Peking University, April 8, 2021: Peking University HSBC Business School’s (PHBS) building recently passed the independent third-party verification of the International WELL Building Research Institute (IWBI), becoming the first academic institution in China to receive the WELL Health-Safety Rating (WELL HSR) certification.

The WELL Health-Safety Rating covers five core areas, including cleaning and sanitization procedures, emergency preparedness programs, health service resources, air and water quality management, and stakeholder engagement and communication.

To meet the high standards of the WELL HSR, the school building management team adopted strategies concerned with operational policies and maintenance protocols, and implemented relevant measures to support health and well-being of our staff, visitors and other stakeholders.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the team has made great efforts, including measures such as the provision of air purifiers and instant hand sanitizers, to guarantee the safety of faculty, staff and students. After obtaining the WELL HSR certification, it also adopted new health and safety protection measures for the building, including upgrading sanitation as well as cleaning facilities and regularly checking indoor air quality.

With a construction area of nearly 60,000 km², the PHBS building has multiple offices, many classrooms, a grand lecture hall, a financial lab and a media lab, and is able to accommodate more than 3000 faculty and students at the same time. It was designed to be environmentally friendly by using green technologies such as low-radiation glass walls, variable frequency air conditioners, and intelligent lighting.

Air quality evaluation

Prior to the WELL HSR, the building was given the “outstanding designs” award by American School & University Magazine (AS&U) in its August issue, 2017. This magazine focuses on reports and research on the design, construction and maintenance of education facilities in schools and universities. PHBS also obtained LEED EBOM V3 platinum certification in 2017. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an internationally renowned green building certification system. Commented PHBS Dean Hai, “PHBS should not only shoulder the responsibility to impart knowledge and educate, but also to play a leading role in key societal issues such as environmental protection."