Designing for WELLness: Why the WELL Certification Matters

In 2021, the EPA found that Americans spent roughly 87% of their lives inside buildings. In that same study, they found that concentrations of some pollutants indoors are often “two to five times higher than typical outdoor concentrations.” As a result, it’s not surprising that one of the most common illnesses in office workers is Sick Building Syndrome, consisting of headaches, fatigue and respiratory irritation due to a building’s lack of ventilation as well as the presence of these higher concentrations of pollutants. Additionally, the increase in a sedentary office lifestyle has seen a roughly 30% rise in heart disease and type-2 diabetes as people sit at their desks all day; sitting for more than 3 hours per day is associated with a 2-year lower life expectancy per the CDC.

So, what is a building designer, let alone an occupant, to do in the face of such statistics?

The WELL system was initially created for commercial and institutional office buildings, but can now be applied to multi-family residential, retail chains, and entire neighborhoods. Its main goal is to address occupant health through not only a building’s design, but through its operations and an organization’s procedures.

WELL looks at several aspects of building design/operations and how they can be integrated into our built environments to enhance our wellness and quality of life. They are air, water, movement, light, nourishment, sound, materials, movement, thermal comfort, and mind/community.

A quick breakdown of these categories:

• Air handles the quality of air, filtering out VOC/chemicals, use of operable windows, and circulation
• Water addresses the quality of water, such as filtering out particulates and acceptable drinking levels as well as handwashing procedures
• Light guarantees that every human in a space has access to natural light, and encourages the thoughtful use of lighting to prevent glare and headaches
• Nourishment helps encourage healthy eating, spaces for fresh fruit/vegetables, and nutrition facts (where applicable)
• Sounds addresses the transmission and diffusion of sound, in order to provide privacy as well as preventing loud noises from distracting or causing disturbance
• Materials prioritize the use of products that are made to have minimal off-gassing and VOC content in the built environment, as well as a building’s cleaning means and methods.
• Movement encourages people to be more active, such as sit-to-stand desks, using the stairs, and location of a space in relation to public transit, pedestrian friendly streets, and outdoor activity spaces
• Thermal comfort gives control to building users to adjust the temperature and humidity of specific zones to best suit an individual’s needs
• Community addresses a company’s employee support programs, such as parental and sick leave, child support, community spaces, volunteering, and emergency response programs

• Mind credits ensure that programs are offered for mental health management, as well as access to nature/biophilia

The categories work very similarly to the LEED program – in fact there is quite a bit of overlap between WELL credits and LEED points. There are prerequisites that all buildings must address, as well as optimizations that provide additional points for a higher WELL Rating. WELL Credits have been extensively researched in their development to maximize the effect on health and to address as many diverse facets of healthy living as possible.

Since the introduction of WELL, several variations have been created in the system to address world events. In response to COVID-19, the WELL Health & Safety Rating zoomed in to address key factors that can prevent spread of disease while prioritizing recovery, such as cleaning methods, air circulation, and flexible hours for employees. More recently as systemic conditions and social determinants were highlighted in health disparities, the WELL Equity Rating system was developed to help embed diversity, equity, and inclusion best practices into a company’s culture. Such examples include giving back by volunteering, community outreach/feedback, and internal education programs.

The results as published in the 2022 Journal of Building and Environment speak for themselves:

Occupants reported a 10% increase in overall perceived mental health, as well as 26% increase in wellbeing, and 28% increase in workplace satisfaction. As such, employers saw a 10-point jump in median productivity scores, as well as reduced absenteeism in the workplace. Both companies that invest in optimizations and the occupants inhabiting them see the benefits. Pursuing a WELL rating also provides market value incentives: Research done at MIT on the Boston market saw an increase of 4-7% in the effective rent, as well as an increase in lease terms of over a year. In reporting, WELL aligns with almost 40% of the GRESB’s (Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark) real estate assessment.

As a WELL AP, I believe that every person deserves to lead a healthy and fulfilling life in healthy environments. Architecture and our interior environments should always be about people first, which I think WELL addresses even better than many existing sustainability rating programs in the industry today. As an architect in the healthcare and housing market, I feel very strongly that enhancing these personal spaces and maximizing health benefits using design and materials gives back to our communities in a thoughtful and educated way, while also enhancing our skill sets as designers.

For more information on WELL Certification visit – WELL – International WELL Building Institute | IWBI (wellcertified.com)