This is a legacy version of the WELL Building Standard. Please check the latest version here.

Comfort

Comfort

WELL establishes requirements designed to create distraction-free, productive and comfortable indoor environments.

Background

The indoor environment should be a place of comfort. In pursuit of that vision, the WELL Building Standard® focuses on significantly reducing the most common sources of physiological disruption, distraction and irritation and on enhancing acoustic, ergonomic, olfactory and thermal comfort to prevent stress and injury and facilitate comfort, productivity and well-being.

Built environments can harbor sounds that are distracting and disruptive to work or relaxation. Employee surveys show that acoustic problems are a leading source of dissatisfaction within the environmental conditions of an office. As acoustic comfort is determined in part by the physical properties and contents of environments, the WELL Building Standard aims to shape spaces to mitigate unwanted indoor noise levels and reduce exterior noise intrusion in order to enhance social interaction, learning, satisfactio...read more

72 Accessible design

Core & Shell New & Existing Interiors New & Existing Buildings
1: Accessibility and Usability P P P

73 Ergonomics: visual and physical

Core & Shell New & Existing Interiors New & Existing Buildings
1: Visual Ergonomics - P P
2: Desk Height Flexibility - P P
3: Seat Flexibility - P P

74 Exterior noise intrusion

Core & Shell New & Existing Interiors New & Existing Buildings
1: Sound Pressure Level P O P

75 Internally generated noise

Core & Shell New & Existing Interiors New & Existing Buildings
1: Acoustic Planning - P P
2: Mechanical Equipment Sound Levels O P P

76 Thermal comfort

Core & Shell New & Existing Interiors New & Existing Buildings
1: Ventilated Thermal Environment P P P
2: Natural Thermal Adaptation P P P

77 Olfactory comfort

Core & Shell New & Existing Interiors New & Existing Buildings
1: Source Separation - O O

78 Reverberation time

Core & Shell New & Existing Interiors New & Existing Buildings
1: Reverberation Time - O O

79 Sound masking

Core & Shell New & Existing Interiors New & Existing Buildings
1: Sound Masking Use - O O
2: Sound Masking Limits - O O

80 Sound reducing surfaces

Core & Shell New & Existing Interiors New & Existing Buildings
1: Ceilings - O O
2: Walls - O O

81 Sound barriers

Core & Shell New & Existing Interiors New & Existing Buildings
1: Wall Construction Specifications - O O
2: Doorway Specifications - O O
3: Wall Construction Methodology - O O

82 Individual thermal control

Core & Shell New & Existing Interiors New & Existing Buildings
1: Free Address - O O
2: Personal Thermal Comfort Devices - O O

83 Radiant thermal comfort

Core & Shell New & Existing Interiors New & Existing Buildings
1: Lobbies and Other Common Spaces O - O
2: Offices and Other Regularly Occupied Spaces - O O

72 Accessible design

Commercial Kitchen Education Multifamily Residential Restaurant Retail
1: Accessibility and Usability P P - P P

73 Ergonomics: visual and physical

Commercial Kitchen Education Multifamily Residential Restaurant Retail
1: Visual Ergonomics - P - - -
3: Seat Flexibility - P - - -
4: Standing Support P P - P P

74 Exterior noise intrusion

Commercial Kitchen Education Multifamily Residential Restaurant Retail
1: Sound Pressure Level O - - O O
2: Sound Pressure Level in Residences - - O - -
3: Acoustical Narrative O P O O -
4: Sound Pressure Level in Schools - P - - -

75 Internally generated noise

Commercial Kitchen Education Multifamily Residential Restaurant Retail
1: Acoustic Planning P P - P P
2: Mechanical Equipment Sound Levels - P - - -
3: Mechanical Equipment Sound Levels in Sensitive Rooms - - O - -
4: Best-Practice HVAC Installation - - O - -
5: HVAC Sound Ratings - - O - -
6: Noise Criteria in Schools - P - - -
7: Disruptive Music Limitation - - - P -

76 Thermal comfort

Commercial Kitchen Education Multifamily Residential Restaurant Retail
1: Ventilated Thermal Environment P P P P P
2: Natural Thermal Adaptation P P P P P
3: Thermal Comfort in the Kitchen P - - - -

77 Olfactory comfort

Commercial Kitchen Education Multifamily Residential Restaurant Retail
1: Source Separation O O - O O

78 Reverberation time

Commercial Kitchen Education Multifamily Residential Restaurant Retail
2: Reverberation Time for Learning Spaces - O - - -

80 Sound reducing surfaces

Commercial Kitchen Education Multifamily Residential Restaurant Retail
3: School Ceilings - O - - -

81 Sound barriers

Commercial Kitchen Education Multifamily Residential Restaurant Retail
2: Doorway Specifications - O - - -
3: Wall Construction Methodology - O O O -
4: Noise Intrusion Mitigation - - O O -
5: Residential Acoustic Privacy - - O - -
6: Wall Construction Specifications for Schools - O - - -

82 Individual thermal control

Commercial Kitchen Education Multifamily Residential Restaurant Retail
2: Personal Thermal Comfort Devices O O - O O

83 Radiant thermal comfort

Commercial Kitchen Education Multifamily Residential Restaurant Retail
1: Lobbies and Other Common Spaces - O O O -
2: Offices and Other Regularly Occupied Spaces - O - O -

P4 Impact reducing flooring

Commercial Kitchen Education Multifamily Residential Restaurant Retail
1: Floor Construction - O O - -