WELL building certification supports planning policies around health and wellbeing, enhances positive social impact, and adds value across your ESG and other reporting streams. With a trusted team of WELL Approved Professionals, all also proficient across BREEAM, LEED, CSRD and HQE requirements, Sweco’s unique team of teams can meet your healthy building assessment disclosure and design consultancy requirements under one roof.
The WELL Building Standard is a set of science-based ratings covering Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum certification criteria – set by the International WELL Building Institute – aimed at promoting health, safety and wellbeing in buildings, as well as a sense of ‘place’ and human connection.
The standard covers a wide range of factors, such as air and water quality, nourishment, lighting, movement, thermal comfort, acoustics, material selection, mental health and sense of community – encouraging a holistic approach to building design. By implementing the principles of the WELL Building Standard, buildings can become more sustainable, improve occupant health and productivity, and contribute to a positive experience for all who live in, work in or visit a building.
The principles of WELL standard also emphasise the importance of inclusive and equitable policies and practices that support diversity and social justice.
Growing awareness of the impact of the built environment on our well-being means that more and more organisations and real estate developers are seeing the value of obtaining WELL certification for their properties – whether in new builds or retrofit projects – recognising that it not only demonstrates their commitment to sustainability but also increases the overall value and marketability of the building.
A truly healthy building prioritises the wellbeing, comfort and needs of its occupants while being mindful of its environmental impact. It incorporates strategies that promote both physical and mental health, such as maintaining excellent indoor air quality, avoiding toxic materials, encouraging healthy behaviours and integrating biophilic design elements.
WELL’s holistic approach fosters overall wellbeing and creates ‘bigger picture’ harmony beyond the fabric of the building alone – for example promoting wider social wellbeing through the creation of communal areas that encourage interaction and collaboration. Ultimately, it boosts happiness and productivity while creating a positive impact on the surrounding community, fostering connections and building a sense of belonging.
At Sweco our sustainable building solutions cover WELL v2 Core Certification, WELL v2 Certification, WELL Health and Safety Rating, WELL Equity Rating, WELL Communities and WELL at Scale with a full portfolio of services allowing us to provide seamless partnership across:
Acoustic Design: Assessing and optimising sound environments for comfort and productivity.
Ventilation and Thermal Comfort: Ensuring indoor air quality and temperature regulation meets WELL standards.
Indoor Air Quality Monitoring: Installation of Indoor Air Quality monitors and integration with the BMS systems to allow for mechanical interventions to maintain good indoor air quality.
Lighting Design: Enhancing artificial lighting to provide visual comfort and enhance visual acuity.
Transport Planning: Designing access to and from buildings that promotes active transport options (e.g., walking, cycling), enhancing physical health.
Post-Occupancy Evaluation: Assessing the effectiveness of wellness measures after project completion to inform future initiatives.
Ecological Assessment: Evaluating the impact of projects on local ecosystems, which is important to understand to reduce health risks.
Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG): Implementing strategies that enhance biodiversity in and around building sites, which also promotes mental health and wellbeing of the users.
We don’t approach certifications in silo – it’s certainly not just a box-ticking exercise for us and our clients. Instead, we immerse ourselves into the logic and behind the certifications’ criteria with a view to shaping features and overall strategies that add value to the project.
In short, rather than view them as the end goal, we use their benchmarks for excellence as a framework to validate our thinking as we work through project lifecycles. Not so much to help us decide what we want to do…rather to confirm that we are delivering holistic sustainability and wellbeing solutions.
Diaa Bahopia Senior Sustainability Consultant
The principles of WELL certification
Equitable: Aims to benefit a variety of people, including and especially disadvantaged or vulnerable populations.
Global: Proposes interventions that are feasible, achievable and relevant across many applications throughout the world.
Evidence-based: Draws upon a diverse and rigorous body of research across varying disciplines, validated by a collaborative body of experts, including IWBI advisors.
Technically robust: Defines industry best practice and validates strategies through performance verification and a rigorous third-party verification process.
Customer-focused: Sponsors the success of WELL users through dedicated coaching services, dynamic resources and an intuitive platform for navigating the journey.
Resilient: Keeps pace with advances in research, science, technology and society, continuously improving by integrating new findings.
Following the formal WELL Building Certification process is a crucial step in ensuring that a building is designed and constructed with the health and wellness of its occupants in mind.
This rigorous process not only formally evaluates various aspects of a building, but also serves as a valuable point of reference for developers, architects and designers at every stage of a build or refurbishment, with WELL’s unique dynamic scorecard acting as an actionable blueprint for creating spaces that prioritise the wellbeing of occupants and users.
Note: WELL Precertification allows project owners to demonstrate a commitment to health and well-being, market the proposed features of a project to potential tenants looking to occupy the space and determine which features the project is likely to achieve during the full WELL Certification review.Unlike full WELL Certification – which applies to a completed project – projects still under construction may achieve precertification, using documentation based on current plans rather than as-built conditions.
How to achieve the WELL Building Standard
The WELL Building Standard is optimised for commercial and institutional offices and can be applied to three types of developments.
New and Existing Buildings (WELL Certification)
New and Existing Interiors (WELL Certification)
Shell and Core (WELL Core Certification)
The first step is to understand the requirements and criteria for the specific certification you are aiming for. This will help you focus your efforts and ensure that you are meeting all the necessary standards.
Next, it is important to conduct a thorough assessment of your current practices and identify areas that need improvement. This could include implementing energy-efficient systems, reducing water consumption, or promoting sustainable transportation options.
