Achieve WELL Core Certification with Continuous IAQ Monitoring

For landlords aiming to boost building value, attract top tenants, and meet ESG goals, WELL Core Certification is a proven path. This certification, a pathway within the WELL Building Standard, is specifically designed for the base building systems of a property. It offers a flexible strategy for landlords to verify the health and performance of their buildings, with or without tenant involvement.

But traditional compliance can be expensive, disruptive, and time-consuming. The solution? Continuous indoor air quality (IAQ) monitoring. By embracing this approach with the right solution, such as Kaiterra, you can simplify compliance, maximize your WELL points, and unlock long-term value for your building and tenants.

What is WELL Core Certification?

WELL Core is a certification pathway for commercial property owners and landlords to verify the health and sustainability of their building's core and shell. By focusing on features that impact all occupants, WELL Core helps landlords create healthier spaces that attract and retain top tenants. This certification is a strategic business move that enhances your building's value and market position.

The key benefits of WELL Core for owners and landlords include:

• Enhancing the tenant experience with healthier workplaces, which helps attract and retain top talent.
• Maximizing rent potential through rent premiums and faster leasing.
• Increasing asset quality with verified performance that builds value and loyalty.
• Satisfying investor demand by aligning with ESG priorities and GRESB health metrics.
• Leveraging sustainability performance by earning dual credit with green building systems at minimal cost.

The Problem with Traditional Performance Testing

For WELL Core certification, projects must provide proof of performance for certain features, traditionally done through on-site performance tests. While this method is a valid verification option, it has significant drawbacks that can make the process unnecessarily difficult.

Performance testing is:

• Expensive: The costs are high, especially in areas with high labor costs. Some tests, like those for certain air quality features, need to be done annually, creating recurring expenses. The need for multiple tests to pass and extra travel costs for testing agents further inflate the budget.
• Laborious: Scheduling can be a major challenge due to the limited availability of performance testing agents. It requires significant coordination between different teams and vendors to align schedules and ensure space access. A dedicated person is also needed on-site to assist the testing agent.
• Disruptive: On the day of testing, activities can negatively impact the results, making the process unpredictable. This can lead to timeline disruptions and delays.

As Jennifer Berthelot-Jelovic, a WELL expert, noted on a previous webinar: "We have clients who achieved WELL Platinum and chose not to renew their certification because of the ongoing annual PV testing fees". This highlights how the traditional method can be a barrier to long-term compliance and continued certification.

How Continuous IAQ Monitoring Helps You Achieve WELL Core Certification

Fortunately, there's a more effective pathway for WELL Core Air & Thermal Concepts: using continuous indoor air quality monitoring. This continuous IAQ monitoring approach uses sensors to collect real-time data, eliminating the need for costly and disruptive one-time tests. Kaiterra’s solution helps WELL Core projects meet Air and Thermal Comfort preconditions and optimizations via this Sensor Data pathway, providing a more streamlined path to certification.

By implementing continuous monitoring, you get:

• On-going data: You get 365 days of data, not just a single snapshot in time. This gives you a better understanding of your building's environment and helps support tenant wellness and retention.
• Cost-effectiveness: Continuous monitoring reduces the need for repeated testing, travel, and coordination, providing a more affordable path to compliance.
• Efficiency: It reduces unnecessary travel and minimizes disruptions to your operations and tenant experience. Installing sensors can be quick, with products like Kaiterra’s Sensedge Go taking only seconds to install and eliminating the need for future on-site testing.

How Kaiterra Maximizes Your WELL Points and Simplifies Compliance

Kaiterra’s real-time IAQ monitoring simplifies WELL Core compliance and helps you unlock the full potential of the certification. By choosing the continuous monitoring pathway, you can satisfy key preconditions and earn a significant number of optimization points.

Base Building Only Coverage

Even with limited access to tenant spaces, you can use Kaiterra sensors to monitor non-leased landlord-controlled zones. This level of coverage is enough to satisfy key preconditions and earn a solid number of optimization points.

• Preconditions Met: A01 (Air Quality) and T01 (Thermal Comfort).
• Points Earned: Projects can earn 2-4 optimization points with this level of coverage
  
  

Full Building Coverage

To unlock the maximum number of points, you can deploy Kaiterra sensors throughout all occupied areas, including tenant-controlled zones. This provides the most comprehensive data and is the most powerful path to certification.

• Preconditions Met: A01 (Air Quality), A03 (Ventilation Design), and T01 (Thermal Comfort).
• Points Earned: This level of coverage can earn you up to 12 optimization points across multiple features.
  
  

Beyond WELL Certification: The Long-Term Benefits of Continuous IAQ Monitoring

The benefits of monitoring your building's air quality extend far beyond the initial certification. This data provides invaluable insights that can be leveraged by various teams within your organization.

• For Real Estate: Demonstrate a healthy space during events like wildfires and showcase a healthier building to attract and retain tenants.
• For Facilities Management: Identify issues and risks before they impact tenants and discover energy-saving opportunities. You can also identify mechanical equipment failures early and optimize filter changes.
• For Sustainability: Quantify the social impact of your building in ESG reports and benchmark performance to plan capital improvements.
• For Workplace Teams: Communicate data to employees to build confidence and inform future workplace design decisions.

Achieving WELL Core Certification is a powerful statement about the quality of your building. By choosing the Sensor Data pathway with a solution like Kaiterra, you can earn more points with less work and lower costs. Continuous IAQ monitoring provides not only a path to certification but also deep insights that support your building's performance for years to come.

Ready to start your journey to a healthier built environment? Learn more about how Kaiterra can help you achieve WELL Core certification and maximize your building's potential.