WELL Building Standard drives global growth of healthy building movement
New York, NY (November 16, 2015) – One year after the public release of the WELL Building Standard® (WELL) Version 1.0, the International WELL Building Institute™ (IWBI™) announces milestone achievements in the development, growth and expansion of the WELL Certification program. The world’s first building standard focused exclusively on human health and wellness, WELL has brought health and well-being to the forefront of the sustainable building conversation and triggered new innovations in building practices, design and development.
New developments for the WELL Certification program include:
Global growth and expansion: Nearly 80 projects encompassing 20 million square feet are now registered or certified under the WELL Building Standard in 12 countries across five continents. More information on projects that have recently registered to pursue WELL Certification in countries such as China, the U.S., India and Australia can be found at www.wellcertified.com/projects.
The WELL Accredited Professional (WELL AP™) credential: The WELL AP credential signifies knowledge in human health and wellness in the built environment, and specialization in the WELL Building Standard. Candidates can now register for the WELL AP exam online and access the WELL AP Candidate Handbook at www.wellcertified.com/well-ap.
Pilot programs in five new market sectors: Signifying the expansion of healthy building practices across several new categories and markets, IWBI launched five pilot programs within its WELL Building Standard in 2015. WELL now offers pilot programs for retail, multifamily residential, education, restaurant and commercial kitchen projects.
Development of WELLographies™: Supplemental scientific and medical research-based documents are being developed for materials and each of WELL’s seven Concepts – air, water, light, nourishment, fitness, comfort (thermal and acoustic) and mind. Created as digital publications with interactive charts and graphics, the WELLographies will be previewed at the 2015 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Washington, D.C. and launched to the public for purchase in early 2016. WELLographies will be available to download in conjunction with the release of the first WELL mobile app for tablets and smart phones. The app will be iOS and Android compatible.
“The industry response to WELL has been overwhelmingly positive and we have seen many early adopters in key markets worldwide,” said IWBI Founder Paul Scialla. “The momentum continues to rapidly increase which reflects the exciting economic and social value proposition of bringing health and wellness into the buildings where we spend more than 90 percent of our time.”
Administered by IWBI, WELL is third-party certified through IWBI’s collaboration with GBCI, which administers 10+ billion square feet of LEED buildings globally, ensuring that WELL works seamlessly with LEED and other green building certification programs.
WELL will be featured at Greenbuild 2015 through WELL Workshops, a curated Illuminate track of educational sessions, Meet the Experts technical sessions at the Certification Workzone, tours and other featured events.
About the International WELL Building Institute™ (IWBI™)
The International WELL Building Institute™ (IWBI™) is a public benefit corporation whose mission is to improve human health and wellbeing through the built environment. Public benefit corporations like IWBI are an emerging U.S. structure for corporations committed to balancing public benefits with profitability – harnessing the power of private capital for greater good. IWBI administers the WELL Building Standard® (WELL) – a performance-based system for measuring, certifying, and monitoring features of buildings that impact the health and wellbeing of the people who live, work, and learn in them. Fulfilling the vision of IWBI Founder Paul Scialla, IWBI has a pioneering altruistic capitalism model that will address social responsibility and demonstrate a sustainable model for philanthropy. IWBI has committed to direct 51 percent of net profits received from WELL Certification project fees toward charitable contributions and impact investment focused on health, wellness, and the built environment. IWBI was established by Delos in 2013 pursuant to a Clinton Global Initiative commitment to improve the way people live by developing spaces that enhance occupant health and quality of life by sharing the WELL Building Standard globally. WELLcertified.com
About the WELL Building Standard®
The WELL Building Standard® (WELL) is a performance-based system for measuring, certifying, and monitoring features of the built environment that impact the health and wellbeing of the people who live, work, and learn in the buildings. WELL focuses on seven categories of building performance: air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind. Pioneered by Delos, the WELL Building Standard is grounded in evidence-based medical research that demonstrates the connection between the buildings where we spend more than 90 percent of our time and health and wellness impacts on us as occupants. The WELL Building Standard is administered by the International WELL Building Institute™ and third-party certified by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI). WELLcertified.com
Press Contact IWBI Callie Stanton 646.654.3438 cstanton@nikecomm.com
