Your guide to the Q2 2021 addenda

We’re excited to announce the Q2 2021 addenda - a reflection of our community’s collective commitment to continuous evolution and improvement of the WELL Building Standard (WELL).

Every year, WELL is updated through four quarterly addenda, where we introduce changes that clarify and enhance feature language. We keep a constant pulse on new developments in the literature and we are constantly listening and learning from all of you.

This quarter we’re thrilled to publish, among other updates, a number of amendments and new strategies to support projects in the Airport Sector and WELL Core projects.

Access & download all addenda resources in the Q2 addenda toolkit.

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Q2 2021 ADDENDA HIGHLIGHTS

AMENDMENTS

The Q2 2021 addenda includes five amendments to the WELL Health-Safety Rating, 66 to WELL v2 (including a number of thematically aligned changes that impact multiple features), 33 to the WELL v2 pilot, three to the WELL Community Standard pilot and 34 amendments across the guidebooks, tools and resources.

WELL v2

• A01 Air Quality
  • For VOC Monitoring requirements in Part 2, we adjusted the accuracy range for sensors to 25% at 500 μg/m³ (from 20 μg/m³ + 20% at values between 150-2,000 μg/m³). This change aligns these requirements with those for VOC monitors used to comply with Feature A08.
  • In Part 5, we also clarified that permanently installed sensors may be located on interior walls and do not need to meet requirements for minimum distance from walls. This same change was also made to Feature T01: Thermal Performance.
• C03 Emergency Preparedness
  • We added a clarification allowing WELL Core projects with no direct staff, and for which 100% of the space is leased to a single tenant, to consider Part 1 as not applicable. This change enables these WELL Core projects, which have little-to-no interaction with building operations to consider this precondition as met.
• W05 Drinking Water Quality Management
  • Clarified two important points:
    • What to do when a filter may be present at the point of entry to a building (known as ‘point-of-entry’ filters or POE) and what to do for existing filters located at the tap (known as ‘point of use’ filters or POU).
    • A sample should be taken from a sampling point before any treatment by an existing filter, wherever possible, without removing an existing POE filter to avoid compromising the water quality.
• W08 Hygiene Support
  • The water column height requirement was increased from 6 to 8 in (15 to 20 cm). This change was prompted because WELL project teams have highlighted that sinks which met the water column requirements did not necessarily meet the feature intent of easy hand washing without touching the faucet or sink bowl.
• X10 Pest Management and Pesticide Use
  • It was brought to our attention that the Pesticide Research Institute referenced in Part 1 is no longer operating. Informed by our work with the Materials concept advisory, we were able to identify another reference protocol: The City of San Francisco Pesticide Hazard Screening Protocol.
    • Note that this change was also made to the analogous WELL v2 pilot and WELL Community Standard pilot features.
• WELL Core: Additional Point Pathway
  • We introduced an ‘additional point’ pathway for core projects, where non-leased space represents 40% or more of the total project area. These projects may pursue an additional point by achieving feature requirements in non-leased spaces without doing so in tenant spaces (which is the more common point earning pathway for core projects).
  • The pathway recognizes that baseline feature requirements demand more resources and that projects should be recognized for it, making it ideal for projects like malls, airports and other projects with a large amount of common area.
  • This change was introduced for 13 features across the WELL Building Standard including: A08, A11, L04, L07, L08, L09, V08, T06, S02, S04, S05, S08β, X11
• Beta Features:
  • S09β Hearing Health Conservation: We added a new beta feature to the Sound concept that requires organizations to establish hearing health conservation programs that target the reduction of occupational hearing loss in hazardous hearing environments (e.g., industrial facilities, baggage handling areas in airports)
  • Verification Methods: The beta feature feedback form is now listed as a formal documentation type for all beta features and is available to projects through an online form. Projects should complete the form as part of documentation review.
• Adjustments for Airports
  • In 2020, IWBI convened a year-long sector advisory focused on Airports. The advisory identified opportunities to evolve WELL v2 to meet the unique needs of the Airport sector.
  • N10 Food Preparation
    • We removed references to primary and secondary schools in feature language to make the Commercial Kitchen requirements more broadly applicable to other space types such as airports, where these spaces may be commonly found.
  • L05 Daylight Design Strategies
    • We clarified that manual shading should be controllable by regular occupants, recognizing that visitors and other transient populations in a space may not need this level of control over the space.
  • S02 Maximum Noise Levels
    • We added performance requirements for Category 4 spaces defined as areas with machinery and appliances used by occupants, such as baggage claims, commercial kitchens and laboratories.
  • S04 Reverberation Time
    • We increased the reverberation time threshold (<1.5 seconds) for areas with public address systems (common in airports).
  • S08β Enhanced Audio Devices
    • We incorporated regionally- and sector-specific commissioning reference standards, including BS 5839 and ISO 7240. In addition, projects can now use a new metric (CIS 0.75) for public address systems as an alternative to an STI of 0.5.
  • C09 New Mother Support
    • WELL Core projects (the pathway pursued by most projects in the airport sector) are encouraged to provide lactation rooms for all occupants (including visitors) through a new additional point earning opportunity. Projects are not required to meet certain requirements which relate mostly to employee populations for all occupants.
  • Explore the Strategies Section of this article to learn about additional pathways available through AAPs to projects in the airport sector.

