing the highest efficiency filters and passive thermal scanners, applying social distancing markers, establishing a reentry plan to address physical distancing, and modifying system controls to boost the supply of outdoor air.

The WELL Health-Safety Rating provides a centralized source and governing body to validate efforts made by owners and operators. It leverages insights drawn from the IWBI Task Force on COVID-19, in addition to guidance on the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), global disease control and prevention centers, and emergency management agencies.

The WELL Health-Safety Rating also incorporates guidance from recognized standard-making associations such as ASTM International and ASHRAE, leading academic and research institutions, and the core principles already established by IWBI’s WELL Building Standard.

To learn more, visit SL Green’s website at sustainability.slgreen.com.

As of December 31, 2020, SL Green held interests in 88 buildings totaling 38.2 million square feet. This included ownership interests in 28.6 million square feet of Manhattan buildings and 8.7 million square feet securing debt and preferred equity investments.