The WELL Building Standard

Green building standards and standard-setting organisations have significantly transformed the construction industry over the last 10 years, evident in the widespread adoption of environmentally conscious building practices throughout the world. There has been considerably less evolution regarding design strategies to enhance human health.

Health and Wellness
The International WELL Building Institute proposes that human health and comfort are equally important, and we should design buildings that positively contribute to its inhabitant’s lives. The WELL Building Standard combines best practices in design and construction with health and wellness interventions that are based on scientific evidence and studies.

First of its Kind
The WELL Building Standard (WELL) is the first standard to focus solely on the health and wellness of building occupants, identifying design strategies and policies that can be implemented by the owners, designers, engineers, contractors, users and operators of a building.

WELL Accreditation
WELL is based on rigorous technical review of existing scientific research regarding the effect of the built environment on people. This research has been translated into 100 performance metrics divided across seven ‘Concepts’ - air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind. In order to achieve accreditation, a space must undergo an on-site assessment and performance testing by a third party. The WELL Building Standard works alongside the LEED Green Building Rating System, the Living Building Challenge and other leading global green building standards.

WELL harnesses the built environment as a vehicle to support the nutrition, fitness, mood, sleep, comfort and performance of its occupants by implementing strategies, programs and technologies designed to encourage healthy, more active lifestyles and reduce occupant exposure to harmful chemical and pollutants.
Improvements in Employee Productivity, Engagement and Retention

Currently, there are over 530 projects across the world applying the WELL standard. This can be expected to significantly increase, with companies beginning to recognise that an environment which supportive of human health leads to improvements in employee productivity, engagement and retention.

At J.V. Tierney, we are excited about this new focus on the health building occupants along with the environment, and look forward to contributing to buildings that are not only better for the planet, but also for people. If you would like to learn more about sustainable design in Ireland, visit our website www.jvtierney.ie or give our Dublin office a call on 01 421 4900.