WELL is one of the fastest growing green building ratings systems in the world. Building product manufacturers can expand their specification opportunities by meeting the mandatory requirements of the WELL ratings system. The good news is that there are cost-effective ways to participate on WELL projects and get your products selected.
The WELL Building Standard is a roadmap for creating and certifying spaces that advance human health and well-being. Developed over 10 years and backed by the latest scientific research, WELL v2 supports physical and mental health across 10 core concepts. WELL works at any scale, from a single interior space to an entire organization.
WELL was pioneered by Delos Living LLC and continues to be developed and is administered by the International WELL Building Institute. WELL certification made its debut with the launch of the first version of WELL (WELL v1) in 2014. IWBI released the second version of the standard (WELL v2) in 2020, adapting its requirements with the evolving state-of-art research in human health and building design.
To receive certification, WELL features are required to be third-party verified through documentation and onsite testing of space performance parameters. WELL features are either preconditions, required to achieve any level of WELL certification, or optimizations, optional enhancements to achieve higher certification levels.
In the largest and most comprehensive research review of its kind, a new peer-reviewed study, published in the Journal of Building and Environment, found that occupants in WELL Certified spaces report improved workplace satisfaction, increased levels of productivity and gains in perceived health and well-being.
The study analyzed the impact of WELL Certification using more than 1,300 pre- and post-occupancy survey responses from six companies in North America with analyses conducted at both the aggregate and company level. Specifically, the study showed WELL Certification improved overall occupant satisfaction by nearly 30%, as well as occupant perceived well-being scores by 26%, reported mental health scores by 10% and productivity gains by 10 median points.
The study examined occupant satisfaction across 12 WELL-related healthy building parameters, including indoor air quality, thermal comfort, physical comfort, lighting, cleanliness, maintenance, access to nature, ability to eat healthy, physical activity, wellness programs, acoustics and water access and quality.
“The study overwhelmingly confirmed that hypothesis, showing notable improvements across each of the four major areas examined: satisfaction, health, well-being and productivity. For organizations and companies, the study verifies the material benefits of WELL, which could very well serve as another powerful accelerant for healthy building adoption,” said Nasim Ildiri Lead Study Author, University of Colorado, Boulder.
Fastest Growing Green Building Rating System
As of November 2022, there are 11,394 credentialed WELL APs. There are over 11,000 people registered to take the WELL exam. Currently, there are 22,243 WELL certified buildings. Building product manufacturers can expand their specification opportunities by developing WELL documentation to meet the demands of these exciting, fast-growing projects.
Manufacturers Can Use Their Existing LEED Resources
If your company has already developed HPDs and Declare Labels for LEED projects, these documents can be repurposed for WELL. The ROI of developing an HPD can be maximized, and the benefits leveraged for WELL, LEED, LBC, CHPS and other systems.
Many LEED Projects Also Target WELL Certification
Dual certification is becoming more popular with WELL and LEED. Many large-scale projects are certified by both green building ratings systems. Building product manufacturers can accomplish two goals by developing WELL documentation.
Walk The Talk
Sustainable manufacturing, the production of goods through economically-sound processes that minimize environmental impact is a daunting proposition for many manufacturers. Manufacturers need to look at how they design, source, manufacture, deliver, and service all their products to meet their sustainability goals as well as the sustainability goals of design professionals.
There is a growing demand by stakeholders, regulatory mandates, a concern for the environment, and design professionals that manufacturers can no longer confine sustainability to hyperbole printed in their annual reports. Manufacturers need to be held accountable for the products they make. Manufacturers need to walk the talk. Developing WELL documentation shows a commitment by manufacturers that design professionals will respond to and hopefully specify their products.
WELL Documentation
WELL Product Documentation lists your building products sustainability attributes. Design professionals need this information when working on WELL projects. Projects pursuing WELL Certification can earn points based on performance outcomes for various policy, design and operational strategies and can achieve one of four certification levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum.
WELL Product Documentation is similar to LEED product documentation. Instead of LEED credit categories, your product may contribute to a WELL Concept. For example, if your product has a Health Product Declaration (HPD), your product may contribute to the Materials Feature X07 Materials Transparency. Or your product may contribute to the Materials Feature X08 Materials Optimization if your product has a compliant Declare Label. WELL Product Documentation provides a comprehensive analysis of your products contributions to WELL Concepts.
For a complimentary consultation about WELL documentation, please contact info@elixirenvironmental.com.