Construction Monthly Magazine | Los Angeles Build Expo Show Edition

THE WELL BUILDING
STANDARD: HEALTHY
BUILDINGS, HEALTHY
PEOPLE
by Sarah Andrews, LEED AP BD+C, USGBC Faculty
People spend approximately 90% of their time in
enclosed spaces, whether at home, an office, school, or
other building. The WELL Building Standard version 2
(WELL v2) is grounded in a body of medical research
that explores the connection between buildings and
the health and wellness of its occupants. WELL v2
includes a set of strategies that aim to advance human
health through design and operational protocols and
policies which foster a culture of health and cognitive
and emotional well-being. This latest version of WELL
has proven itself to be a scalable and globally applicable
system that is responsive, inclusive and adaptable to fit
any environment or organization.
WELL v2 is founded on the following principles:
• Equitable: Aims to benefit a variety of people,
including and especially disadvantaged or vulnerable
populations.
• Global: Proposes interventions that are feasible,
achievable and relevant.
• Evidence-based: Draws upon a diverse and rigorous
body of research across varying disciplines.
• Technically robust: Defines industry best practice and
validates strategies through performance verification
and a rigorous third-party verification process.
• Customer-focused: Sponsors the success of WELL
users through dedicated coaching services, dynamic
resources and an intuitive platform for navigating the
journey.
• Resilient: Keeps pace with advances in research,
science, technology and society, continuously
improving by integrating new findings.
There are ten concepts in WELL v2 plus a category to
recognize innovation. Each concept consists of features
with distinct health intents. Certification under the
system is based upon a point structure like the LEED
Rating Systems, and WELL V2 is designed to complement
the strategies in LEED.
The Air concept aims to achieve high levels of indoor
air quality across a building’s lifetime through diverse
strategies that include source elimination or reduction,
active and passive building design and operation
strategies and human behavior interventions. Water
covers aspects of the quality, distribution and control of
liquid water in a building.
The Nourishment concept requires the availability of
fruits and vegetables and nutritional transparency.
Light promotes exposure to light and aims to create
lighting environments that promote visual, mental
and biological health. Movement aims to promote
movement, foster physical activity and active living, and
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