May 11, 2023 – In 2017, Shangwen Kennedy, an experienced, Harvard-trained architect and urban designer, wanted to try something new: create spaces that would improve the health and well-being of the people who use them.
She and her husband purchased a small inn in Encinitas, CA, near San Diego, and did extensive land and property renovation. Shangwen learned of a new certification program to help building developers and owners establish a foothold in the nascent wellness building space, similar to the better-known LEEDS standard for environmentalism.
Creating beautiful spaces was no longer enough, and Shangwen saw a challenge: “How do you provide a life-giving space? It requires a different way.”
Now, his Inn at Moonlight Beach has garnered worldwide media attention since it became the world’s first WELL-certified hotel. With its biological enhancements, herb and vegetable gardens, state-of-the-art water purification and ventilation systems, and a calm and relaxed atmosphere, this five-suite inn is part of a growing movement to ensure health and wellness in shared spaces. . spaces.
Buildings large and small, in all kinds of industries around the world, are being built to earn and promote WELL certification. It started before the pandemic, but COVID-19 raised concerns about security and cleanliness in common settings, and WELL has responded to provide a variety of authentication to provide standards and trust.
To obtain WELL awards, buildings must meet standards in areas such as water, air, light, thermal comfort, and sound.
“Pre-COVID and post-COVID is a totally different game,” said Yan Tai, senior vice president of public relations and communications at the International WELL Building Institute, the world’s leading certification body for healthy buildings. “It used to be a really nice thing to have, but now it’s really a must have.”
A ‘Commitment to People First Places’
The International WELL Building Institute is founded on a “people first commitment,” its website says. “Organizations everywhere, from startups to the Fortune 500, use WELL to prioritize the health and safety of their people, maximize real estate value, and optimize the performance of their business’ human and social capital.”
His research says that investing in healthy buildings pays for itself with better performance and higher financial returns. For example, employers report a 28% increase in workplace satisfaction and a 10-point jump in average productivity scores.
WELL is working with 41,000 projects in 124 countries. Notable projects have included the National University of Singapore, the Rose Quarter Campus in Portland, OR, and Edge Technologies in Amsterdam.
Some governments are using WELL standards, including chicago. It is included in Fannie Mae’s healthy design. Certifications.
“More than ever before, companies are held to a higher standard in how they care for their employees and manage the downstream impacts of their products and services,” he says. Matthew Trowbridge, MD, MPH, medical director of the WELL institute. “IWBI applies the science in the WELL Building Standard to help organizations meet and exceed industry performance standards to become leaders in health.”
The global Standard Chartered Bank became involved with the WELL process in part to bring health and safety standardization to all of its locations. The bank won the WELL health and safety ratingan evidence-based qualification that focuses on facility operations and management.
“At first, our goal was to have something that would help our colleagues feel comfortable going back to the office. [after the pandemic]said Peter Simpson, head of safety and security. “We had taken every measure to keep our workplaces clean and safe during the pandemic, but we wanted something that we could visibly demonstrate to our employees so they feel safe.”
The WELL program is similar to the better known LEED rating from the US Green Building Council for building and promoting common spaces that are friendly to the environment.
But WELL’s focus is on the people who use the buildings.
“People spend 90% of their time indoors,” said Jessica Cooper, WELL’s director of products.
“Does the physical built environment affect human health? The answer is a resounding yes.”
A boost from the pandemic
WELL’s founders brought together public health experts, architects, designers and others to discuss ways to support human health with buildings.
“We look at things like air and water quality. We look at ways to support healthy eating through the environment, ways to promote movement and physical activity, lighting quality, thermal comfort,” Cooper said.
WELL encourages plants to be on site, with access to nature and policies to support paternity leave, among other topics.
After the COVID hit, WELL realized there was a hunger for standards that could support wellness without being as comprehensive as their original omnibus certification. So he created more focusedratings, “a subset of strategies of the broader WELL standard that focuses on health and safety issues, primarily related to buildings, operations, and management,” it said.
Applications spiked during the pandemic, he said, because builders, employers and companies wanted a way to be recognized for their efforts, “especially in hospitality and other sectors that weren’t quite as ready to sign up for full certification. … The standard became more robust as a result of the pandemic.”
Before the pandemic, most of WELL’s customers were in commercial offices or commercial spaces or in multi-family residential buildings.
“But with COVID, all sectors started to pay attention. So the inn in California was the first to get WELL certified,” and now multiple chains are involved.
Back at moonlight beach
in the inn of Moonlight Beach in California, Kennedy was an early adopter and evangelizer of the WELL standards.
He proudly described the meticulous restoration of healthy soil to grow the lush gardens of lavender, bamboo, rosemary, mint, kale, and many more varieties.
“The priority was on food and systems for a biodynamic environment, and the WELL standard, not so much on structures,” he said.
The inn has received coverage in the local and national media. A visit provides a complete sensory experience, with the orchestra of floral and herbal aromas, the sea breeze and an enveloping tranquility.
“It’s not just about how beautiful things are,” says Kennedy. “It’s about how much they thrive.”
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