Organization of the WELL Building Standard®
The WELL Building Standard is organized into seven categories of wellness called Concepts: Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Fitness, Comfort and Mind. Each Concept is comprised of Features, which are further divided into Parts and Requirements.
WELL Building Standard Features, Parts and Requirements
The WELL Building Standard is composed of 102 Features that are applied to each building project. Every Feature is intended to address specific health, comfort or knowledge aspects. Each Feature is subdivided into Parts, tailored to a specific building type. This means that depending on the building type (e.g. Tenant Improvement, New Construction), only certain Parts of a given Feature may be applicable. Within each Part are one or more Requirements, which dictate specific parameters or metrics to be met. In order for a project to receive credit for a particular Feature, all of its applicable component Parts specifications must be satisfied.
Features can be:
- Performance-based standards that allow flexibility in how a project meets acceptable quantified thresholds.
- Prescriptive standards that require specific technologies, design strategies or protocols to be implemented.
The compulsory WELL Features are categorized as Preconditions—necessary for WELL Silver Certification or WELL Core and Shell Compliance. Optimizations are not required to achieve WELL Silver Certification, but create a flexible pathway towards WELL Certification at the Gold or Platinum level. For Core and Shell projects, at least one Optimization in each Concept is required for WELL Core and Shell Compliance.
Preconditions
These Features represent the core of the WELL Building Standard. Preconditions can be thought of as the foundation for wellness in the built environment. For certification or compliance to be awarded, all applicable Preconditions must be met.
Optimizations
These features include optional technologies, strategies, protocols and designs that can be applied to a project to qualify for WELL Certification at either the Gold or Platinum level, depending on the total number of Optimizations achieved. One Optimization within each concept is required for WELL Core and Shell Compliance. IWBI recommends that all projects strive to achieve as many Optimizations as possible.
Intentions of Features in the WELL Building Standard
Each WELL Building Standard Feature is designed to address issues that impact the health, comfort or knowledge of occupants. Many WELL Features intended to improve health are supported by existing government standards or other standards organizations. Some WELL Features are intended to change behavior through education and corporate culture, providing, for example, information and support for making positive lifestyle choices.
Wellness and Body Systems
Each Feature of the WELL Building Standard is ascribed to the human body systems that are intended to benefit from its implementation. This enables project teams to classify the intended benefits of each WELL Feature and develop a comprehensive set of strategies. While there are different ways to group the body’s various systems, the WELL Building Standard considers each Feature’s impact on the following categories of body systems:
Cardiovascular System
The cardiovascular system consists of the heart, vessels and blood. Its primary function is to supply nutrients and remove waste from the tissues of the body. However, stress, unhealthy diets and lifestyle choices, and exposure to environmental pollutants can negatively impact cardiovascular health and lead to the development of chronic conditions that reduce quality of life.
The WELL Building Standard addresses factors that are vital to maintaining cardiovascular health; stress, nutrition, fitness and environmental pollutants. Comfort Features are designed to mitigate stress and help limit harmful hormone levels in the body. Healthy diets and active lifestyles control body weight and strengthen the muscles of the heart. Elimination of environmental pollutants in air, such as tobacco and VOCs – which directly harm the heart and vessels – also contribute towards good cardiovascular health.
Digestive System
The digestive system consists of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, intestines, and the auxiliary organs – liver and pancreas – that produce digestive hormones and enzymes. This complex system is responsible for nutrient breakdown, absorption and assimilation. In addition, the gut is the largest reservoir of microorganisms in the body, which assist digestion and play a role in immune health. These critical functions are compromised by poor dietary habits, stress and by microbes and environmental pollutants in the foods we eat and surfaces that we touch.
Features of the WELL Building Standard support interventions that reduce factors that negatively impact digestive health. Comfort Features are designed to mitigate stress, which affects the health and function of the microbiome. Proper diets help to limit consumption of harmful toxins and substances which can cause digestive discomfort and allergic reactions. Treatment of surfaces helps to prevent microbes and toxins from entering our digestive system via our foods.
Endocrine System
The endocrine system is made up of hormone-secreting glands. Hormones are chemical compounds that regulate many important processes including growth, immunity, metabolism, reproduction, mood and digestion. Unfortunately, stress, environmental pollutants and many of today’s foods and products contain chemicals that disrupt the function of the endocrine system and can cause a variety of health problems.
The Features of the WELL Building Standard aim to minimize exposure to endocrine system disruptors. Comfort Features are designed to reduce stress and levels of potentially harmful hormones that can cause chronic health conditions. Nourishment Features reduce consumption of substances that mimic hormones and disrupt proper endocrine regulation of digestion. Mitigation of environmental pollutants limit exposure to toxins and compounds that interfere with the endocrine regulation of many of the body’s functions.
