Access4you and WELL 

The WELL Building Standard’s feature C13 requires properties to integrate universal design and wayfinding principles to accommodate diverse needs and create a more inclusive environment. Real estate segments achieving Access4you Bronze Certification can earn points in the WELL Standard’s Community concept feature C13 about Accessibility and Universal Design. This serves as an example of Alternative Adherence Paths (APP) - a formal request for approval and technical guidance to use an alternative strategy to comply with a specific feature. 

The project must consider best practices in universal design to accommodate a diverse range of disabilities and needs by implementing at a minimum one strategy in each of the following categories:

• Physical access
• Developmental and intellectual health, including sensory requirements of people who are neurodiverse
• Wayfinding
• Policies and programs
• Technology
• Safety

In case of the Access4you Bronze Certification, the minimum requirements are met, and the main functions and services can be used by 

• The wheelchair users, the people with disabilities group
• By at least one type of visually disabled group (blind or visually impaired)
• By one type of hearing-impaired group (deaf or hard of hearing)
• And by one other group



Webinar for more inclusive real estate 

We organized a joint webinar with IWBI and attendees joining from the UK, Portugal, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Italy, Turkey, Spain, Switzerland, Netherlands, CEE region, Kenya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia could learn from a panel discussion on how to build more inclusive real estate with the help of industry leaders. This perspective is key in understanding how inclusive real estate is currently being transformed from a vision into a measurable global standard.

As a leading voice in advancing health and well-being in buildings globally, Ann Marie Aguilar, Senior Vice President, EMEA, UK at IWBI, shared more about Version 2 of WELL Certification and its main structural changes compared to Version 1. She explained the most important values present from the beginning and detailed how accessibility is featured in the system.

Crystal Jones, Senior Analyst—Global Market Development EMEA, UK at IWBI, provided insight into the C13 feature. She explained how difficult it is for clients to achieve, what requirements buildings must fulfill for that, and the integration process of Access4you into this section.

Amit Anafi, Head of ESG & Sustainability at Il Prisma, Italy, has been one of Access4you’s key Accredited Professionals in Italy. As a WELL Accredited Partner, he shared trends and his experiences regarding accessibility in Italy. He explained how integrating Access4you into the WELL system benefits him when working on WELL projects and why Il Prisma partnered with our company.

As one of our earliest clients and accessibility evangelists in Hungary, Gábor Radványi, Chief Architect and Chief Sustainability Officer at Futureal, shared trends and his experiences regarding accessibility in the country. He explained Futureal’s motivations for shooting not lower than Access4you Gold Certification. We could learn how they see the value and contribution of the Certification and the Score to property owners and real estate developers.

The panel was moderated by Tamás Méri, our Co-founder & CBDO.