Samantha Brown '24 Examines Real Estate Development and WELL Building Standards

On Friday, June 2, MBS junior Samantha Brown ’24 presented a full-year Independent Study project on real estate development and the financial impact of WELL building design standards.

The WELL Building Standard is a roadmap for creating and certifying spaces that advance human health and wellbeing. In her presentation, Samantha demonstrated how updating a property to meet health credentials can increase an investor’s profits. In the case study she presented, she gave an example of how a local investor could implement WELL design into their existing properties and yield a 10 percent greater return on investment. 

For her Independent Study, Samantha worked with MBS Art & Design teacher Matt Martino, who was a practicing architect for 12 years specializing in the design of educational, commercial and mixed-use projects.

The Independent Studies Program at MBS has grown significantly since its inception in 2007. The program offers motivated and high-achieving students the opportunity to work with expert faculty in delving deeply into an area of interest. The student’s strong commitment is translated into projects that demonstrate active learning, creativity, intellectual curiosity and the ability to work on one’s own.

The Independent Study Program encourages students to expand their intellectual curiosity and explore an intellectual area in depth, under the guidance of a selected faculty member with a special expertise or interest in the field.