IMMUNE Building Standard™, implemented in educational buildings. St. Catherine’s British School in Athens becomes the world’s first IMMUNE™ certified educational institution

The IMMUNE Building Standard™, developed to attenuate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, continues to extend its global reach that started in 2020. After offices, industrial and residential assets, the certification launched at the initiative of Genesis Property, a leading member of the European Property Federation, now also covers educational institutions buildings.

St. Catherine’s British School, an international school located in northern Athens, Greece, obtained the highest certification level of the IMMUNE Building Standard™, becoming the first certified educational institution in the world.

The school achieved the label IMMUNE™ – Resilient, scoring 5 stars out of 5, following the successful implementation of a large majority of measures included in the IMMUNE™ Assessment Scoring Index, an evaluation tool developed by Genesis Property. The building now has enhanced air filtration systems and benefits from strengthened sanitation in essential areas such as the main entrance, lifts, stairwells, door touch plates and handles. Moreover, automatic hand sanitizers were installed in the main entrance and lobbies on each floor.

“We are proud to receive this certification which emphasizes a key priority to enabling a healthy environment for our whole community, especially our staff and students. It is our responsibility to create a greener setting and future for our future generations and this certification validates our vision and mission in action”, stated Stuart Smith, the CEO and Headteacher of St. Catherine’s British School.

Established in 1956 on the grounds of the British Embassy in Athens, St. Catherine’s teaches over 1,300 students, aged 3 to 18 years, from 54 nationalities. The school is a COBIS Executive Member (Council of British International Schools), an HMC School (Head) and an IBO World School (International Baccalaureate). St. Catherine’s British School has outstanding teaching and recreational facilities, including a 350-seat theater, state-of the art science laboratories, a design technology Fablab and much more. Moreover, the classrooms are equipped with interactive smart board technology and Wi-Fi is available throughout the entire school.

”This new milestone for IMMUNE Building Standard^™ reflects a strong commitment in creating healthier built environments for the future and proves the versatility and adaptability of the standard. We support safe education and believe that it is our responsibility to engage and unlock the potential of future generations. Achieving the highest level, 5 stars out of 5, St. Catherine’s demonstrates the commitment to transform the educational institution into the best place for children to nurture their innovative spirit and creativity”, said Liviu Tudor, founder of Genesis Property and president of the European Property Federation.

IMMUNE™ is based on a practical investment in a Healthy by Design System (HbDS),whichempowers building operators to verify and adjust the condition of the building to a healthy performance level, and thus providing occupants with the space and confidence for a healthy experience.

Every IMMUNE™ certified building incorporates advanced technologies, specialized equipment, and dedicated personnel such as an IMMUNE™ Steward, to manage the building’s operations and health parameters, as recommended. The standard is based on an IMMUNE™ Assessment Scoring Index comprising 130+ measures recommended for implementation in buildings that include technical solutions for architectural engineering, technology, and design.

An independent authorized building assessor performs the evaluation and recommends a property to become IMMUNE™ – certified by the Healthy by Design Building Institute with one of the three labels: Strong (3 stars), Powerful (4 stars) or Resilient (5 stars).

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About IMMUNE Building Standard™

IMMUNE Building Standard™, an innovative global standard that certifies the resilience of buildings to health threats such as the Covid-19 pandemic, was launched in 2020 by Genesis Property, a leader in Class A office development in Romania, with almost 20 years of experience in the real estate industry. Genesis Property owns and operates over 150,000 square meters of prime commercial real estate space for blue-chip clients such as HP, Accenture, Societe Generale, Ericsson, Garanti BBVA, Infineon, Luxoft, Siemens and Alpha Bank, where more than 20,000 employees work.

Through IMMUNE™, the company aims to contribute sustainably to the creation of the healthy buildings of the future. Designed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this standard is inspired by advanced technologies and procedures successfully used in medical institutions and research facilities and adapted for use in commercial real estate.immune-building.com

About St. Catherine’s British School 

St Catherine’s British School has created an environment that respects all cultures, promotes excellence and happiness, and encourages all students to reach their full potential, with the aim of developing lifelong learners and responsible global citizens. With a history of over 65 years of teaching and learning, the school now balances long-term local students with international students from around the world. Due to its academic excellence, St. Catherine’s is the first-choice school for most local and international families who want for their children a first-class British education within an international context.

The school follows a curriculum that is closely based on the National Curriculum of England and Wales between the ages of 5 and 16 years, with all students being taught English, Mathematics, Science, ICT, Physical Education and one of four Modern Languages. In addition, there is a range of creative and humanities subjects delivered within the different Key Stages. For the final two years all students can study for the full IB Diploma and a range of subjects are available in the six Diploma subject groups.