The Boro Developer Earns Top Score in Country for Viral Response

The Meridian Group earned a viral response certification with the highest score in the country to date since the Fitwel healthy building certifications system launched in July.

The real estate firm behind The Boro development in Tysons announced on Jan. 14 that it received a 99 out of 100 rating from Fitwel for the policies and practices it has put in place to mitigate the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19 in its buildings.

“During an unprecedented time in real estate and the world, we are honored to be recognized for our innovative efforts to optimize safe environments in our buildings,” Meridian Group Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer Mark King said. “We are dedicated to — and 100% focused on — the health, safety and well-being of all our buildings’ tenants and visitors.”

Based in Bethesda, Md., the Meridian Group owns the Tysons Technology Center office complex in Vienna as well as The Boro.

Meridian says it partnered with the sustainability and green building consulting firm Paladino and Company — a tenant of The Boro — to develop indoor air-quality testing and monitoring protocols, personal protective equipment guidelines, plans for surface hygiene stations and contagious disease outbreak preparedness, and enhanced cleaning, disinfecting, and maintenance procedures.

According to a press release from Meridian, Paladino provided oversight, quality control, and technical advice, while also managing the real estate company’s submission to the Center for Active Design, the nonprofit organization that operates Fitwel.

Fitwel was originally created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the General Services Administration to set industry standards for healthy building environments and viral mitigation policies.

The third-party certification system launched a viral response module last year to address the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative was developed by real estate companies with input from a Fitwel Academic Advisory Group of public health experts.

The CDC remains involved with Fitwel as its research and evaluation partner, according to the Center for Active Design.

“Addressing health and mitigating viral transfer is one example of how we must respond to the new realities of potential pandemics,” Paladino and Company Managing Director Katie Rothenberg said. “Fortunately, there is so much we can do to promote health and transparency in buildings where we live and work.”

Photo courtesy The Meridian Group