Twin brothers Peter and Paul Scialla want to redesign your office building, to improve your health and make you a better, happier worker. And now they have more than $150 million in investments to help them do it.
The brothers’ company, a New York-based startup called Delos, received recent cash infusions totaling over $108 million from an asset firm owned by Bill Gates, a Hong Kong investor, and from Jeff Vinik, owner of the National Hockey League’s Tampa Lightning. The brothers had already raised $50 million, according to Bloomberg.
Delos has created a manual with guidelines for creating healthier buildings and work spaces called “The Well Building Standard,” and offers companies consulting services in administering and implementing the standards, as well as a venture arm for investing in green building technologies. The guidelines are modeled after the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, which has already certified 4.6 billion square feet of commercial property to its green standards.
Designing working and living spaces with public health in mind is an increasing trend in architecture and construction. Prior to starting Delos, the Scialla brothers marketed luxury condominiums in Manhattan featuring health-oriented living for clients including famed wellness guru Deepak Chopra.
Now the brothers have moved from building development to wellness consulting, hoping to cash in on their expertise in healthy design. Registering a building with their International Well Building Institute can cost up to $10,000, following a certification process they offer for between eight and twenty-three cents per square foot.
The brothers say that builders representing 20 million square feet of real estate have requested their services, and they hope to work with a group that is planning a $2 billion project in Tampa.