Deerns is delighted to announce that two of our health and wellbeing team members were honoured at this year’s prestigious IWBI Awards!
Gala Fombella Shuckburgh, Senior Sustainability and Wellness Consultant, and Lorena Montenegro, Senior Sustainability, Wellbeing Consultant, were recognised for supporting Deerns’ clients to adopt the WELL framework for their portfolios and assets.
Gala received the Adoption of WELL Award, which is given to accredited professionals who are advancing the global adoption of WELL. Lorena received the Rising Star Award, awarded to accredited professionals who have exhibited strong passion in their field.
The IWBI (International WELL Building Institute) Awards recognise outstanding achievements in the design, development, and implementation of building projects that prioritise health and wellbeing according to the WELL principles. The awards took place at the WELLference Madrid 2024, which was dedicated to exploring WELL certification for the Spanish market.
Uniting Sustainability and Wellbeing
Gala, an architect who focuses on bioclimatic architecture and sustainable construction, understood the potential for health and wellbeing standards when WELL was established in 2015 and began to gain traction.
“Through my work, I seek to unite sustainability, caring for the planet, with wellbeing, caring for people,” says Gala. “I think there is a close alignment between WELL and the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework. Defining the social component of ESG can present challenges in terms of measuring specific measures. I think that this is an area where WELL can significantly contribute and fulfil a meaningful role.
“The WELL framework has evolved over the years to respond to building digitisation and Smart buildings. Deerns has excellent examples of how buildings can incorporate WELL ambitions and contribute towards healthy building strategies.”
As well as several large-scale office buildings in Madrid currently under certification, Gala and her team have worked on:
- Growth, Mutua Madrileña in Madrid, which achieved a WELL Gold Certification in 2022, and
- Dgarden 662 in Barcelona, which was WELL Silver certified in 2023.
Enabling open communications
Lorena is a WELL and LEED accredited professional and BREEAM NL expert with a track record in building physics and energy performance in buildings.
In addition to currently pursuing WELL at scale for a global semiconductor company across 25 buildings, Lorena and her team are workingon the certification and recertification of:
- Kantoor Borghese Real Estate & Pleijsier Bouw, which received WELL Gold and BREEAM Outstanding certifications.
- Danone Netherlands HQ, which was WELL Gold certified in 2022.Asics Europe B.V., which obtained a WELL Gold certified in 2020.
Lorena explains, “WELL fosters open communication among building owners, policy makers, and operational staff, prompting discussions on how buildings will function post-construction and in favour of occupants. This unique approach to communication encourages a focus on health and wellbeing throughout the operational phase, marking a significant departure from conventional methods.”
Towards a better Future for All
Deerns is extremely proud of Gala and Lorena’s commitment to continued leadership in creating people-first places. Their recognition as part of this year’s impressive cohort of IWBI Award winners underscores our teams’ dedication to supporting our clients in their WELL, ESG and sustainability journeys.