Health and WELL Building

 

What is WELL Building?

The first architectural benchmark focused on well-being

• The WELL Building Standard takes a holistic approach to health in the built environment addressing behavior, operations and design. 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.
• The WELL Building Standard is a vehicle for buildings and organizations to deliver more thoughtful and intentional spaces that enhance human health and well-being. Backed by the latest scientific research, WELL includes strategies that aim to advance health by setting performance standards for design interventions, operational protocols and policies and a commitment to fostering a culture of health and wellness.
• WELL is managed and administered by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), a public benefit corporation whose mission is to improve human health and wellbeing through the built environment.
• The WELL Building Standard® is third-party certified by the Green Business Certification Incorporation (GBCI), which administers the LEED certification program and the LEED professional credentialing program.

The Seven Concepts of the WELL Building Standard®

WELL measures attributes of buildings that impact occupant health by looking at seven factors:

1. Air: Optimize and achieve indoor air quality.
2. Water: Optimize water quality while promoting accessibility.
3. Nourishment: Encourage healthy eating habits by providing occupants with healthier food choices, behavioural cues, and knowledge about nutrient quality.
4. Light: Minimize disruption to the body’s circadian rhythm.
5. Fitness: Utilize building design technologies and knowledge-based strategies to encourage physical activity.
6. Comfort: Create an indoor environment that is distraction-free, productive, and soothing.
7. Mind: Support mental and emotional health, providing the occupant with regular feedback and knowledge about their environment through design elements, relaxation spaces, and state-of-the-art technology.

WELL v1 vs. WELL v2

• The WELL v1 certification is optimised for commercial and institutional offices and can be applied to three construction types: new and existing buildings, new and existing interiors, and core and shell.
• The WELL v2 comprises of 10 concepts rather than the original 7 – Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, Thermal Comfort, Sound, Materials, Mind, and Community. In WELL v2, the minimum concept, feature, and part achievement required to acquire the certificate differs from its former version.

How to acquire a WELL certification?

• Certification under WELL v1 is based on a percentage of Features achieved relative to all those available. Projects pursuing WELL Certification based on WELL v1 can earn percentages based on performance outcomes for various policy, design and operational strategies and can achieve one of four certification levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum.
• WELL v2 shifts to a points-based system similar to LEED, assigning points to each Part within an Optimization to reward projects for pursuing Features that will have the greatest impact and alignment with their project goals.