Only a few weeks ago, on December 2022, the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) released its latest research “Investing in Health Pays Off”, showing that there is growing evidence to support the substantial positive effects that obtaining WELL Certification has on both the health and well-being of individuals as well as helping Organizations attract and retain top talent while maximizing the ROI of investing in healthy spaces.
In a world with a worsening climate crisis and amid a pandemic entering its third year, it is key to understand what WELL certification is, why it is important, and how it can benefit your organization and the health and well-being of each person.
WELL Certification is a global rating system that recognizes the positive impact that buildings and built spaces can have on people’s health and well-being. Developed by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), WELL certification is the world’s leading tool for assessing and monitoring the health and wellness performance of spaces in a scientific, verifiable way, relying on design strategies grounded in scientific and medical data.
Just like LEED certification, which is the most widely used tool in the world to achieve more sustainable buildings, WELL certification is the perfect complement to achieve a comprehensive project, with the overall purpose of achieving high-quality spaces that enhance people’s health in both the short and long term.
Adopting WELL certification entails adopting design strategies, standards, and corporate policies that together result in a safe and healthy space that will improve people’s well-being comprehensively, by improving their physical, mental, and emotional health.
Interior spaces play a key role in our health and well-being.
Three years into COVID-19 since the pandemic began, it is now clearer than ever before how critical it is to live and work in healthy spaces. Perhaps you haven’t thought about it before, but on average we spend some 90% of our time indoors – be it at home, in the office, shopping, dining, or elsewhere. All in all, interior spaces are essential to enjoying a full and healthy life.
So, what is the connection between interior spaces and our health?
From fundamental design elements such as: achieving spaces with adequate ventilation and indoor air treatment, minimum lighting levels according to space and activity, as well as achieving healthy and comfortable spaces ( regarding acoustics and thermal comfort), or the selection of low-emitting and low-toxic building materials, to access to high-quality purified drinking water, to balanced nutrition, ergonomics, fitness, and mental health – all of them, across the board, play a major role in how spaces and buildings impact our physical, mental and emotional health daily.
You may have never heard the term ‘Sick Building Syndrome’, however, the WHO (World Health Organization) coined this term in the 80s to describe situations in which people experience acute effects on health and comfort related to the time spent indoors. Clearly, buildings or spaces are not the ones sick, but rather the people who live in them.
WHO estimates that between 30% and 50% of new or retrofitted buildings are likely to cause problems to human health.
Among the causes or factors that may contribute to a building suffering from Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) are the following:
– Poor ventilation: deficient ventilation levels do not allow the enjoyment of fresh, healthy air. Sufficient ventilation removes humidity, smoke, odors, and other pollutants such as CO.
– Exposure to chemical pollutants: most indoor air pollution comes primarily from the building materials used (e.g., adhesives, sealants, paints, carpets, upholstery, and cleaning products) which can emit VOCs (harmful chemicals) that may cause eye, nose, and throat irritation, headaches, nausea, and/or organ damage.
– Biological contaminants (i.e. bacteria, viruses, pollen, and mold), which can develop in damp materials in ducts, ceilings, carpets, and other porous surfaces.
Although the symptoms of Sick Building Syndrome can vary between persons, common symptoms include the following: