WELL Certification for buildings and communities
¿What is the Well Certification?
Wellness (well·ness):
The quality or state of being in good health.
The WELL Certification makes reference to wellness, or the state of wellbeing in which there is balance among different areas of life, including happiness, productivity and both mental and physical health. Well is the first in its kind prioritizes the health and wellbeing of building occupants and the community.
Different from the LEED Certification, which specializes in the sustainability and energy efficiency of projects, the Well Building Standard guarantees healthy and comfortable spaces through design. These certifications are great compliments to eachother.
The 10 WELL Building Standard Concepts:
Air: high levels of indoor air quality, preferably stemming from a natural source, aiming to eliminate or reduce sources of pollution.
Water: access to high quality water sources and on site water management and treatment
Nourishment: availability of foods with high nutritional content and nutritional transparency that informs and promotes healthy nourishment with the goal that the healthiest choice is also the easiest choice.
Illumination: design that combines daylight and artificial lighting that contribute to comfortable and productive environments, taking into account the circadian rhythm to promote visual, mental and biological health
Movement: a lack of physical activity during working hours can lead to a sedentary lifestyle. It is important to incorporate policies and programs that provide opportunities for movement as well as design spaces with active furniture that can facilitate physical activity, together incorporating activity into the space’s culture.
Thermal Comfort: promoting productivity levels through thermical design and control, including designated spaces that can meet individual thermal preferences within appropriate parameters and comfortable temperatures
Sound: design with acoustic barriers to shape occupant experiences within the built environment and isolate sound in order to privatize spaces from external noise that can interrupt concentration as well as sleep
Materials: WELL encourages the careful evaluation and consideration of materials utilized in the construction, remodeling, furnishing and operation of buildings in order to reduce human exposure to contaminating components that may impact health.
Mind: Support mental and cognitive health through policy, programming and design strategies that can positively influence a person’s wellbeing, such as promoting contact with nature.
Community: Establish a culture of health that accommodates diverse needs and supports access to essential healthcare. Build a sense of community that is inclusive and engaged. Promote meeting points, design in a way that is universal and accessible.
The Value and Benefits of WELL
The WELL Concepts address health throughout the design, construction, operation and maintenance of a building in a comprehensive manner.
Some benefits of this comprehensive design:
(In workplaces) prioritizes health and wellbeing of occupants, in addition to increasing productivity and happinness
(In homes) a healthy environment that promotes greater energy levels and sleep quality
Ranking and leadership as a quality brand and Company
A return on investment
Certification Process
1. Register the Project in order to have access to the platform’s tools and resources
2. The WELL AP (Well accredited professional) works with the project team from the initial phase to the final phase of the project, to help establish the certification objective and carry out the necessary measures in order to achieve the set goal.
3. When the project is finished, proper documentation is submitted through the 10 WELL Concept templates and scoring tables.
4. Once the information is processed, the verification and certification of the project begins. Since WELL is a performance-based system, the project is evaluated through the documentation as well as “Performance Testing” which is an on-site verification. This test is carried out by a GBCI (Green Business Certification Institute) authorized agent.
5. Projects must meet the previously established conditions and verifications in order to obtain the certification. If a project meets a certain number of points it is then considered certified and is awarded one of the following WELL Certification levels: WELL Bronze, WELL Silver, WELL Gold, and WELL Platinum. Additionally, a plaque is sent over to commemorate that the project meets high performance standards.
6. Re-certification must be done every 3 years by doing the Performance Verification process again.