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the result of years of research conducted by Delos.
The idea that there is a link between one’s habitat
and health has guided Delos’ solutions around the
built environment since its inception in 2009. The com-
pany’s Wellness Real Estate concept merges health
and science with design and construction to reinvent
the role of the built environment on our health. Through
the Well Living Lab, Delos created the first scientific
research in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic to under-
stand the interaction between health and well-being
and indoor environments.
“Americans spend more than 90 percent of their
time indoors,” explains Delos CEO Paul Scialla. “What
many people don’t realize is that buildings, and every-
thing in them, can affect human health and well-being.
We saw that there was a need for living spaces that
positively impact the people inside them.
“When you have a house that is constantly and
passively working on behalf of your well-being and
your family’s well-being, your house becomes not just
a place to live but a place to thrive,” says Scialla.
This observation eventually led the company
to unveil the WELL Building Standard in 2014, a first-
of-its-kind, performance-based certification currently
optimized for the commercial and institutional real
estate sector that is focused around air, water,
nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind. The
International WELL Building Institute has since taken
over the standard to support its administration globally
and expand its reach to additional market sectors.
It’s tempting to compare the WELL Building
Standard to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED
certification program and other green building guide-
lines, which have been steadily embraced by the
design and construction industries since 1994. Scialla,
however, sees wellness building as “continuing a more
LIVING WELL
holistic dialogue around sustainability.” Indeed, Delos’
residential programs expand upon sustainability con-
siderations focused on physical health, such as indoor
air quality and reducing exposure to toxic chemicals
— but place emphasis on nutrition, fitness, and psy-
chological and emotional well-being, too. That may
explain why self-help guru Dr. Deepak Chopra sits on
the Delos advisory board.
“I have always seen the natural environment as
an extension of our bodies,” Chopra reveals. “Resi-
dences that are in harmony with nature help to create
harmony within our bodies and minds.”
The builders of Summitridge agree. Corvino and
Finton aggressively sought out Delos for their master-
piece project, which contains an exacting level of detail
cultivated by the two hands-on visionaries themselves
plus two designers, Mike Lee and Deborah Rumens.
Notes Corvino: “I believe this is the start of a movement
SUMMITRIDGE