Page 24B—
COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL
—
September 2-September 15, 2015
W
e have a variety
of rating systems
available for
commercial buildings
that address energy and
sustainability. Unlike some
rating systems that focus on the
building, the recently launched
WELL Building Standard
focuses entirely on the health
and wellness of building
occupants. WELL is based
on a body of scientific and
medical research that explores
the connection between the
buildings where we spend
more than 90 percent of our
time, and the associated health
and wellness impacts. In the
broader real estate industry,
owners, designers and builders
alike can expect health and
wellness to play a bigger role
in design and construction
decisions over the next several
years.
WELL is a performance-based
rating system for measuring,
certifying and monitoring
features of a building based
on seven attributes: air, water,
nourishment, light, fitness,
comfort and the mind. WELL
was pioneered by Delos and
is managed and administered
by the International WELL
Building Institute. This system
is third-party certified through
Green Business Certification
Inc., the same certification
body used for the U.S. Green
Building Council’s LEED rating
system.
Officially released in
2014, WELL focuses on the
environment in which we
live, work, play and learn,
and how those places affect
both our minds and bodies.
WELL certification is based
largely on performance
metrics and requires a passing
score in each category. The
certification process includes
comprehensive project
documentation and an onsite
audit. WELL Certification is
awarded at the following levels:
Silver, Gold and Platinum.
Comprised of over 100 features
applied to each project, each
feature is designed to address
various issues that impact
the health, comfort, wellness
and education of building
occupants.
Similar to the USGBC LEED
program, there are obligatory
preconditions (“prerequisites”
in LEED) and elective
optimizations (“credits”).
Although there are inherent
similarities to LEED, the
majority of the preconditions
and optimizations pursue
different concerns. For
example, take the precondition
in the nourishment category -
Mindful Eating. This requires
that there are a certain number
of tables and chairs available
for meal times, that the eating
area is in close proximity to all
and that the dedicated area
includes necessities for people
to prepare, store and clean up
their meals.
There are three typologies
available to pursue – New and
Existing Buildings, New and
Existing Interiors and Core and
Shell. WELL Certification is
available for new and existing
typologies, whereas the Core
and Shell typology is only
eligible for WELL Compliance.
The current standard focuses
on industrial and commercial
office spaces only. However,
there are five pilot programs
in progress including retail,
multifamily residential,
education, restaurant, and
commercial kitchen projects.
Also like the USGBC
LEED program, there is
an opportunity to pursue
an accreditation credential
based on WELL. The WELL
Accredited Professional
credential will be available in
November 2015 with the debut
of the WELL AP exam.
For those who want to
learn more about WELL, the
following educational and
training opportunities are
available for project teams:
USGBC will host its annual
Greenbuild International
Conference and Expo Nov.
18-20 in Washington, D.C.,
featuring a number of health
and wellness opportunities,
which includes a pre-
conference WELL workshop
and specialty workshops on
circadian lighting and the
business case for the program.
Three webinars are available
on the WELL Building
Standard at
.
wellcertified.com/learn.
To provide an overview of
the WELL Building Standard
covering benefits, structure,
and the certification process,
a free, one-hour GBCI CE
approved course, Introduction
to the WELL Building
Standard, is available.
Full-day intensive WELL
workshops are available at
various locations around the
country and abroad to support
professionals as they prepare
for the WELL AP exam.
Tools and resources include
the WELL Certification
Guidebook, available at
certification, with others in
development.
As the WELL Building
Standard continues to gain
recognition and is disseminated
across various industries,
owners and developers can
pursue this standard in an
effort to stand out among
competition and attract
prospective employees to a
healthy workspace. WELL
will enable sustainability
consultants, architects,
commissioning agents and
lighting consultants alike to
offer new opportunities for
their clients to pursue better
buildings. New professional
services associated with this
standard may include WELL
documentation assistance
by an accredited WELL AP,
consultation on circadian
lighting design, assessment
of WELL projects during
Performance Verification
and the creation of testing
mechanisms during the onsite
testing of air and water quality.
The health and wellness
industry is considered by many
to be the next trillion-dollar
industry. With the rise of this
industry, now is an opportune
time to consider implementing
the WELL Building Standard
on your next project.
Laura Unrein,
LEED AP BD+C
Sustainable design consultant,
Group14 Engineering Inc., Denver
Field Supervisory Skills - Workshop Series
Presented by Stephane McShane,
Associate Director at Maxim Consulting Group
You make your money in the field…
Have you equipped your Field Leaders with the tools they need to be successful?
Flexible scheduling options to fit YOUR schedule! Pick the date and time YOU prefer!
For a schedule and full course details visit our website:
Contract Administration & Effective Communications
Tuesday, September 29th
7:30 –11:30 am
or
12:30-4:30 pm
Tuesday, December 1st
7:30 –11:30 am
or
12:30-4:30 pm
Understanding Productivity & Project Leadership
Tuesday, October 13th
7:30 –11:30 am
or
12:30-4:30 pm
Tuesday, December 15th
7:30 –11:30 am
or
12:30-4:30 pm
ABC Rocky Mountain Member: $225/session or $800 for series of 4 programs!
Save $100!
Non-Member: $300/session or $1100 for the series of 4 programs!
Save $100!
Sessions will be held at the ABC Offices
2267 West Yale Avenue • Englewood, CO 80110
Contact Kim Grosel for more details. Call 303.832.5812 or
Visit ou
der the Education tab to download the forms.
Planning and Scheduling & Time Management
Tuesday, September 1st
7:30 –11:30 am
or
12:30-4:30 pm
Tuesday, October 27th
7:30 –11:30 am
or
12:30-4:30 pm
Resource Control & Customer Relationships
Tuesday, September 15th
7:30 –11:30 am
or
12:30-4:30 pm
Tuesday, November 17th
7:30 –11:30 am
or
12:30-4:30 pm