Immune System
The immune system is a complex cohort of highly specialized cells, proteins, tissues and organs that make up the body’s defense system against internal and foreign disease-causing agents. It is affected by the cumulative effect of toxins, poor sleep, nutrition and excessive stress. Failure to maintain proper immune function can increase the incidence of infections by bacterial and viral pathogens, and contribute towards the development of chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, cardiovascular or respiratory disease and even cancer.
The Features that collectively form the WELL Building Standard aim to promote and enhance immune health. The use of non-toxic materials limits exposure to chemicals that weaken immune function. Water and air filtration systems limit exposure to bacterial and viral pathogens and allergens. In addition, WELL includes Features that are designed to reduce stress and improve nutrition and fitness, which help strengthen immune function.
Integumentary System
The skin, hair and nails form the outer layer of the body, also referred to as the integumentary system. The largest organ system by weight, the integumentary system provides the first line of defense against injury and infections. It protects internal organs from impact, prevents water loss, regulates body temperature and defends the body against foreign pathogens and harmful toxins. The skin is also host to a large community of symbiotic microorganisms that produce a moisturizing layer and aid in immune function.
The WELL Building Standard is developed to help maintain integumentary system integrity, as it requires that building materials are absent of toxins that could be harmful if absorbed through the body’s outermost layers.
Muscular System
The human muscular system supports posture, joint stability and movement. It is also responsible for generating heat through the contraction of muscles. Balanced diet and fitness greatly affect muscular health, as they ensure the muscles receive adequate nutrients to develop and function properly.
The WELL Building Standard contains Features that are designed to encourage or enhance the opportunity for safe physical activity and healthier diets. To complement this, ergonomic designs are intended to reduce the likelihood of ligament strain and muscular injuries. Other Features promote the use of active furnishings or design principles that encourage more opportunities for physical activity.
Nervous System
The nervous system is divided into the central nervous system, made up of the brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system, composed of nerves that traverse the entire body. The nervous system is the main control center of the body; it directly and indirectly controls nearly every internal function of the body, senses and interacts with the external world and it is responsible for thought, language, mood and personality.
The WELL Building Standard places utmost importance on supporting neurologic and cognitive function through a variety of interventions. Light Features work to promote proper alignment of the circadian rhythm, which controls sleep and wake cycles. Features that mitigate environmental toxins in air and water limit exposure to substances that can affect cognitive health and performance. Nourishment, fitness and comfort Features work in tandem to support neurologic health by providing adequate nutrition, levels of physical activity, enhancement of sleep and by reducing stress.
Reproductive System
The reproductive system consists of specialized structures in the brain, specialized hormones and the various sex organs of males and females. The reproductive system’s importance is greater than it ability to produce and support offspring; this system plays a role in growth and development, maturation and mood.
The WELL Building Standard introduces Features intended to help maintain reproductive health. Proper diet and exercise are two important factors that are addressed by WELL; these are complemented by toxin avoidance strategies that help support reproductive health.
Respiratory System
The respiratory system includes the mouth, nose, diaphragm, the trachea and the airways that reach deep into the lungs. The respiratory system works in tandem with the circulatory system in order to provide oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from the tissues of the body.
The Features of the WELL Building Standard help maintain proper respiratory system function by improving the quality of the air we breathe, limiting exposures to molds and microbes and by improving access to opportunities for greater fitness. Removal of particulate matter from ambient air reduces the risk of direct damage to the lungs. Mitigation of molds and microbes reduces the incidence of infections and allergic reactions. Fitness Features are intended to help to improve breathing and the overall strength of the respiratory system.
Skeletal System
The skeletal system not only provides support and movement; it protects the organs against impact, stores minerals, produces blood cells and aids in hormone regulation. Similar to the closely related muscular system, skeletal health is heavily affected by proper nutrition and safe physical activity.
The WELL Building Standard is grounded in the latest research in universal design and ergonomics to improve posture and alignment and limit physical stress. In addition, Features provide guidelines for fitness and nutrition that are designed to support skeletal system health and function.
Urinary System
The urinary system consists of the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and the urethra. The urinary system has an extraordinary number of critical functions that include the filtration of toxins, balance of blood pH and electrolytes, maintenance of blood pressure, and the elimination of waste through urine. The kidneys are sensitive organs that can be damaged by exposure to toxins, chronic high blood pressure, or excessive quantities of alcohol, medications or highsugar foods.
The Features of the WELL Building Standard help support urinary health by reducing stress and exposure to toxins and infection-causing pathogens. Comfort Features designed to reduce stress can help prevent the likelihood of high blood pressure and hormone levels that negatively affect urinary function. Restriction of toxins and pathogens can help limit the incidence of urinary infections and other potentially serious problems.
