The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) and the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) formally introduced the WELL Building Standard in China. WELL is a system that focuses on human health and wellbeing in the built environment.
WELL, which complements green building rating programs such as LEED, Three Star, and BREEAM, has come forward at a time of increased environmental awareness among the Chinese people who are looking for solutions to improve quality of life.
“Our world today is confronting massive health challenges that are assaulting our complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing,” said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO & founding chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “As these challenges continue to mount, all of us have an obligation to be more purposeful when addressing how human health relates to our built environment. The WELL certification program is a powerful way to accelerate better, healthier buildings throughout China.”
The WELL Building Standard is a performance-based system for measuring, certifying and monitoring features that impact human health and wellbeing, through air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind.
Grounded in a body of medical research that explores the connection between the buildings where we spend more than 90% of our time and the health and wellness of the people in them, WELL certification allows building owners and employers to know their space is designed to promote health and wellbeing and is performing as intended.
“We think there is a great market opportunity in China for companies to be at the forefront of healthy building practices,” said Paul Scialla, founder of the International WELL Building Institute. “We are excited by the strong interest and demand we have already received from companies and projects that are interested in WELL certification and merging together best practices in environmental and human sustainability.”
GBCI, as the official certifying body of both WELL and LEED, will successfully integrate the certification and credentialing processes of both systems to help project teams efficiently deliver on both their environmental and human health goals.
WELL can be applied across all building types and version 1.0 of WELL is currently optimized for commercial and institutional projects. For more information about the WELL Building Standard, visitwellcertified.com. For more information about GBCI, visit gbci.org.
Related Stories
| Apr 17, 2012
FMI report examines federal construction trends
Given the rapid transformations occurring in the federal construction sector, FMI examines the key forces accelerating these changes, as well as their effect on the industry.
| Apr 17, 2012
Freese and Nichols awarded Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award
Freese and Nichols is the only engineering and architecture firm to ever receive this recognition.
| Apr 17, 2012
Miramar College police substation in San Diego receives LEED Platinum
The police substation is the first higher education facility in San Diego County to achieve LEED Platinum Certification, the highest rating possible.
| Apr 16, 2012
University of Michigan study seeks to create efficient building design
The result, the researchers say, could be technologies capable of cutting the carbon footprint created by the huge power demands buildings place on the nation’s electrical grid.
| Apr 16, 2012
$80 million in export financing for solar project in India
The project, “Rajasthan Sun Technique Energy Private Limited,” is a subsidiary of Reliance Power and is being co-financed by the Asian Development Bank and FMO, the Dutch development bank.
| Apr 12, 2012
Solar PV carport, electrical charging stations unveiled in California
Project contractor Oltman Construction noted that the carport provides shaded area for 940 car stalls and generates 2 MW DC of electric power.
| Apr 6, 2012
Flat tower green building concept the un-skycraper
A team of French designers unveil the “Flat Tower” design, a second place winner in the 2011 eVolo skyscraper competition.
| Apr 5, 2012
5 tips for a successful door and window retrofit
An exclusive tip sheet to help the Building Team manage door and window retrofits successfully.
| Apr 4, 2012
San Antonio animal hospital earns LEED Platinum certification
Middleman Construction Company builds the city?s first commercial building to earn certification.
| Apr 3, 2012
Product Solutions
Two new PV systems; a lighter shelf; and fire alarm/emergency communication system.
