2. When asked “Do you want to live, work, and play in healthy,
supportive, sustainable places?” Most say “Yes, of course!”
When asked— “Ok, what do those spaces
look like?” Most say….
Ummm…errr…good question!
The WELL Building Institute is trying to
answer that question
4. Organizational Structure
IWBI is a public benefit corporation (B-Corp) that is
dedicated to transforming buildings to support the
health and wellness of the people who live, work
and go to school in them. Public benefit
corporations are an emerging U.S. corporate
structure for corporations committed to balancing
public benefits with profitability – harnessing the
power of private capital for greater good. Delos
created IWBI as a subsidiary devoted exclusively
to managing and sharing the WELL Building
Standard globally pursuant to a Clinton Global
Initiative commitment to improve the way people
live by developing spaces that enhance
occupant health and quality of life.
IWBI has committed to direct 51% of net profits,
after taxes, generated by WELL Building
certification project fees toward charitable
contributions and impact investment focused on
health, wellness, and the built environment.
5. Standard Development
WELL is the culmination of seven years of rigorous
research. In order to finalize WELL for release, IWBI
undertook a comprehensive expert peer review process,
which included three phases, & culminated in the release
of the WELL Building Standard v1.0.
• During the scientific review phase, leading researchers
reviewed and responded specifically to performance
benchmarks set by WELL, such as air and water
contaminants, the relationship between indoor lighting
and our circadian rhythm, and mold and other
biological contaminants.
• The second, practitioner review phase included
engaging with leading building science and green
building practitioners for further review and refinement
of the standard.
• The final peer review phase was led by Dr. Michael
Roizen, Chief Wellness Officer of the Cleveland Clinic,
and consisted of a comprehensive medical review of
the WELL Building Standard.
The standard has been pioneered by Delos and is
managed and administered by the International WELL
Building Institute™ (IWBI ™).
The WELL Building Standard is third-party certified through
IWBI’s collaboration with Green Business Certification Inc.
(GBCI) – the certification body for the LEED Green Building
Rating System.
6. The WELL Building Standard
Organizational Structures and Types of Certification
7. WELL Building Standard Structure
We believe that buildings should be developed with people’s
health and wellness at the center of design. The WELL Building
Standard takes a holistic approach to health in the built
environment addressing behavior, operations and design.
WELL is a performance-based system for measuring, certifying,
and monitoring features of the built environment that impact
human health and wellbeing, through air, water, nourishment,
light, fitness, comfort, and mind.
WELL is composed of 102 Features that are applied to each
building project, and each WELL Feature is designed to
address issues that impact the health, comfort, or knowledge
of occupants.
Features can be:
• Performance-based standards: allow flexibility in how a
project meets acceptable quantified thresholds.
• Descriptive standards: require that specific technology,
design strategies, or protocols are implemented.
WELL Features are categorized as either Preconditions—
necessary for baseline WELL Certification or Compliance, or
Optimizations—optional enhancements, which together
determine the level of certification above baseline
certification.
8. WELL Building Standard Structure
Each Feature of the WELL Building Standard is ascribed to the
human body systems that are intended to benefit from its
implementation. This enables project teams to classify the intended
benefits of each WELL Feature and develop a comprehensive set
of strategies. While there are different ways to group the body’s
various systems, the WELL Building Standard considers each
Feature’s impact on the following categories of body systems:
9. WELL Building Standard Features
WELL is composed of 102 Features that are applied to each building project, and each WELL Feature is designed to address issues
that impact the health, comfort, or knowledge of occupants.
Examples include:
10. WELL Building Standard Typologies
The Features of WELL can be applied across many real estate sectors, and the current WELL v1.0 is optimized for commercial and institutional
office buildings.
WELL is further organized into Project Typologies which take into account the specific set of considerations that are unique to a particular
building type or phase of construction. For WELL v1.0, there are three project typologies:
New and Existing Buildings (formerly known as New Construction and Major
Renovations): This project typology applies to new and existing buildings and
addresses the full scope of project design and construction as well as aspects of
building operations.
