CIDIE Certification™ Transforming Community Insights into Design Solutions
About CIDIE
Inclusive design plays a critical role in development, particularly in commercial real estate, where the built environment shapes access and experience for a wide range of users. Within SEAM Certification, it is a required task because of its foundational influence during the design phase. Though just one of many requirements, it is a vital early step that sets the tone for how a project will serve people across different backgrounds and abilities.
SEAM’s administration of the CIDIE Certification gives project teams a focused entry point into this work, allowing deeper engagement with inclusive design strategies before or alongside a full SEAM Certification. As a robust, standalone evaluation of a project’s design intent and delivery, CIDIE Certification is an ideal first step for teams seeking meaningful, measurable progress.
SEAM is the exclusive licensed administrator of CIDIE Certification on behalf of Avant Buildings Lab, LLC, the author and owner of the CIDIE Standard. This partnership extends SEAM’s mission by offering practical tools for embedding inclusion at all stages of development—starting with design.
Certification for collaborative placemaking.
The Community-Informed Design for Innovative Environments (CIDIE) Standard™ is a building certification program for translating community insights into tangible design solutions. It was developed through qualitative case study research on real-world projects that aimed to eliminate barriers in the built environment through community-engaged design.
CIDIE frameworks uniquely guide project teams in gathering, integrating, and evaluating community insights throughout design and post-occupancy.
CIDIE Certification™
Projects undergoing the CIDIE Standard may pursue two certifications confirming that the priorities of communities and end-users were met during design and post-occupancy. CIDIE Certifications™ communicate to industry leaders, state and local governments, potential building end-users, and other stakeholders that your project is positioned to have a positive social impact.
CIDIE Value
The CIDIE Standard supports meaningful, equitable, and inclusive community-engaged design, helping businesses, organizations, and building owners to:
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Enhance end-user satisfaction, improve project quality, and maximize property usage.
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Increase property desirability, market rents, and resale values.
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Create a stronger sense of community, boosting goodwill and public support for projects.
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Demonstrate leadership in social responsibility — a growing requirement in ESG and GRESB reporting, as well as RFP procurements.
