First in the Baltics: Hero Business Centre Receives Highest WELL Platinum Certification

Hero, a business centre located in Vilnius’ central business district, has received international WELL certification, achieving its highest rating – WELL Platinum. Developed by real estate company Realco, Hero has become the first building in the Baltic States to receive WELL certification. The certification recognises more than the building’s technical quality – it assesses how the environment created within it affects the health, well-being and everyday comfort of the people who work there.

Hero had been pursuing WELL certification since the very beginning of the project’s development, initially aiming for the Gold level. However, the final independent assessment showed that the solutions implemented met even higher requirements, earning the business centre the highest WELL Platinum rating.“The quality of a modern office is determined not only by its architecture or technical solutions, but also by how people feel there every day. That is why, when developing Hero, we considered from the outset how to create an environment that helps people feel well throughout the working day – one that provides high-quality air and lighting, encourages movement and offers opportunities to rest and briefly step away from work. The WELL standard helped us turn these ambitions into specific, measurable criteria, while the highest Platinum rating confirms that we chose the right direction and followed through on it consistently,” says Gintarė Žemaitė, Head of Commercial Real Estate Development at Realco.

Assessing More Than What Can Be Seen

What sets WELL apart from many conventional building sustainability standards is its focus on people and their well-being. Mindaugas Mikolainis, Head of Greenbalt, building certification company and an accredited WELL assessor and expert, emphasises that the WELL standard, which is grounded in scientific and health principles, focuses not only on physical health but also on productivity and people’s psychological and emotional well-being.

The certification assesses ten areas: air, water, nourishment, light, movement, thermal comfort, acoustics, materials used in construction, mental well-being and integration into the environment. The solutions implemented are evaluated using a points-based system, with a maximum score of 100. Under the current WELL system, four certification levels are awarded: Bronze from 40 points, Silver from 50, Gold from 60, and the highest level, Platinum, from at least 80 points.

According to M. Mikolainis, the WELL standard is already widely adopted around the world, with more than 100,000 commercial and residential properties across 131 countries currently participating in WELL programmes. Before Hero received its certification, five real estate projects in the Baltic States had been registered for WELL certification – four in Lithuania and one in Latvia – but none had yet completed the certification process.

The assessment is not limited to a building’s design or documentation. According to M. Mikolainis, to ensure impartiality, compliance with the WELL standard is verified by independent third-party professionals appointed by WELL. As part of the WELL Core Platinum assessment, measurements were carried out in the building’s common areas, while air and water samples were collected for laboratory testing. Construction and finishing materials used in the building that may directly affect indoor air quality are also assessed.

Employees may not be consciously aware of many of these factors, yet together they shape the everyday office experience – influencing whether the environment is comfortable to work in and whether it makes it easier to focus, move, rest and feel well.

From Air Quality to Opportunities to Move During the Working Day

At Hero, the WELL standard is reflected both in technical solutions and in shared spaces and everyday amenities.

Considerable attention has been paid to air and water quality, comfortable indoor temperatures, and both natural and artificial lighting. The building’s spaces have been designed to make the greatest possible use of natural daylight.

Other solutions are intended not only to make working at a desk comfortable, but also to encourage people to step away from it. Hero’s rooftop features a terrace with a 300-metre running track as well as spaces for relaxation and active leisure. It also includes an urban garden with a natural sedum meadow, landscaped greenery and a community garden where employees can plant and grow edible plants and herbs.

“The building features staircases designed to encourage people to choose the stairs instead of lifts, convenient infrastructure for those arriving by bicycle or scooter, as well as showers and changing facilities. Greenery and relaxation areas are intended to naturally create opportunities to change surroundings during the working day,” says the Realco representative.

M. Mikolainis notes that the benefits of WELL principles are also supported by research and the experience of already certified offices, where lower employee stress and turnover, better sleep quality, improved physical and emotional well-being, greater job satisfaction, attentiveness and productivity have been recorded.

Not a One-Time Award

The WELL Platinum rating is not a one-time achievement – a certified project must continue to comply with the established requirements. M. Mikolainis explains that indoor environmental and water quality measurements will continue to be carried out periodically. To maintain WELL Core certification, quality parameters relating to air, water and thermal comfort in the building’s common areas will have to be submitted at least once a year. Recertification is also carried out every three years, reassessing whether the building continues to perform in line with the standards set for health and well-being.

According to Realco’s Head of Commercial Real Estate Development, this is particularly important for the companies based in Hero. For employers, it also creates additional value by helping them build an attractive workplace and attract and retain employees – when people feel good in an office, they are more inclined to return to it and spend time there. G. Žemaitė says that today, as companies compete not only for customers but also for employees, a high-quality working environment is becoming an increasingly important part of the employer value proposition.

“For us, this is not the finish line. The building is already operating, so what matters most now is that people experience the benefits of these solutions every day and that their quality is maintained over the long term. I also hope that the first WELL certification in the Baltic States will raise the bar for the entire market. For a long time, when assessing what makes a good office, the focus was primarily on location, energy efficiency or architecture. Today, another priority is taking its place alongside them – how people actually feel inside the building,” emphasizes the Realco representative.

Hero has also achieved the highest BREEAM certification rating, Outstanding, supporting the building’s high standards of sustainability, energy efficiency, responsible use of resources and building operation.

Realco is one of the largest real estate development companies in Lithuania. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the company develops residential, public and commercial projects distinguished by high quality, innovative solutions and a strong focus on customer needs, both in Lithuania and abroad.