Finally, consistent monitoring and reporting of your progress will not only help you stay on track but also provide valuable data for future improvements. With dedication and a well-planned approach, achieving a well certification is certainly achievable and will bring numerous benefits to both your organisation and the environment.
Understand the project needs: Clearly define the project’s goals with regards to delivering a healthy building.
Engage a WELL Accredited Professional (WELL AP): It’s beneficial to work with a WELL AP, who can guide you through the certification process, ensure compliance with the requirements and add value.
Pre-Assessment: Conduct a pre-assessment to determine which features of the WELL Standard your building can meet. This helps identify gaps and areas for improvement.
Implement Design Strategies: Incorporate WELL features into the design. This could involve selecting materials, creating layouts, and implementing systems that enhance occupant health and well-being.
Documentation: Collect and prepare the required documentation with help from the design team to demonstrate compliance with the WELL features you are targeting.
Submit for Certification: Once all criteria are met and included within the design and build submit all the documentation online for GBCI, the third party auditors to review.
Performance Testing: Appoint a WELL Performance testing organisation to undertake performance verification after practical completion to validate that your building meets the criteria.
Certification Review: The IWBI will review your submission. They may request additional information or clarifications.
Receive Certification: Once approved, your project will receive WELL certification at one of three levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum, depending on the number of features achieved.
Continuous Monitoring: After certification, continue to monitor and evaluate the building’s performance and occupant satisfaction to ensure ongoing compliance and improvement.
Engaging stakeholders early and throughout the process can greatly enhance your success in achieving WELL certification.
At every step, engaging with experts and seeking guidance from experienced professionals – while also collaborating with stakeholders and potential users – can also guide design and add value to the certification process.
When approaching the WELL Building Standard, at Sweco we apply systems thinking principles to ensure a holistic and comprehensive approach. By adopting these principles, we can help our clients effectively address the various aspects of human health and wellness in the built environment.
Here’s how we apply systems thinking principles:
See the Whole Picture: Instead of focusing on isolated components, consider the entire system of the building and its impact on human health and well-being. This involves understanding the interconnectedness of different factors and how they contribute to overall wellness.
Look for Relationships: Explore the relationships between different aspects of the built environment and their influence on human health. Consider how changes in one area can have ripple effects on other aspects and leverage these relationships to optimise wellness.
Question Assumptions: Challenge existing assumptions and beliefs about building design and operation. This encourages critical thinking and opens up possibilities for new approaches that can better support human health and well-being.
Engage in Different Perspectives: Seek input from various stakeholders, including owners, architects, engineers, contractors and operators. Each perspective brings valuable insights that can enhance the design and operation of the building to promote wellness.
Look for Consequences: Anticipate and evaluate the potential consequences of design choices and interventions. Consider both intended and unintended outcomes to ensure that decisions align with the goal of promoting human wellness.
See New Leverage Points: Identify key areas where interventions can have the most significant impact on improving human health and well-being. These leverage points can be targeted to maximise the effectiveness of the certification process to add value.
Embrace Complexity: Recognize that the built environment is a complex system with interdependent elements. Embrace this complexity and approach it with a mindset that allows for innovative solutions and creative problem-solving.
We’re proud to have helped the Bloom Clerkenwell (Farringdon West) development double up on building excellence recognition – as one of London’s newest work, retail and amenity space adds WELL Platinum certification to its BREEAM Outstanding accreditation.
We had good experiences with Sweco in past projects and the expertise they brought really proved to be up to the challenge.
Designing and delivering a project is a long process and the fact that we always had the same people involved in the team was extremely helpful and created a bond, we were always confident we had the best consultants and the team at Sweco were happy to be challenged – we always got the support we were looking for.
Ian Farmer Former HB Reavis Head of Design
What is the difference between WELL and LEED?
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and WELL (Wellness) are both highly regarded standards and certifications in the world of green building design. While both aim to promote healthier and more environmentally friendly buildings, they have different focuses and criteria for achieving their goals: LEED primarily focuses on the energy and environmental performance of a building, while WELL puts a strong emphasis on the wellbeing and health of its occupants.
LEED certification evaluates a building’s sustainability in areas such as energy efficiency, water usage, and materials used, while WELL certification assesses factors such as air quality, lighting, and occupant comfort. In short, while LEED focuses on the building’s impact on the environment, while WELL focuses on its impact on the people inside. Overall, both LEED and WELL both aim to create better, more sustainable buildings – but through different lenses.
Our wider Sustainable Buildings team also offers a clear and guided approach to the BREEAM process, often in tandem with WELL certification. By aiming for ‘Outstanding’ as standard, we promote the most sustainable options for each project – drawing on our multi-disciplinary and cross-sector experience to combine technical excellence with creativity. This allows each project to maximise its aims and is one of the reasons why Sweco has contributed to such a high number of ‘Excellent’ and ‘Outstanding’ projects.
We’ve already delivered 20 BREEAM Outstanding certifications for various developments over the past 10 years – we’re proud to have won a range of best-in-class BREEAM awards every year since 2013. So sustainability – as well as preparing clients for evidencing necessary criteria – is in our DNA.
We were also one of the first consultancies to recognise the future significance of WELL and really grasp what the IWBI were looking to achieve in setting the benchmark for wellbeing.
Aligning and simplifying both frameworks for our clients means we can create green features strategies that are designed to achieve both eco benchmarks and building excellence by default.
Together with our clients and the collective knowledge of our 22,000 engineers, consultants and other specialists, we co-create solutions to address urbanisation, capture the power of digitalisation, and make our societies more sustainable. With international multi-disciplinary teams, we can call on the right insight and technical capability at the right time from across Buildings, Infrastructure, Advisory & Planning and Compliance.
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