Your guide to the Q2 2019 addenda

For those of us in the northern hemisphere, spring is finally here! The moment flowers start blooming, the IWBI team embarks on an extensive review of suggested updates and enhancements to the WELL Building Standard™ (WELL™). We’re especially excited to announce the release of the Q2 2019 WELL addenda in alignment with the launch of the digital WELL Community Standard and additional enhancements to wellcertified.com. We encourage you to explore these updates and additonal resources below.

RESOURCES

• Download the addenda table
• Browse WELL v1
• Browse WELL v2
• Explore the WELL Community Standard
• Download the WELL Performance Verification Guidebook for the WELL Building Standard
• Download the WELL Performance Verification Guidebook for the WELL Community Standard
• Download the WELL Certification Guidebook for the WELL Building Standard
• Download the WELL Certification Guidebook for the WELL Community Standard
• Download the strategies table

Addenda are changes and improvements to WELL that clarify, amend, interpret or provide alternative or equivalent feature language. WELL addenda are published on a quarterly basis. Projects can upgrade individual features to any version of the addenda after their registration date.

Join us for an upcoming webinar on May 15 to learn about the WELL addenda process and the technical changes included in the Q2 2019 addenda release.

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HIGHLIGHTS

AMENDMENTS

The Q2 2019 addenda contains 79 amendments for the WELL v2 pilot (including 49 to verification methods), 21 amendments across WELL v1 and its’ pilots, 27 amendments to the WELL Community Standard (including 13 to verification methods), and 12 amendments to the guidebooks.

Explore highlighted amendments published this quarter:

WELL v1

• Feature 70: Fitness Equipment. Provided more equipment options allowing project teams to fulfill feature requirements without using an alternative adherence path (AAP).
• Feature 58: Color Quality. Clarified that all electric light in occupiable spaces must meet feature requirements.
• Occupiable space. Added the term ‘occupiable space’ to the WELL v1 and WELL v2 glossaries. Occupiable space references any enclosed space that can be occupied for any task or activity, including transition areas or balconies, but excluding spaces that do not require sustained occupation or use, such as storage spaces or equipment rooms. Updates align with the ASHRAE definition and further clarify different space types within a WELL project.

WELL v2

• Verification methods. Streamlined the documentation process for all WELL projects and WELL Portfolio Pilot participants. Updated the verification methods appendix to display documentation requirements at the part level.
• Feature N02: Nutritional Transparency. Increased flexibility for labeling common food allergens and referencing local federal guidelines or regulations (no equivalency proposal required!).

WELL Community Standard

One of the most exciting updates is the new digital home of the WELL Community Standard. Projects can browse feature language, access template Letters of Assurance, reference FAQs, explore published strategies and export a PDF version directly from the digital standard! While more functionality is being developed, projects may also continue to use the WELL Community Standard checklist to track progress towards feature requirements.

STRATEGIES

As of Q2 2019, strategies, including alternative adherence paths (AAPs) and equivalencies, are no longer recorded in the addenda table. Strategies are now contained in the strategies table, which builds upon the equivalencies table published in Q1 2019. Moving forward, a record of all AAPs, equivalencies and their amendments will be available in the strategies table.

ALTERNATIVE ADHERENCE PATHS

The Q2 2019 addenda includes 15 AAPs for WELL v1, six AAPs for WELL v2 and one AAP for the WELL Community Standard. As result of an in-depth review of project team submissions over the past year, we were able to publish an impressive number of AAPs this quarter with the goal of sharing great ideas and successful strategies with the broader community.

Explore highlighted AAPs published this quarter:

WELL v1

• Feature 62: Daylight Modeling. This AAP (and the equivalent for WELL v2 Feature L05: Enhanced Daylight Access) allows projects to model daylight exposure using daylight hours in lieu of regularly occupied hours. This strategy is especially useful for projects in extreme latitudes that experience variability in daylight hours between seasons. It utilizes the calculation methods outlined in the CEN 17037:2018, a new European daylight standard. A special thanks to WELL experts in Sweden for this submission!
• Feature 39: Processed Foods. Retail projects may use strategic placement, education and advertising to direct customers toward healthier choices in place of refined ingredient restrictions.

WELL v2

• I01: Innovate WELL. Projects can achieve points above the 12-point maximum in a given concept by pursuing additional parts as innovations in Feature I01. Projects can earn up to 10 innovation points.

EQUIVALENCIES

A total of eight equivalencies have been published across WELL v1, WELL v2 and the WELL Community Standard this quarter.

Explore highlighted equivalencies published this quarter:

WELL v1

• Feature 72: Accessible Design. We are delighted to publish the first equivalency applicable to Africa! Projects in South Africa can now achieve feature requirements with equivalent accessible design standards, as specified by the ADA.

WELL v2

• Feature X01: Fundamental Material Precautions. The KIWA mark, available in the Netherlands has been approved as an equivalent third-party verified standard for lead pipe compliance.
• V05: Site Planning and Selection. In alignment with the Applying BREEM and the WELL Building Standard Crosswalk, all projects (not only those aiming for dual certification) can utilize the Accessibility Index (AI) score of five as an equivalent to a TransitScore™ of 70.

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WELL AP exam updates

Changes to the WELL Building Standard v1 are incorporated into the WELL AP exam through an annual review and update cycle. The current version of the exam was released in August 2018 and reflects all published addenda through the Q1 2018 version of the WELL Building Standard v1 and WELL Certification Guidebook. The next update to the WELL AP exam is expected to be released in the summer of 2019 and will reflect the Q1 2019 version of the WELL Building Standard v1 and WELL Certification Guidebook.

Any questions?

Registered projects can reach out for WELL coaching support via the support tab of their WELL digital platform account and all others can contact us here.

Thank you for working alongside us to shape the evolution of WELL. Your feedback is essential to our success!