WELL Crosswalks & Alignments
CROSSWALKS & ALIGNMENTS
The International WELL Building Institute™ (IWBI™) recognizes and values the complementary nature of green building and building for occupant health and wellness. To support projects pursuing both the WELL Building Standard™ (WELL) and leading green building standards from around the world, the IWBI is putting forth WELL Crosswalks.
What are WELL Crosswalks and Alignments?
Crosswalks identify synergies between WELL and other green building standards, and streamline efforts for projects seeking a dual rating by acknowledging where the WELL Building Standard requirements are deemed equivalent or aligned with aspects of the alternate building rating tool.
Who created the Crosswalks?
IWBI collaborated with the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) to identify alignments between Green Star, with BRE to streamline the process of achieving WELL and BREEAM certification, and with USGBC and GBCI to identify synergies between WELL and LEED.
Does a project have to be pursuing dual certification to use a crosswalk?
Yes, projects must always be pursuing dual certification to use crosswalks.
Which versions of LEED, BREEAM and Green Star can be used to pursue the WELL crosswalk?
The crosswalks only pertain to the LEED, BREEAM, and Green Star versions listed in the body of the crosswalk document.
Can I move forward with performance verification if my green building standard certification award is pending?
Yes, the project can schedule their performance verification, however, IWBI will not award WELL Certification until proof of credit from the green building rating system is provided.
What documentation is necessary to submit in order to comply with a WELL feature with an equivalent green building standard credit?
The project must submit proof of the green building standard certification award, as well as evidence that the equivalent credit was achieved.
Can the crosswalk be applied on projects pursuing older versions of the green building standard?
There is currently no agreed overlay with any older versions of green building standard schemes. Any equivalency to WELL Feature requirements needs to be submitted for consideration on a Feature-by-Feature, project-by-project basis. Approved Equivalencies are added to the online digital standard bi-weekly, so check for updates.
Will WELL PV be conducted for features that are deemed fully equivalent by the green building crosswalk?
Proof of the awarded credit, as well as a copy of the awarded certification is all we need to accept its equivalency. So even if something might have a spot check or visual inspection (or in rare cases, on-site testing) listed for WELL, that’s skipped if the projected is awarded a crosswalk credit.
My project is not targeting a green building certification, but the team is more familiar with the codes, standards and methodologies within the green building rating system. Can I use the crosswalk and submit evidence for my WELL project showing we meet the corresponding green building credit?
No, however the project may be able to reference the green building credit requirements as support of an Equivalency proposal.
Is there any requirement or stipulation around how recently the green building assessment was completed for existing building projects?
The crosswalk is currently open to all projects that have certified under the listed schemes. Given that these projects will still be subject to onsite testing and Performance Verification under WELL, it is advisable to investigate any changes or maintenance activities which may have occurred since green building certification was attained – for example, any new furniture or painting activities that may impact indoor air quality.
Does overlap with UK/EU legislation mean these Features are automatically met by UK projects?
The UKR/EUR designation within the BREEAM/WELL crosswalk highlights that there is an existing regulation or law that will likely contribute positively towards achievement. It is identifying projects located in the UK/EU have a head start towards achievement of these WELL Features. Final approval and validation through Documentation Review and Performance Verification will still be required for all items - for example, all Features in the Water concept will still be subject to onsite water quality sampling and laboratory analysis by the WELL Performance Testing Agent.