Designed and owned by Shangwen Chiu Kennedy MArch/MLAUD ’05, the Inn at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, CA, is the first hospitality project in the world to be recognized with WELL Certification, which it achieved at the Platinum level. Chiu Kennedy worked with WELL consultant Chloé Lauer MUP ’04 on the certification process. The WELL Building Standard is “a performance-based system for measuring, certifying, and monitoring features of the built environment that impact human health and wellbeing, through air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind.”

“As an urban designer, property developer and entrepreneur, I’m committed to creating sustainable housing-community living environments that enhance the quality of life and well-being of their occupants,” said Chiu Kennedy in a recent article. “When we purchased the Inn at Moonlight Beach [in 2016], knowing that it would require a major remodel, I jumped at the opportunity to implement the standard on this property. It was then a surprise to learn that no other hotels had yet pursued the standard in earnest. Apparently someone needed to lead the way.”

“One of the most exciting aspects of the project is how many people will be exposed to the WELL Standard via the Inn,” said Lauer. “When people stay at the Inn, they immediately experience an ‘exhale.’ There is a sense of peace and serenity that is palpable throughout the site, and guests wonder what created that experience. WELL is a foundational element, to be sure, and something that the Innkeepers and Owner are sure to point out as they welcome guests and show them the property.”

Chiu Kennedy and Lauer met at the GSD in Professor Alex Krieger’s China studio (fall 2003) and later became closer friends while both living and working in San Francisco. They studied together to become WELL APs in 2016 and worked closely with The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) on a custom scorecard for the project as the hospitality vertical was not yet established.

Image provided.