Blog & Insights
Our common thread
Practitioner perspectives, certified project outcomes, and honest analysis of what social equity in the built environment looks like in practice.
News SEAM expands executive leadership team to accelerate growth and operational scale
SEAM, Inc. appoints a Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing Officer, signaling the organization's next phase of operational maturity as it scales certification and the AP credential worldwide.
The Standard Pursuing LEED? That gives you a head start in SEAM Certification
SEAM has developed a crosswalk mapping three LEED Social Equity Pilot Credits to specific SEAM activities — showing where your LEED efforts translate into a head start within SEAM Certification.
Practitioner Perspectives Community engagement usually starts in the wrong place
Most community engagement in CRE happens after the design is locked. SEAM's Impacted Party Engagement framework flips the sequence — consult communities before designs finalize.
Practitioner Perspectives Why I left JLL to work on SEAM full time
Rainey Shane shares the personal journey from volunteering on child rescue missions to founding a social equity certification for commercial real estate — and why she left JLL to lead it.
The Standard Why is measuring the S in ESG still so hard?
The sustainability field has tried to measure social impact using tools built for environmental performance. SEAM takes a different approach — rooted in social science methodology and logic models.
Certified Projects What 'The Jack' teaches us about human-centric real estate
When Urban Visions set out to certify The Jack in Seattle's Pioneer Square, there was no SEAM playbook. They helped us write one — and the lessons are worth sharing with every developer serious about the people their buildings affect.
The Standard What Is AP Certification? And Why Does Social Equity in Real Estate Need One?
LEED, WELL, and GRESB pushed the industry toward better environmental performance and healthier spaces. The SEAM AP credential is purpose-built for what those programs were never designed to address: social equity.
News The Jack achieves world's first SEAM Certification
Urban Visions' The Jack in Seattle's Pioneer Square earns Bronze O+M: Developer certification — the first building in the world to achieve SEAM Certification, with input from more than 1,000 community members.
News SEAM launches the AP credential: empowering real estate to champion people-centered practices
SEAM, Inc. has unveiled the SEAM Accredited Professionals program, enabling practitioners worldwide to guide developers, property owners, and occupiers through the certification framework.
In the Press Social Equity in Commercial Real Estate with Rainey Shane of SEAM
Rainey Shane joins the Green Healthy Places Podcast to discuss social equity in the built environment, the sustainability standard landscape, human-centered design, and the role of social equity in the real estate supply chain.
The Standard Unlocking ROI: The ROSSI™ Calculator — Your Key to Justifying Social Equity Investments
Project owners want to know their return on investment in social equity. The ROSSI™ Calculator bridges the gap between social sustainability strategies and financial performance in less than 20 questions.
News Meet the trailblazers supporting the movement to embed social equity in the built environment
SEAM announces the formation of our inaugural Crosswalks Technical Advisory Group, a cohort of volunteers shaping standards and developing crosswalks between SEAM and other building certification systems.
In the Press Why I Created SEAM: The Social Equity Assessment Tool
Rainey Shane’s background in law enforcement and experience leading rescue missions from forced labour led her on a mission for better equity and social justice in the real estate industry and beyond.
The Standard Tools to eliminate embodied suffering from the building materials supply chain
A look at the tools and frameworks — including SEAM Certification — that the industry can use to address forced labor, human trafficking, and unethical practices embedded in building material supply chains.
In the Press Repurposing buildings to make them more environmentally and socially conscious
Expectations of what an office should be are changing. Discover how office spaces are being retrofitted to be more environmentally responsible and designed to care for worker’s wellness.
In the Press Social equity in commercial real estate: a deep dive into SEAM
Rainey Shane joins the Architecture is Political podcast for an in-depth conversation on measuring social equity in the built environment, the origins of the SEAM Standard, and what certification means for communities.
In the Press Can We Actually Measure for Social Equity?
The level of interest that manufacturers, design firms, and builders are showing in labels that broadcast how they uphold social equity is remarkable. Metropolis Magazine examines whether this new class of virtue-driven certifications is a good sign.
In the Press Shopping centers soon to seek social impact certifications
Retail real estate developers already seek certifications for sustainability in their ESG goals. Now they’ll be doing the same to assess the “S” in their ESG policies.
In the Press CRE Industry Launches World’s First Social Impact Certification
SEAM Certification, a measure of corporate real estate social sustainability, will provide guidance, resources, and certification for achieving positive social impact in the built environment.
In the Press New Seattle office building scores a global first on the DEI front
The under-construction Jack office building on Seattle’s waterfront is the world’s first to seek a new certification aimed at maximizing positive social impacts.
In the Press Pioneer Square office building will be first SEAM certified project in U.S.
Urban Visions, a Seattle-based real estate developer, has become the first organization to register a SEAM certification pilot project with The Jack, a new 8-story building in the historic Pioneer Square District of Seattle.
In the Press New SEAM Certification Addresses Social Impact in Built Environment
A new measure of corporate real estate social sustainability was announced this week in SEAM Certification. It provides guidance, resources, and certification for achieving positive social impact in the built environment.
In the Press Social impact certification launches for CRE development, joining LEED and WELL
Bisnow covers the launch of SEAM Certification — a new nonprofit program to standardize social impact measurement in commercial real estate, founded by JLL veterans.
In the Press Seattle Building Registers First-Ever SEAM Certification
Urban Visions, a Seattle-based real estate developer, has become the first organization to register a SEAM certification pilot project with The Jack, a new 8-story building in the historic Pioneer Square District of Seattle.
News CRE industry leaders announce world's first social impact certification for commercial real estate
SEAM, Inc. unveiled SEAM Certification — the first social impact certification designed specifically for commercial real estate — with founding sponsors JLL, Interface, HITT Contracting, Jamestown, and Leapley Construction.
Stay in the conversation
New articles, certified project announcements, and Standard updates delivered to your inbox. No noise.