LAST WORD
PAUL SCIALLA
US real estate developer Delos has created the fi rst set of building standards based on health and wellbeing. Katie Barnes talks to founder Paul Scialla about pioneering a whole new way of building
I
n late November 2013, actor Leonardo DiCaprio invested in Delos, the US real estate company that has created the fi rst building rating system focused not just on the environment but also on human health and wellness. DiCaprio also became an advisor to the board. The company combines medi- cal research and architectural and engineering advancements in living environments, and has created homes in Greenwich Village, New York, featur- ing more than 500 wellness features. As well as the homes in New
York, Delos has completed a num- ber of other projects, including a Stay Well®room at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, and has several more in the pipeline. Here founder Paul Scialla explains the concept.
How was the idea for Delos born? Around fi ve years ago, I started getting interested in this notion of sustain- ability and real estate. Lots of great things had gone on in green building and I wondered if we could push the envelope so the focus wasn’t only on environmental sustainability, but also on human or biological sustainability. The fact is we spend 92 per cent of our time indoors, so if we can
The Well Building Standard™ The Well Building Standard™ is a framework based on seven design categories such as good quality air, water and light. These impact on 12 domains of health, ranging from immune and sleep health to emo- tional and cognitive function. The standards are designed to sit in line with existing green building certifi ca- tions and can be applied to homes, offi ces, public buildings and hotels.
DiCaprio is said to have bought one of Delos' New York residences
introduce preventative medical inten- tions into the very spaces that we’re spending our time in, it’s a huge win.
How did you persuade so many leading architects, designers, doctors and scientists to get on board? Luckily the story sells itself. Everyone we speak to wants to get involved – this is an obvious way to fi nally deliver preventative medicine in a passive way to people on a daily basis. We wanted to offer an evidence- based approach. With half of these things you can touch or feel them, but the other half are working on your body without you necessarily realising it.
You converted your own home to trial the concept. What benefi ts did you see? Since completing the renovation, my energy levels are through the roof, I’ve rarely been sick and my sleeping patterns have never been better.
Are Delos developments just for celeb- rities and the high end market? Everyone cares about their own health. We carried out extensive demographic studies early on to assess our target
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categories, demand and potential pre- miums. We found that what we were offering appealed, and had signifi cant value, to every single person regard- less of gender, age or income level.
The apartments cost US$4,000 per square foot. Do you think that is expensive? It's not expensive based on current New York City real estate prices. Plus, when you think about having a home that’s working on your body 24 hours a day, we think it’s worth the price.
Why are you so confi dent Delos will be a success?
Real estate is the largest asset class in the world – it’s worth US$150 tril- lion [E111tn, £91tn] – and we’re looking to combine that with one of the fastest growing and, arguably, one of the most important industries in the world: health and wellness. More than US$2 trillion [E1.5tn, £1.2tn] a year is spent on preventa- tive medical intervention, so, for Delos, there’s a massive economic play. ●
This interviewed fi rst appeared in Spa Business, Issue 1, 2014
ISSUE 2 2014 © cybertrek 2014
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