Empire State Realty Trust Achieves Fitwel Certification Across 6.7 Million Square Feet for Six of its New York City Properties

NEW YORK, Dec. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Empire State Realty Trust (NYSE: ESRT) announced today that six of its properties have achieved Fitwel certification and that ESRT is a Fitwel Champion. ESRT's Fitwel certified properties represent 6.7 million square feet and approximately 83 percent of ESRT's New York City portfolio of properties.  

Fitwel is a rigorous third-party healthy building certification system operated by the Center for Active Design (CfAD). Fitwel was created as a joint initiative between the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the General Services Administration (GSA) to set the industry standard for evidence-based strategies that promote positive health outcomes for building occupants and communities. Fitwel translates global scientific and industry expertise into practical approaches that address our greatest health challenges.

The Empire State Building, 111 West 33^rd Street, 1350 Broadway, and 1400 Broadway have all earned Fitwel 2 Star Ratings, while One Grand Central Place and 250 West 57^th Street have earned Fitwel 1 Star Ratings. These Fitwel certifications were awarded to ESRT for its leadership in health and sustainability achievements, which include:

• Indoor Air Quality
• Walkability and proximity to transit
• A comprehensive Green Purchase Policy
• Access to clean water refill stations
• Ground floor amenities such as retail and food establishments
• Fitness and dedicated conference facilities
• Informative health programs for tenants and employees
• A comprehensive emergency preparedness plan

A model of how to ease business' efforts to return employees to work, ESRT's pathway for tenants' confident return to their offices aims to restore company culture, increase productivity, and drive the bottom line.

"ESRT believes healthy, high-performance buildings have the power to improve employee productivity and wellness. We are a leader in sustainability, health, and wellness in office spaces and are pioneers in the optimization of the tenant and employee experience. ESRT's strategies and technologies allow employees to return to the office with confidence," said Dana Robbins Schneider, SVP of Energy, Sustainability and ESG at ESRT. "Our Fitwel certifications reinforce ESRT leadership and commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards leadership."

For over a decade, ESRT has consistently ensured the highest quality of the in-building experience for its employees and tenants. A leader in the energy efficiency and sustainability domain, ESRT is a recent recipient of the GRESB 5 Star Rating, widely recognized as the most rigorous standard for the sustainability performance of real estate companies and their funds. ESRT announced that in its first year of submission to GRESB, the company received the highest possible GRESB 5 Star Rating and Green Star recognition. With a score of 88 in the 2020 GRESB Real Estate Assessment, ESRT's achievement places the company in the top 20% of all respondents. 

ESRT is also the first commercial real estate portfolio in the U.S. to achieve the WELL Health-Safety Rating, an evidence-based, third-party verified rating for all facility types focused on operational policies, maintenance protocols, emergency plans, and stakeholder education to address a COVID-19 environment now and broader health and safety-related issues into the future.

Joanna Frank, President, and CEO of CfAD stated, "We are excited to welcome ESRT as a Fitwel Champion and congratulate ESRT on certification across many of their assets, including the world-famous Empire State Building. ESRT has long been an industry leader with great influence, and this successful implementation of Fitwel across their existing assets brings greater awareness to the critical area of health and wellness, providing inspiration for the entire commercial real estate industry."

About Empire State Realty Trust
Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ESRT) owns, manages, operates, acquires and repositions office and retail properties in Manhattan and the greater New York metropolitan area, including the Empire State Building, the "World's Most Famous Building." ESRT is a leader in energy efficiency in the built environment and sustainability and is the first commercial real estate portfolio in the U.S. to achieve the WELL Health-Safety Rating, an evidence-based, third-party verified rating for all facility types, focused on operational policies, maintenance protocols, emergency plans and stakeholder education to address a COVID-19 environment now and broader health and safety-related issues into the future.

In its first year of submission, ESRT has earned the highest possible GRESB 5 Star Rating and Green Star recognition, and score of 88, in the 2020 GRESB Real Estate Assessment, an achievement that places ESRT in the top 20% of all respondents.  GRESB is recognized globally as a rigorous standard widely recognized as one of the best measures of sustainability performance of real estate companies and funds.

The Company's office and retail portfolio covers 10.1 million rentable square feet, as of  September 30, 2020, consisting of 9.4 million rentable square feet in 14 office properties, including nine in Manhattan, three in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and two in Westchester County, New York; and approximately 700,000 rentable square feet in the retail portfolio. 

About Fitwel and the Center for Active Design
In just three years, Fitwel has become the leading global health certification system, seeing a dramatic uptick in use, with 80% growth in certifications annually. Generated by expert analysis of over 5,600 academic research studies, Fitwel is implementing a vision for a healthier future where all buildings and communities are enhanced to strengthen health and well-being. Fitwel was created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. General Services Administration. The Center for Active Design, a global not-for-profit organization, was selected as the licensed operator of Fitwel, charged with expanding Fitwel to the global market.

SOURCE Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.