The WELL Building Standard is a performance-based system for measuring, certifying, and monitoring features of the built environment that impact human health and well-being. It is designed to promote and enhance occupant health, comfort, and productivity within buildings. The standard encompasses various aspects of building design, construction, and operation that contribute to a healthier indoor environment.
The WELL Building Standard focuses on seven core categories, known as concepts, which are:
- Air: This concept addresses indoor air quality by implementing strategies to reduce pollutants, enhance ventilation, and maintain optimal humidity levels.
- Water: The Water concept aims to ensure the availability of clean and safe water for building occupants through measures such as proper filtration, testing, and the promotion of hydration.
- Nourishment: This concept focuses on providing occupants with healthy food options and promoting good eating habits through amenities such as nutritious snacks, access to fresh fruits and vegetables, and educational resources
- Light: The Light concept emphasizes the importance of natural and artificial lighting in promoting occupant well-being, productivity, and sleep quality. It includes strategies for optimizing daylight exposure, minimizing glare, and providing appropriate lighting levels
- Fitness: The Fitness concept encourages physical activity and movement within the built environment by incorporating features such as fitness centers, walking paths, and staircases that are visually appealing and easily accessible
- Comfort: This concept aims to optimize indoor environmental conditions, including temperature, acoustics, and ergonomics, to enhance occupant comfort, well-being, and productivity
- Mind: The Mind concept addresses psychological well-being by promoting stress reduction, mental clarity, and cognitive performance through strategies such as biophilic design, access to nature, and spaces for relaxation and meditation.
I understand the importance of the spaces where we spend our days. Our surroundings can influence our mood, productivity, and overall well-being more than we might realize. That’s where the WELL Building Standard comes into the picture. It’s a pioneering framework focused on enhancing health and well-being through the design of our built environment.
Developed by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), the WELL Building Standard is the first of its kind to center exclusively on the occupants’ health and wellness in building practices. This standard provides guidelines that help architects and designers create spaces that actively contribute to the inhabitants’ health, rather than simply reducing harm or being less bad for well-being.
WELL‘s approach is comprehensive, requiring a holistic view of health in the built environment. This encompasses everything from air quality and lighting to fitness facilities and nourishment options. By meeting the WELL criteria, a building doesn’t just aim to be a structure of four walls and a roof; it seeks to be a catalyst for healthier lives.
This emphasis on health and wellness is more than a trend. It’s a response to a growing body of research that shows how environment impacts health. For instance, factors like air purification and natural lighting have been linked to better mental and physical health outcomes in numerous studies.
As we move into the next section, we’ll dive into the core principles of WELL to understand how these elements of design blend with occupant health, laying the foundation for how buildings can achieve WELL certification and thus shape the future of healthier living environments.
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