In the course of our work, we speak to many enterprises who are looking to achieve green or healthy building certifications. These programs can help set the business on the right course towards effective strategies, as well as validate efforts to create a better workplace by improving office air quality or taking other steps to improve worker wellbeing.
The WELL Building Standard, and associated certification options are widely used in the industry, and have seen very high demand in recent years. However, they can also be complex, and many struggle to understand the different programs, requirements, and procedures involved. This guide is meant to give you a quick bird’s eye view of WELL, and point you to additional resources for further exploration.
The WELL Building Standard is a set of guidelines for optimizing the built environment, along with metrics to evaluate performance. It is based on a decade of cross-disciplinary research, with the stated aim to enhance human health and well-being. The standard forms the basis for IWBI’s global certification system for healthy buildings.
Released in 2018, WELL v2 is the latest iteration of WELL. It revolves around 10 key concepts - air, water, nourishment, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, mind, and community. Concepts are measured by a set of metrics, referred to as features, which are grouped into preconditions and optimizations. In order to obtain WELL v2 certification, all of the universal preconditions must be met, as well as a certain number of weighted optimizations.
Learn more about WELL v2 and meeting the criteria for certification.
The WELL Building Standard was developed by scientists, physicians, and industry experts at Delos, a private company offering wellness solutions and products.
The standard and certifications are managed by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). a public benefit corporation whose stated mission is to improve human health and well-being through the built environment. Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI)–the organization behind the LEED standard–provides 3rd party verification for WELL.
In a recent webinar, Eric Sun of IWBI explained the rationale behind developing the WELL Building Standard:
“The evidence is clear: healthy people equal better performance. Companies that focus on health and safety as a core pillar of their culture are likely to have a competitive advantage in the marketplace. And this is catching the attention of business leaders and investors alike.
In fact, a recent study that modeled the performance of health and safety focused companies found that portfolios with higher scores on the corporate health achievement awards outperformed the S&P index… Companies that achieved the threshold scores for health and safety had a return of 333% compared to the 105% return of the S&P 500.
In light of these recent developments, WELL is really a tool designed to help organizations answer the question: What can you do to put the health of your people first?”
Watch the full webinar: Getting to Know the WELL Performance Rating
The WELL Building Standard provides multiple ways through which a building can be independently verified as meeting its requirements. Three basic levels of verification are available: performance ratings, certifications, and WELL at scale.
WELL offers three paths towards verifying a building’s adherence to the standard:
The WELL Building Standard is designed to improve working conditions and tackle issues that cause sick building syndrome. Businesses that implement a comprehensive strategy aimed at improving employee wellbeing, and tackling issues such as poor air quality, can see improvements in:
According to IWBI, clients report significant gains from WELL programs:
According to IWBI data, over 2000 companies, including 96 of the Fortune 500, have adopted the WELL standard - either for a single building or enterprise-wide. You can find some examples here: 6 Notable Projects Rated Platinum by the WELL Standard
Screenshot: https://www.wellcertified.com/
To become WELL certified, a project must first be registered through WELL Online. A WELL Performance Testing Agent will then be assigned to the project to answer questions and review the documentation submitted by the requesting organization.
The next step is performance verification, which includes submitting documentation as well as a site visit where the agent will conduct visual ins[ections and performance tests (see below). If the project fails to meet some requirements, it can make improvements and request another visit.
Once requirements are met, the project receives the official award letter, a WELL certification plaque, and template marketing materials.
Certification is valid for three years, after which the project needs to apply for re-certification and undergo performance verification again.
WELL v2 is divided into concepts, each of which consists of a series of sub-steps that can be used to accrue points for certification. The 10 key concepts are:
Learn how to maximize your WELL V2 scorecard with indoor air quality optimizations from Kaiterra.
Achieving the highest level of certification will require meeting some of the criteria for every one of these concepts; however, for lower levels of certification and performance ratings, accruing points in one concept can make up for deficiencies in others.
Performance measurements cover air, light, and water quality, as well as thermal comfort and acoustics. Features are verified based on a combination of one or more pathways:
According to the guidelines, at least 2.5% of the total building floor area must be available for performance testing - including all common areas.
Some performance-based optimizations explicitly state that they require testing in tenant spaces to be awarded. The project is responsible for identifying and communicating to Green Business Certification, Inc. (GBCI) and the WELL Performance Testing Agent the particular spaces which are available for testing.
Learn more about continuously monitoring indoor air quality.
WELL is one of the most comprehensive healthy building standards available, and one of the most widely used one among large enterprises. On the flipside, it is probably one of the harder certifications to achieve, as we’ve covered in our healthy building standards comparison guide.
We’ve recently had the pleasure of hosting Eric Sun of IWBI for an informative webinar covering both the basic concepts and motivations behind WELL, as well as the requirements for the relatively-new WELL Performance Rating. You can watch the full webinar on demand, and for free, right here.
If you’d prefer to chat directly with a WELL expert, we’d be happy to hear from you. Our product specialists have provided air quality solutions for many types of certified buildings, and would be happy to share their experience and discuss the best path forward for your project.
Kaiterra provides air quality monitors and an IAQ analytics dashboard for healthy buildings and offices, helping workplace leaders and healthy building pioneers assess and improve their indoor air quality. Our indoor air quality monitors like the Sensedge and the Sensedge Mini can be found in many of the world’s most iconic buildings and workplaces, such as the Empire State Building and the Burj Khalifa.