The WELL Building Standard was launched by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) in October 2014. It was created to address the growing need to design and build environments that support and enhance human health and well-being.
Benefits of WELL Accreditation
Achieving WELL accreditation offers numerous benefits:
As of 2023, it is no longer possible to register new projects for WELL Building Standard v1 certification. The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) has transitioned fully to WELL v2, which is now the primary standard for new project registrations. The shift to WELL v2 reflects IWBI’s efforts to improve and expand the standard, incorporating feedback and advancements to better meet the needs of building owners, operators, and occupants.
Scoring in WELL V2
Buildings are now scored across ten categories known as Concepts:
Each Concept consists of features with distinct health intents. Features are either preconditions or optimisations.
Preconditions: Preconditions define the fundamental components of a WELL Certified space and serve as the foundation of a healthy building. All preconditions – including all parts within them – are mandatory for certification.
Optimisations: Optimisations are optional pathways for projects to meet certification requirements in WELL. Project teams may select which optimisations to pursue and which parts to focus on within each optimisation.
WELL v2 offers four levels of certification (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum) reflecting the extent to which a building meets the standard’s criteria.
Buildings pursuing WELL certification must meet all preconditions and achieve a certain number of points through optimisations. The total possible points are 110, and buildings are awarded certification at different levels based on their score:
To achieve higher certification levels, projects must score well across multiple concepts, ensuring a comprehensive approach to health and wellness.
Plants are recognised throughout the WELL Building Standard, particularly within the concepts of Mind and Movement.
MIND
The WELL Mind concept promotes mental health through policy, program and design strategies that seek to address the diverse factors that influence cognitive and emotional well-being.
Provide connection to nature – Precondition
The project integrates the following throughout the space, including common circulation routes, shared seating areas and rooms (e.g., conference rooms, common
spaces) and workstations (as applicable):
a. Natural materials, patterns, shapes, colours, images or sounds.
b. At least one of the following:
1. Plants (e.g., potted plants, plant walls).
2. Water (e.g., fountain, pond, fish tank).
3. Nature views.
Provide nature access indoors – Optimisation (1 point )
The project’s floor plan is designed such that at least 75% of workstations, conference room seats, classroom seats and seating within common spaces meets at least
one of the following requirements:
a. Have a direct line of sight to indoor plant(s), water feature(s) and/or nature view(s).
b. Are within 33 ft of indoor plant(s), water feature(s) and/or nature view(s).
MOVEMENT
The Movement concept promotes physical activity in everyday life through environmental design, policies and programs to ensure that movement opportunities are
integrated into the fabric of our culture, buildings and communities.
Design Aesthetic Staircases – Optimisation (1 point)
At least one staircase is open to regular occupants, services all occupiable floors of the project and is aesthetically designed through the inclusion of at least two independent
strategies from the following list on each floor:
a. Music.
b. Artwork.
c. Designed to have light levels of at least 100 lux when in use.
d. Windows or skylights that provide access to daylight and/or nature views.
e. Natural design elements (e.g., plants, water features, images of nature).
f. Gamification.
Select Sites With Pedestrian-Friendly Streets – Optimisation (2 points)
Exterior building walls facing the pedestrian network incorporate one or more of the following on the first floor or first 18 vertical feet (whichever is less):
a. Windows or glazing that provide transparency into the space.
b. Overhangs such as canopies, awnings, eaves or shades.
c. Murals or other artistic installations.
d. Biophilic design elements (e.g., plants, water features, nature patterns, natural building materials).
e. Mixed building textures, colours and/or other design elements.
Although plants are only explicitly mentioned in the Mind and Movement concepts of the WELL Building Standard, they can still be useful in satisfying several preconditions as well as earning points for optimisations within concepts where they are not directly referenced.
AIR
The Air concept aims to achieve high levels of indoor air quality across a building’s lifetime through diverse strategies that include source elimination or reduction, active and passive building design and operation strategies and human behaviour interventions.
Scientific studies have consistently demonstrated that plants significantly improve indoor air quality through their ability to remove harmful pollutants and regulate bacterial diversity in the air.
Although some species will perform better than others, providing they are healthy and well-maintained, all plants will purify the air to some extent. They do this by taking harmful gases out of the atmosphere and sequestering them in their roots and cells. Some of these chemicals are broken down by fungi in the soil and others are stored in the plant.
THERMAL COMFORT
The Thermal Comfort concept aims to promote human productivity and provide a maximum level of thermal comfort among all building users through improved HVAC system design and control and by meeting individual thermal preferences.
In this 2013 study, the thermal comfort of 67 office workers within an office building in The Netherlands was evaluated over a four month period. It found that occupants were approximately 12.0% more thermally comfortable when plants were present in the room.
Through the process of transpiration, plants cool the air by releasing moisture, which absorbs heat. This cooling effect, along with improved humidity regulation and air quality, contributes to a more comfortable indoor environment. Additionally, plants can provide shade, reducing heat from sunlight, and serve as natural insulation in green roofs and walls.
SOUND
The WELL Sound concept aims to bolster occupant health and well-being through the identification and mitigation of acoustical comfort parameters that shape occupant experiences in the built environment.
Plants help absorb, deflect, and refract sound, making them a colourful solution for noisy commercial spaces. Similar to carpets, plants absorb sound by trapping sound waves through their porous surfaces, unlike hard surfaces that reflect sound. This helps reduce echoes and noise pollution.
Generally, plants with dense foliage, thick leaves, and a large surface area are more effective at dampening noise. The volume and placement of plants also matter: more plants and strategic placement around the room’s perimeter enhance their noise-absorbing effects.
We always recommend speaking to an expert to ensure suitability. Our friendly team can offer advice on specific plant types that are compatible with your climate and provide a full maintenance service to ensure they continue to thrive.
