Bala Consulting Engineers Awarded WELL Certifiedtm Gold Level for New Philadelphia Headquarters

Bala Consulting Engineers, Inc. ("Bala") announced that their new 21,500 sq. ft. Philadelphia headquarters located at 1285 Drummers Lane in Wayne, PA is WELL Certifiedtm to the Gold level by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBItm). This prestigious distinction was granted through IWBI's WELL Building Standard (WELL), which is the premier building standard to focus on enhancing people's health and wellness through the buildings where we live, work and play. To be awarded WELL Certification by IWBI, Bala's office underwent rigorous testing and a final evaluation carried out by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), which is the third-party certification body for WELL, to ensure it met all WELL Certified Gold performance requirements. Bala is the first engineering firm in Pennsylvania to achieve WELL Gold certification.

Starting in 2021, Bala surveyed employees often to understand the wellness factors and on-site amenities they needed to thrive when they returned to the office after the pandemic. The final office design for the 100% in-office workforce fully reflects the needs that employees conveyed. Most of these considerations aligned with WELL's ten categories ? Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, Thermal Comfort, Sound, Materials, Mind and Community. The new office opened in April 2023.

Bala engaged its own team of MEP/FP, structures, technology, sustainability and WELL-certified experts to inform the space design with the firm's architect, Meyer. Bala's new office uses the latest technologies and sustainability practices for AV, climate, air quality, and sound monitoring. Additionally, the firm has embraced future-forward methodologies by creating a fully functional Digital Twin of the office to enable constant monitoring of internal conditions. This ensures optimal system performance as designed throughout the life of the space. All of this is combined with open layouts that bring the outdoors inside and inspires flexible gathering, collaboration and recreation while still providing employee privacy and a sense of space ownership.

"When Bala's leadership formulated our post-pandemic return-to-office strategy, it was paramount that we directly engage with our employees to fully understand what would make them feel safe and promote a healthy work environment," said Kimberly Burkert, CEO of Bala Consulting Engineers. "We married their needs with our team's engineering expertise to develop a beautiful space that continues to evolve with new technologies and expanded sustainability practices. WELL Gold certification was a goal from the onset, and we are proud to have met this respected standard. That said, we are most gratified by seeing our employees connecting with each other and the renewed camaraderie we get to see in the office every day."

About Bala

Bala Consulting Engineers has been at the forefront of providing critical and technologically advanced engineering services for more than 40 years. Bala is a dynamic growth-oriented company, built on relationships with our clients, staff, and industry partners. Our breadth of engineering, commissioning and consulting experience for corporate, data center, education, high-rise, healthcare, life science and multi-unit housing projects has resulted in improved returns on investment, better performing buildings and optimal user experiences. Headquartered in Philadelphia, and with offices from Boston to Washington DC, our staff of over 200 engineers, designers and support personnel are licensed to practice in 43 states and have completed projects both nationally and internationally. For more information, visit us at bala.com.

EDITORS NOTE: Office images and a full list of featured WELL elements is available upon request.