The educational content provider’s guide to WELL

With the launch of WELL v2,  providers of educational content have an increased opportunity to deliver new value to their clients and tap into a rapidly expanding market. If you’re an educational content provider and want to learn how your products or resources can support WELL requirements, check out our Educational Content Provider’s Guide to WELL.

Reference the below guide to learn more about the features within each WELL concept that are relevant to the selection and production of educational resources, trainings, and other materials.

Please note that WELL requirements cover the quality and content of educational materials, not the performance of individual products or brands. Products that can be used to satisfy the WELL performance criteria can only contribute toward earning points required for WELL Certification; they cannot be said to earn points toward WELL Certification on their own. WELL v2 features generally prescribe the content and scope of educational materials and when, how, how often, and by whom that education should be delivered.

We value the participation of educational content providers in supporting our shared mission to advance healthier people through better buildings.

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WELL Educational Content Criteria

To help ensure projects provide comprehensive resources that meet the needs and priorities of the people who are using these spaces every day, educational content should meet the following criteria:

• Culturally appropriate, i.e. crafted to match the social and cultural needs, experiences and backgrounds of the individuals intended to consume it.

• Considers primary language(s) spoken by the local population.

• Literacy level appropriate.

• Checked annually to confirm information is relevant and up-to-date.

• Provided in the form of trainings, brochures, videos, posters, pamphlets, newsletters and/or other written or online information (unless otherwise indicated in feature requirements).

Contributing WELL Feature Set

What follows is a list of WELL v2 features that include educational components. The intent and summary for each feature are also listed. The first list includes static educational materials that can be consumed at the user’s discretion. The second list encompasses courses and trainings, which occur on specific scheduled timelines and are often offered in-person.

Static Educational Content

AIR

Optimization:

• Feature A08, Part 2 (Air Quality Education - a, b, c)

  • Intent: To monitor indoor air quality issues as well as inform and educate individuals on the quality of the indoor environment.

  • Summary: This WELL feature requires the ongoing measurement of contaminant data to educate and empower occupants about their environmental quality.

NOURISHMENT

Optimization:

• Feature N07, Part 1(d)

  • Intent: To improve dietary habits and eating behaviors and increase nutritional knowledge.

  • Summary: This WELL feature requires the provision of nutrition education.

LIGHT

Precondition:

• Feature L01, Part 2

  • Intent: To provide access to indoor light exposure and light education.

  • Summary: This WELL feature requires projects to ensure appropriate light exposure in indoor environments by using daylighting or electric lighting strategies. To encourage users to seek light exposure on their own, projects are required to provide users with education about the importance of light for health.

MOVEMENT

Precondition:

• Feature V02, Part 5

  • Intent: To reduce physical strain and injury, improve ergonomic comfort and workplace safety and general well-being through ergonomic design and education.

  • Summary: This WELL feature requires projects to provide basic ergonomic workstation furnishings for desk- and standing-based workstations and education about workplace risk factors, signs, and symptoms of discomfort, ergonomic policies and available furnishings.

THERMAL COMFORT

Precondition:

• Feature T01, Part 1

  • Intent: To ensure that the majority of building users find the thermal environment acceptable.

  • Summary: This WELL feature requires projects to create indoor thermal environments that provide comfortable thermal conditions to the majority of people in support of their health, well-being and productivity.

MIND

Precondition:

• Feature M01, Part 2

  • Intent: To promote mental health and well-being through a commitment to mental health education, programming and initiatives.

  • Summary: This WELL feature requires projects to promote mental health by integrating it into their commitment to overall health as well as provide basic education and resources on management of mental health, common mental health conditions and services within the local community.

Optimizations:

• Feature M11, Part 1(b, d) and 2(c)

  • Intent: To support healthy, restorative and consistent sleep habits among occupants.

  • Summary: This WELL feature requires projects to support employee sleep through policies, education and resources to improve sleep hygiene as well as provide opportunities to take short naps during the day.

• Feature M12, Part 1(a, d)

  • Intent: To minimize disruptions to employee sleep schedules, stress levels, healthy habits and personal relationships through supportive travel policies.

  • Summary: This WELL feature requires projects to implement policies that counter the adverse health impacts associated with business travel, especially as they pertain to stress, sleep, personal relationships and overall health goals.

