WELL Building Standard

[edit] Background

Delos Living LLC is an American-based organisation that says its mission is ‘to build a better world’. It suggests that it transforms the indoor environment by placing health and 'wellness' at the centre of design and construction decisions through research, consulting, real estate development and by offering innovative solutions for the built environment. It has an advisory board that includes Dick Gephardt, Former United States Congressman and House of Representatives Majority Leader and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Delos is the founder of the WELL Building Standard (WELL) which it suggests is '…the world’s first building standard focused exclusively on human health and wellness. It marries best practices in design and construction with evidence-based medical and scientific research – harnessing the built environment as a vehicle to support human health and wellbeing.'

WELL is administered by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), a public benefit corporation launched by Delos in 2013 whose mission is to improve human health and wellbeing through the built environment.

The original standard is based on seven years of research in partnership with scientists, doctors and architects exploring the connection between the buildings where people spend their time, and the health and wellbeing impacts those buildings have on their occupants. It is third-party certified by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), which administers the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

Spaces can become WELL Certified by achieving a defined score in each of seven categories:

• Air.
• Water.
• Nourishment.
• Light.
• Fitness.
• Comfort.
• Mind.

Certification includes the submission of project documentation and on-site audit, which can result in the award of a Silver, Gold or Platinum standard.

[edit] WELL v2™

The WELL v2 was launched in 2018, with a two-year pilot phase. WELL v2 underwent improvement and refinement through a rigorous process, including a six-month public comment period and a final stakeholder review. The latest version of WELL has proven itself to be a scalable and globally applicable feature set that’s responsive, inclusive and adaptable to fit any environment or organisation seeking to elevate human health and promote well-being for all.

The second version of the standard, WELL v2™ is founded on six principles and 10 concepts, with two of the original 7 replaced and 3 new as follows:

Principles

1. Equitable: Aims to benefit a variety of people, including and especially disadvantaged or vulnerable populations.
2. Global: Proposes interventions that are feasible, achievable and relevant across many applications throughout the world.
3. Evidence-based: Draws upon a diverse and rigorous body of research across varying disciplines, validated by a collaborative body of experts, including IWBI advisors.
4. Technically robust: Defines industry best practice and validates strategies through performance verification and a rigorous third-party verification process.
5. Customer-focused: Sponsors the success of WELL users through dedicated coaching services, dynamic resources and an intuitive platform for navigating the journey.
6. Resilient: Keeps pace with advances in research, science, technology and society, continuously improving by integrating new findings.

Concepts:

1. Air.
2. Water.
3. Nourishment.
4. Light.
5. Movement
6. Thermal comfort
7. Sound
8. Materials
9. Community
10. Mind.

For further information about WELL v2™ visit https://v2.wellcertified.com/en/wellv2/overview/

[edit] Milestones

In November 2015, Lendlease, one of the world’s leading integrated infrastructure and real estate groups, announced a global alliance with Delos, aiming to accelerate the integration of human health and wellness outcomes in the built environment. This alliance will include identifying pioneering projects in Australia, Asia, the United Kingdom and the United States, which will pursue WELL Certification and provide 'WELL ready' workplaces for tenants.

Geoff Dutaillis, group head of sustainability at Lendlease said, “Supporting the next generation of buildings and places that get it right for people, as well as the environment is very important....The built environment has a critical role to play in helping cities and governments transition towards a low carbon future; however, it’s the direct impact on human capital and productivity through increased focus on supporting human health and wellbeing which is the untapped potential.”

In November 2016, the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) and BRE announced an alignment between the WELL Building Standard (WELL) and BREEAM. Combining the two standards is intended to make it easier for projects seeking to conform with them. For more information see: WELL and BREEAM align

In January 2018, The Porter Building, became the first office building in the UK to achieve certification through the WELL Building Standard. The brand new office in Slough, developed by a partnership between Landid and Brockton Capital, achieved a WELL Building Standard Gold Core and Shell Certification.

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