The WELL Building Standard: certification that keeps sound in mind

Building standards often consider the performance of a building, including energy efficiency, water consumption and material usage. But what about the occupants? An environmentally friendly, well-built building provides no guarantees that their needs will be considered, even when certified in most cases. Unless it has a WELL Building Standard certification, that is.

What is the WELL Building Standard?

The WELL Building Standard is a relatively new program launched in 2014 by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). The standard is designed to evaluate and certify buildings based on their impact on human health and wellbeing. Due to the demand for better working conditions, the certification has already gained significant recognition in the construction industry, with thousands of projects around the world now certified.

One of the unique aspects of the WELL certification is that it also looks at people's behavior and how a building and its furnishings can positively contribute to their health and wellbeing. From air and water quality to thermal comfort, sound and lighting, the WELL certification covers a wide range of factors that can affect our physical and mental health.

What are the main requirements of WELL certification?

WELL contains an extensive step-by-step plan to improve the quality of our indoor environments. The 10 main WELL concepts deal with the following themes: air, water, nutrition, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, spirit, and community. These concepts contain 108 characteristics related to design, culture, policy, and maintenance, all of which aim to support our physical and mental health.

The characteristics are divided into specific criteria that a building must meet in order to be certified. A distinction is made here between 2 types of functions: preconditions and optimisations. Preconditions are mandatory requirements that are fundamental to achieving a WELL certificate, while optimisations are optional features that earn extra points.

By meeting the specific requirements and implementing different features, points can be earned for four levels of certification: bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. To track progress towards a specific certification level, one can develop a scorecard that shows the requirements and tracks progress against them. In this way, a project team can monitor that the desired certification level can be achieved.

How does WELL contribute to better sound environments?

The focus on sound and acoustic comfort is one of the essential aspects of the WELL standard. Noise is a major source of stress and discomfort, especially in shared spaces such as offices, classrooms, and hospitals. Studies have shown that excessive noise can increase stress levels, lower productivity, and even lead to health problems such as hearing loss and cardiovascular disease. (To read more on these effects, please see our office, education and healthcare research summaries below.)

WELL certification evaluates various elements of the sound environment, including sound level measurements, speech privacy, noise reduction and soundscapes. All of these factors help to create an environment conducive to wellbeing in various ways.

By taking sound level measurements, excessive noise nuisance can be prevented, and a comfortable noise level can be created and maintained indoors. Voice privacy requirements allow people to have a private conversation. Smart design strategies, such as the use of sound-absorbing materials and the placement of sound masking away from quiet areas, can reduce distractions and create comfortable environments in a building. Finally, creating pleasant soundscapes is stimulated, for example by using natural sounds that promote relaxation or concentration. The obvious result is a healthy sound environment that can help reduce stress, increase concentration, and improve cognitive performance.

In conclusion…

The WELL Building Standard helps to approach the design and construction of buildings differently. WELL certified buildings often have a lower environmental impact due to the incentive of sustainable materials, but above all it is a powerful tool in designing spaces that promote a healthier and more productive indoor climate, that support positive mental and emotional wellbeing leading to happy and healthy users of a building. From improved air quality and acoustics to the incorporation of biophilic design elements, the WELL Building Standard is transforming the way we think about buildings, and ultimately our own wellbeing.

Text: Bianca Scherpenhuyzen, Local Concept Developer, Ecophon Netherlands