New and Existing Interiors (formerly known as Tenant Improvement): This project
typology applies to commercial interior projects in existing buildings. In WELL Core and
Shell Compliant buildings, some WELL Features may already apply towards New and
Existing Interiors certification—making certification easier.
Core and Shell: WELL Core and Shell Compliance is available for new core and shell
developments or for multi-tenant buildings seeking to implement the basic conditions
necessary to achieve WELL Certification. The core and shell typology addresses the
building structure, window locations and glazing, building proportions, heating,
cooling and ventilation system, as well as water quality as it is supplied to the building.
This typology also encourages consideration of the site in relation to amenities and
opportunities for wellness.
Pilot Programs: Retail, Multifamily Residential, Education, Restaurant, Commercial Kitchen
11. WELL Building Certification Process
Certification begins with Registration, where a WELL Assessor will be assigned to the project. Documentation of various
Features is required, and some Features will require on-site performance testing and visual inspections. Performance
Verification (similar to commissioning) is a site visit by the WELL Assessor to evaluate and perform tests and documentation
verification, which will be issued in a WELL Report by the Assessor. Certification will be issued on successful completion of all
steps, including addressing any deficiencies noted in the WELL Report.
Certification for New and Existing Buildings or Interiors is valid for 3 years from the date of the award letter. To maintain
certification, projects must re-certify every 3 years.
12. WELL Building Standard Certifications
Silver level certification is
achieved by meeting 100
percent of the WELL
Preconditions applicable to the
Typology in all Concepts.
Gold level certification is
achieved by meeting all of the
WELL Preconditions, as well as 40
percent or more of the
Optimization Features.
Platinum level certification is
achieved by meeting all of the
WELL Preconditions, as well as 80
percent or more of the
Optimization Features
13. WELL Building Standard Fees
The total cost averages less than $100 per employee for a typical commercial office building, and includes registration, certification and
Performance Verification (formerly WELL Commissioning).
Registration
Certification
Performance
Verification
The minimum cost for Performance Verification is approximately $9,000 and ranges from about $0.15 to $0.35 per square
foot, depending on the typology and size of the project. Volume pricing is available for projects that exceed one million
square feet.
Recertification Recertification fees begin at $1,450 and range from $0.03 to $0.07 per square foot depending on project typology and
size. Volume pricing is available for projects that exceed 1 million square feet. At the time of recertification, WELL Re-
Commissioning of performance measures will be required, with costs beginning at $3,625 and ranging from $0.06 to
$0.10 per square foot, depending on project size and typology. During recertification, projects may submit additional
WELL Features to improve their score or achieve a higher level of certification
15. WELL Certification: Why?
Our built environment has a profound impact on our health, wellbeing,
happiness and productivity.
Our built environment can shape our habits and choices, regulate our
sleep-wake cycle, drive us toward healthy and unhealthy choices, and
passively influence our health through the quality of our surroundings.
A WELL Certified™ project has the potential to add measurable value to
the health, well-being and happiness of building occupants. It can also
generate increased savings and productivity, in addition to a meaningful
return on investment to the tenant and building owner.
16. WELL Certification: Why?
Personnel costs significantly outweigh the costs for design and construction and operations and maintenance.
The first office in the world to be WELL Certified™ — Pilot Program, CBRE Corporate Headquarters in Los Angeles, was the recipient of the
Prestigious Global Innovator’s Award from CoreNet Global. When surveyed, their employees responded that:
“The Wellness aspect of our new office adds a critical element to our work environment by creating a place where
people feel energized and want to be every day, and where they are able to be focused and productive,” said Lewis
C. Horne, executive managing director of greater Los Angeles and Orange County for CBRE.
17. WELL Certification: Why?
The WELL Building Standard® provides the opportunity to design and build with a human-centered approach, which ultimately supports the
industry in comprehensively addressing human health.
The WELL Building Standard® (WELL) 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.
