Moda Living secures its second three-star Fitwel certification for its first Birmingham neighbourhood – Moda, The Mercian. The scheme will be open for reservations in the coming weeks, with the neighbourhood due to open its doors in May. The three-star accreditation from Fitwel, the world’s leading certification system for healthy buildings and communities is a first for Birmingham – and is one of the first to be granted to a residential building in Europe.
The Fitwel accreditation was secured by a dedicated team made up of representatives from Moda Living, investors Harrison Street and Apache Capital, and consultancy DLC Europe. The team worked throughout the development to ensure every element of The Mercian neighbourhood embodied their philosophy of health and wellbeing – from its good walking routes due to its central location to optimal conditions throughout both its shared and private living spaces.
“Health and wellbeing is at the core of Moda’s business, so ensuring our buildings are healthy places that support and encourage wellness-focused lifestyles is absolutely paramount to what we do. We are committed to making healthy living achievable for all of our residents.
“We are thrilled to have secured our second 3* Fitwel accreditation at Moda, The Mercian. We can’t wait to welcome our first residents to the neighbourhood this spring so they can enjoy the benefits of all the hard work that’s gone into making sure The Mercian is the healthiest place to live in Birmingham.”
Richard Smith, Managing Director at Moda’s operational developments
From the design of the homes to the state-of-the-art resident amenities, Moda, The Mercian was developed with health and wellbeing at its core – including health-promoting design and operational strategies. The scheme was designed to promote and facilitate a healthy lifestyle for its residents, as part of Moda’s commitment to maximising the wellbeing of its residents and team members.
“Moda continues to lead by example by prioritising the health of their residents through Fitwel. We commend their commitment to protect building occupant health as they implement research-based strategies to promote the mental, physical, and emotional well-being of their residents.”
Joanna Frank, President and CEO of the Center for Active Design, which operates the Fitwel healthy building certification program
The neighbourhood’s premium features raise the bar for community and fitness in the rental sector. The scheme includes a 200m rooftop running track – the first in Birmingham – with views over the city centre. There is also a 24/7 gym furnished with the latest exercise equipment and technology, along with access to personal trainers and wellness experts and bookable gym and studio spaces.
“It is testament to the focus on ESG and health and wellbeing that Moda, The Mercian has achieved this three-star Fitwel score following the initial success at Moda, The McEwan in Edinburgh last year. This accolade illustrates the hard work which has been undertaken by the teams in securing the highest Fitwell score available coupled with the intrinsic focus on health and wellbeing through extensive on-site amenities including a 200m roof top running track Moda, The Mercian offers its future residents.”
Jamie Snary, Executive Director – Asset Management and Operations, Apache Capital
Designed to foster communities and combat loneliness, other amenities include lounges with panoramic views over Birmingham, a rooftop garden, and over 30,000 sq ft of commercial space on the ground floor for a selection of complementary businesses and services. Moda, The Mercian was designed to allow residents to work flexibly – and the development includes co-working stations and bookable meeting spaces, bringing a whole new meaning to working from home.
The building’s 481 new Build to Rent homes include a mix of spacious studios, one, two and three bedroom apartments. The walls’ sound proofing are five decibels above the required levels, which provides a calm and quiet living environment. Through a partnership with Utopi, environment sensors monitor humidity, temperature, light levels and air quality.
“We are delighted that Moda, The Mercian has achieved this three-star Fitwell rating which underlines the asset’s strong ESG credentials and focus on health and wellbeing of its future residents. We invest into assets that combine ESG criteria with the delivery of investment performance. The platform of Grade A Build to Rent assets which we have invested into with Apache Capital and Harrison Street meet these criteria perfectly.”
Tom Bostock, Investment Manager, NFU Mutual
Moda is no stranger to achieving excellence with Fitwel, as the developer-operator has had two of its neighbourhoods previously recognised with impressive Fitwel scoring. In June 2021, Moda, The McEwan in Edinburgh became the first residential building in Europe to achieve three-star Fitwel certification – setting the benchmark for all future Moda Living Build to Rent neighbourhoods.
“We are privileged to work with such dynamic investors, developers and contractors to achieve this prestigious three-star certificate, Fitwel’s highest award. Only 8% of all global Fitwel certifications are awarded three stars, which truly demonstrates the quality of Moda, The Mercian.”
David Lawrence, Owner, DLC Europe
