In 2024 Brazil recorded nearly half a million work leaves due to mental disorders, the highest figure in a decade, and the WHO ranks the country among those with the highest prevalence of anxiety in the world. The regulatory response came with the NR-1 update, which adds psychosocial risks to the Occupational Risk Management program (GRO) every company must maintain. Burnout is also recognized as an occupational disease. In that context, the building is no longer neutral: an office with no daylight, no break areas and nothing that encourages movement adds to the problem. Fitwel, created by the U.S. CDC and GSA, certifies the opposite: restorative spaces, inviting stairs, drinking water, healthy food, active mobility and wellbeing policies. In a market where São Paulo already holds a sizable portfolio of certified buildings, Fitwel is the fastest way to add the health dimension to assets that already have LEED or AQUA.
Asset assessment: we evaluate the building against the applicable Fitwel scorecard and cross-check results with occupants' GRO risk inventory when available.
Registration and goal: we register the project with Fitwel and set the target level, from one to three stars, deciding whether to certify individually or as a portfolio.
Implementation: we coordinate physical upgrades such as stairs, bike parking, water stations and break areas, and draft policies on healthy food, smoke-free spaces, lactation and emergencies.
Certification and recertification: we manage the review, the issuance of the seal —valid for three years— and each asset's recertification schedule.
Fitwel charges a registration fee and a per-building certification fee, with special terms for portfolios, which makes it especially attractive for owners and FIIs with multiple assets. Without on-site performance testing, the total cost is well below WELL's. Physical investment is usually limited to upgrades like bike parking, water stations, stair signage and break-area furniture. The process takes 4 to 8 months for existing buildings, and certification is valid for three years.
No. NR-1 is the employer's obligation and requires identifying, assessing and controlling psychosocial risks. Fitwel certifies the building and provides physical measures and policies that can be built into that program as controls. It helps a lot, but it doesn't replace the management the company must do.
WELL is more exhaustive, with mandatory prerequisites and on-site air and water testing, and it has a mature market in Brazil. Fitwel is faster and more affordable, ideal for existing buildings or for certifying an entire portfolio. Many owners combine both: WELL for the flagship headquarters and Fitwel for the rest of the assets.
Yes. Through its workplace scorecard, Fitwel applies to logistics centers with a focus on cafeterias, hydration, break areas, safe pedestrian routes and access to transportation, all of which weigh on operator turnover.
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