• Feature M13, Part 1(b)

  • Intent: To reduce the use of tobacco through interventions that prevent tobacco use and support tobacco cessation among current tobacco users.

  • Summary: This WELL feature requires employee access to tobacco cessation support programs such as counseling, prescription, over-the-counter tobacco cessation medications and nicotine replacement products. It also promotes prevention programs, such as a ban on the sale of tobacco within the project boundary and education on the health consequences of tobacco use.

• Feature M14, Part 1

  • Intent: To increase availability and access to addiction support services, resources and care and prevent the development of substance abuse and addiction among occupants.

  • Summary: This WELL feature requires projects to outline policies regarding drug and alcohol use in the workplace, provide education on substance use and addiction and support access to substance use services.

COMMUNITY

Precondition:

• Feature C01, Part 2

  • Intent: To promote a deeper understanding of factors that impact human health and well-being.

  • Summary: This WELL feature requires projects to provide a guide to occupants that highlights the relationships between health and buildings, a description of the WELL features pursued by the project, educational materials on a variety of health topics and annual communications about available health resources and programs.

Optimization:

• Feature C09, Part 3 (a, e)

  • Intent: To provide spaces and policies that encourage and support breastfeeding.

  • Summary: This WELL feature requires the provision of designated lactation rooms with supportive design and amenities, as well as initiatives and educational opportunities that help women initiate and sustain breastfeeding.

Courses and Training

AIR

Optimization:

• Feature A08, Part 2 (Air Quality Education - d)

  • Intent: To monitor indoor air quality issues as well as inform and educate individuals on the quality of the indoor environment.

  • Summary: This WELL feature requires the ongoing measurement of contaminant data to educate and empower occupants about their environmental quality.

NOURISHMENT

Optimization:

• Feature N07, Part 1 (a, b, c)

  • Intent: To improve dietary habits and eating behaviors and increase nutritional knowledge.

  • Summary: This WELL feature requires the provision of nutrition education.

MIND

Precondition:

• Feature M01, Part 1

  • Intent: To promote mental health and well-being through a commitment to mental health education, programming and initiatives.

  • Summary: This WELL feature requires projects to promote mental health by integrating it into their commitment to overall health as well as provide basic education and resources on management of mental health, common mental health conditions and services within the local community.

Optimizations:

• Feature M04, Parts 1 and 2

  • Intent: To promote mental health awareness and education through the provision of mental health-focused trainings or education offerings.

  • Summary: This WELL feature requires projects to provide education and training to employees and managers to help them better understand how to manage their own mental health and support others.

• Feature M05, Part 2

  • Intent: To identify and manage areas of workplace stress and provide programs that support stress management.

  • Summary: This WELL feature requires projects to assess causes of stress within the organization, create a plan for relieving stress and provide training and education to support employees in managing personal stress.

• Feature M08, Part 1

  • Intent: To support access to programs that promote restoration and relief from mental fatigue or stress.

  • Summary: This WELL feature requires projects to develop ongoing programming for occupants that is focused on restoration and relaxation, such as mindfulness meditation or mindful movement.

COMMUNITY

Optimization:

• Feature C09, Part 3 (b, c)

  • Intent: To provide spaces and policies that encourage and support breastfeeding.

  • Summary: This WELL feature requires the provision of designated lactation rooms with supportive design and amenities, as well as initiatives and educational opportunities that help women initiate and sustain breastfeeding.

Does your product meet the requirements of WELL features? Please review the below excerpts from our trademark guidelines before creating marketing or promotional materials.

 Logos on product packaging

The International WELL Building Institute™ ("IWBI™") does not review, certify or endorse products. As such, trademarked logos may not be used to indicate any kind of endorsement by IWBI of any product or service, to indicate that any official status for any product or service has been conferred by, or is otherwise associated with IWBI. Logos may not be placed on product packaging under any circumstances. 

Referencing the WELL Building Standard in product literature

Providers of educational content may reference the WELL Building Standard in their product literature, provided that the language does not state or imply endorsement by IWBI or the WELL Building Standard. The language must clearly acknowledge that WELL requirements cover the performance of educational materials, not the performance of the individual products or brands. Products that can be used to satisfy the WELL performance criteria can only contribute toward earning points required for WELL Certification; they cannot be said to earn points toward WELL Certification on their own.