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Nathan Stodola

Chief Engineer, Standard Development, Light and Sound Concept Lead

Nathan Stodola bridges the gap between complex mechanical systems and the human experience of the people inside them. As Chief Engineer at IWBI, Nathan led the foundational development of the WELL Standard. He currently directs the Standard Development team, overseeing the creation of hundreds of technical strategies designed to optimize human biology within the built environment.

To Nathan, the WELL Standard operates much like a classic Law & Order dynamic, split into two separate but equally important halves: first, identifying scientific research to develop health guidelines, and second, enforcing them through a rigorous third-party review system so organizations cannot simply self-declare compliance. It is within this second half that Nathan functions as a pseudo-lawyer, utilizing a “case law” of past verification decisions to ensure standard interpretations treat different buildings and organizations consistently and fairly. This systematic approach balances perfectly with his inner game designer, allowing him to establish the rules, constraints and point systems that challenge companies to win at human health.

A master translator of clinical research, Nathan specializes in making the invisible elements of design visible to the general public. He is an advocate for prioritizing indoor air quality, circadian lighting, thermal comfort and acoustic separation, routinely warning industries against the hidden productivity costs of modern design trends like exposed concrete and unmanaged open offices. By focusing on nonpartisan, evidence-based public health outcomes, he helps global projects achieve maximum wellness benefits without political entanglement.

Nathan holds Master of Science degrees in mechanical engineering from Columbia University and transportation engineering from City College. He received his Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Union College with a minor in music.

Before joining IWBI, he applied his systems thinking to regional transportation planning for the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council.
When he is not architecting the future of healthy buildings, Nathan can be found mapping out new bike routes around New York City, designing complex board games or playing the accordion.

Organizations
International WELL Building Institute
Location

New York, New York

Credentials
  • WELL Faculty
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Featured on
Fast Company's List of

Most Innovative Companies
+ World Changing Ideas

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15,949 credentialed WELL APs 13,498 registered

29,447 people
in 137 countries

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100,000+ commercial & residential locations participate in WELL across

6.42 BILLION sq ft in
132 countries

We are transforming health and well-being with our people first approach to buildings, organizations and communities.

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International WELL Building Institute, IWBI, the WELL Building Standard, WELL v2, WELL Certified, WELL AP, WELL EP, WELL Score, The WELL Conference, We Are WELL, the WELL Community Standard, WELL Health-Safety Rated, WELL Performance Rated, WELL Equity Rated, WELL Equity, WELL Residence, Works with WELL, WELL and others, and their related logos are trademarks or certification marks of International WELL Building Institute pbc in the United States and other countries.