While most green building certification systems such as LEED or Green Globes focus on steps to reduce energy consumption, there hasn’t been as much emphasis on the building’s effect on occupant health. The WELL Building Standard aims to change all of that by setting performance requirements based on seven concepts that impact occupant wellness: air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind.
The program is publicly available to new buildings, those undergoing major renovations, tenant improvements, and core and shell upgrades. Much like LEED, the WELL certification system includes Silver, Gold, and Platinum rankings, based on the specific buildings’ health-enhancing features.
Features that contribute to WELL are described as either preconditions that are necessary for baseline certification or optimizations, which combine to determine the building’s level of certification. While the program is administered by the International Well Building Institute, it will also be third-party certified by the Green Building Certification Institute, which will help to ensure that the WELL standard works with LEED.
Not quite ready to make the jump to WELL but still want to improve occupant wellbeing? Take a look at how ergonomics can make a big difference!
