We set out to determine the impact of COVID-19 on demand for healthy buildings and what implications the sector’s response might have for future real estate investment decisions. This report captures the insights of an international sampling of real estate investors representing USD $5.75 trillion total AUM.

Coordinated by BentallGreenOak (BGO), the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) and the Center for Active Design (CfAD), the study defines healthy buildings as those optimized for occupant health and safety through a mix of siting, design, and operational strategies that measurably improve physical, social, and mental health indicators.

The report reveals how COVID-19 has elevated the importance of health in investment decision-making and how respondents intend to enhance their wellness-related asset management strategies in the coming year. It also outlines three major recommendations for how the sector might better incorporate health and wellness initiatives into its ESG strategies.