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The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) announced today that it has crossed the 100 million square foot mark for buildings registered and certified under the WELL Building Standard (WELL). IWBI used the occasion to also launch Build WELL, its new mobile app, premiere the WELLographies, compilations of human health and technical research that explore the connection between buildings and wellness, and provide updates on a number of other initiatives underway.
“I’ve been referring to our work as sustainability’s ‘second wave,’” says Rick Fedrizzi, IWBI Chairman and CEO . “It’s clear that wave is gathering powerful momentum, evidenced by the fact that last week, the WELL Building Standard crossed the 100 million square foot threshold for registered and certified projects in more than 30 countries around the world. This is a significant milestone in our effort to advance the idea of healthier people through better buildings.”
One of the reasons for WELL’s success, says Fedrizzi, is its ability to engage the market’s imagination and improve its access to the information it needs to put people at the center of design and operations decisions.
“That’s why today we are launching Build WELL - the WELL app for iOS and Android. The app contains the entire WELL Building Standard in a navigable mobile format - and it’s accessible offline, making it handy for on-the-go/on-the-job use.” Access more information on the Build WELL app and links to download it on the app landing page, or install it directly for iOS devices or Android.
The WELL app will also house the entire suite of WELLographies, the culmination of a multi-year effort to aggregate important research and provide easy access to the best information currently available that supports each of the features in the WELL Building Standard. The first two WELLographies – Nourishment and Fitness – are available on the WELL app now. The remaining WELLographies will be rolled out between now and the end of the year.
“In the palm of your hand, you can go to the WELL Building Standard, look up parameters of the Fitness concept, then dive into the WELLography that gives you scientific support for aspects of features you may be considering for your project,” Fedrizzi says. “We think WELL users will appreciate the convenience, flexibility, and intuitiveness of this tech-savvy tool, and there’s more to come.”
Fedrizzi noted that both of these new offerings will enhance WELL’s infrastructure to support the upcoming launch of the WELL Community Standard, a district-scale rating system centered on strategies and designs developed to improve health and wellness, along with the addition of WELL Portfolio as a certification pathway that rewards a commitment to ongoing enhancements across multiple existing buildings in a portfolio. These initiatives lay the groundwork for WELL v2, the next version of the standard, which will be launched in the first quarter of 2018.
“So much of our success is due to our WELL APs, an active and growing community that brings education about WELL to their colleagues and clients around the world,” Fedrizzi says. “We’re continuing to ramp up our support of their work through new tools, monthly webcasts, and an array of new educational resources.”
In addition, said Fedrizzi, IWBI is doubling down on research initiatives and public policy outreach.
“Every step of this journey we are taking together advances our understanding of the impact of better decisions about our buildings and improves the health and wellness of the people we care about,” said Fedrizzi. “And in my mind, that’s the most important work we can do.”
For more information about IWBI and WELL, visit wellcertified.com.