WELL Health-Safety Rating

• SI4: Gateways to Health-Safety:
  • This feature now includes an additional pathway awarding projects the equivalent of one feature for achieving Assessment Standard for Health Building operated by the Chinese Society for Urban Studies Green Building Research Center. Projects pursuing this pathway are limited to two of the three other Innovation features.
• SS1 Promote Health and Wellness:
  • WELL Health-Safety Rated projects are still required to display a guide to the features achieved and to have a health-oriented mission, but no longer need to link the features achieved to the mission. This means they may now use their WELL Health-Safety achievement report as this guide.

WELL v2 pilot

A number of changes noted for WELL v2 also apply to v2 pilot. In addition, highlights include:

• A06 Enhanced Ventilation
  • The requirements for demand control ventilation apply to densely occupied areas for WELL Core projects. We have clarified that these are areas with an occupant density of greater than 25 people per 1,000 ft2 (93 m2).
• T05 Radiant Thermal Comfort
  • For Part 2: Implement Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems, we made changes to feature language to clarify that regularly occupied spaces must use independent systems for ventilation and conditioning that meet feature requirements. Previously, feature language was vague with respect to applicability.
• X05 In-Place Management
  • We clarified that this feature applies only to projects built prior to laws banning or restriction asbestos and lead and who are unable to remove these hazards. The spirit of this feature is to recognize the challenges and risks associated with certain abatement activities and to provide interim management strategies.

Resources

• We simplified general documentation requirements to a checklist of attempted strategies and a narrative describing the project more generally.
• Performance Verification Guidebook
  • Sampling requirements for multifamily residential projects were moved from a stand-alone section in the guidebook to the respective concept-sections throughout the guidebook.
  • For Light and Air, certain instruments may now be calibrated to any National Metrological Institutes rather than only the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology.
  • For the Sound concept, we adjusted general guidance to clarify that certain internal noises (e.g., HVAC and building services such as elevators) must be operating during background noise measurements.
  • For the Sound Concept, we added new guidance on testing background noise in dwelling units. For residential projects, WELL Performance Testing Agents should take at least one measurement in a bedroom that reflects the typical interior mechanical equipment (e.g., HVAC equipment) and facade design (e.g., windows). When selecting bedrooms to sample, WELL Performance Testing Agents should give preference to bedrooms located near sources of exterior noise in order to capture the most accurate and relevant data.
• Portfolio Guidebook
  • In an effort to simplify documentation requirements for WELL Portfolio projects, we clarified language to allow projects to indicate the features they plan to pursue that require photographic documentation rather than submitting a guideline describing what the photograph will contain.
• WELL v2 Skybridge
  • For WELL Core projects, we clarified that when using the skybridge tool, the scope of feature applicability does not change from WELL v2 pilot to WELL v2.

STRATEGIES

We published a number of AAPs across rating systems this quarter, including several for WELL v2 that support projects in the airport sector. AAPs and equivalencies are available in the “strategies tab” of the digital standard and a full digest can be found in the resource library. Equivalencies are updated in the digital standard on a rolling, monthly basis while AAPs and the strategies table are updated quarterly.

Strategies that support the Airport Sector

• A09 Pollution Infiltration Management: As an alternative to Part 1, projects may implement strip curtains and close doors at baggage conveyors.
• A10 Combustion Minimization: As an alternative to the Low-emission combustion sources and Engine exhaust reduction requirements projects may provide electric ground power units for at least 33% of aircraft berths and use at least 66% electric baggage tugs.
• W06 Drinking Water Promotion: Recognizing that the distance requirements may be prohibitive for large projects, like airports, shopping malls, and transit hubs, projects with at least five tenants may provide dispensers in non-leased spaces within 295 ft (90 m) of all occupiable floor area.
• X10 Pest Management and Pesticide Use: Projects may exempt pesticides used for bird control from feature requirements, but are required to list those used in the pest management plan.

Additional Strategies

• SC5/X12: Projects may implement signage that establishes directional lanes and discourages lingering as an alternative to one-way corridors.
• SC4/X11: Projects may implement a procurement plan for compliant vacuum cleaners and acquire them over time as an alternative to immediate replacement with compliant vacuum cleaners.
• SA5/W07: Projects may submit evidence that inspections were conducted by a third party in lieu of inspection results, recognizing the confidentiality requirements  or concerns of some projects.

WELL AP Exam

It’s official! The new WELL AP exam under WELL v2 is coming in September. To learn more about the exam development process and what this means for test-takers, explore our in-depth FAQs.

The WELL AP exam will continue to be based on the WELL Building Standard v1 until the new exam arrives. In the meantime, please use the WELL Building Standard Q1 with the Q1 2019 addenda and The WELL Certification Guidebook with Q1 2019 addenda. Key dates to keep in mind as you prepare are available in the FAQ article.

In other news - whether you’re looking to update an existing reservation or schedule for the first time, you can now take the WELL AP exam from the comfort of your own home. To stay up to date on in-person availability, view testing center reopenings near you. To learn more about remote proctoring and how to get started, check out our program announcement.

Registration is closed for WELL v1 and the WELL v2 pilot

Registrations for new projects under WELL v1 and the WELL v2 pilot closed on December 31, 2020. Registered projects will continue to have access to certification resources including the digital standard, project lobby and key resources after registration closes. WELL v1 and WELL v2 pilot projects will still be able to recertify under the versions they registered under for their first recertification milestone.

Any questions?

Registered projects can reach out to WELL coaching support via the support tab in their project workspace. All others can contact our team here. Thank you for working alongside us to help shape the evolution of WELL!