The Top Benefits of Being a WELL Accredited Professional: Is It Right for You?

Is a WELL accreditation 100% necessary to get ahead in the healthy building industry? Not necessarily but it definitely helps!

The WELL Building Standard is reshaping the built environment by focusing on human health and well-being. As interest in healthier spaces continues to grow, the role of professionals with expertise in this area becomes even more crucial.

But what exactly is the WELL AP credential, and how can it benefit your career in architecture, design, or real estate?

What is the WELL AP Credential?

The WELL AP credential signifies a professional's expertise in the WELL Building Standard and their commitment to advancing well-being through design.

By earning this certification, professionals demonstrate their knowledge in promoting environments that support physical and mental wellness, such as air quality, water quality, and optimal lighting.

To become a WELL AP, individuals must pass the WELL AP exam, a comprehensive test that covers various aspects of human health and the built environment.

For professionals in architecture, interior design, real estate, or construction, the WELL AP credential can be a valuable asset.

Benefits of WELL AP Certification

Becoming a WELL Accredited Professional offers several advantages that make it a worthy investment. Here are the top benefits:

Global Recognition:

The WELL AP certification is recognized worldwide, making it a valuable credential for professionals looking to work in the international arena.

Increased Career Opportunities:

With the WELL AP credential, professionals stand out in a competitive market. Employers in green building, real estate development, and wellness-focused industries actively seek out candidates who have this certification because it demonstrates a deep understanding of how to create spaces that prioritize health and well-being.

Competitive Advantage:

In a crowded job market, the WELL AP credential gives you a competitive edge. As the demand for healthier and sustainable environments increases, having this certification demonstrates your ability to meet these modern design challenges.

Commitment to Health and Sustainability:

Earning your WELL AP certification shows your dedication to sustainable design and human wellness. For professionals passionate about making a positive impact on people’s lives, this credential affirms your expertise and commitment to creating healthier environments.

The Importance of Human Health and Well-being in the Built Environment

The built environment directly influences wellbeing, whether it’s through air quality, lighting, water, or the materials used in construction. Poorly designed spaces can lead to a range of health issues, including respiratory problems, stress, and even poor mental health.

The WELL Building Standard seeks to address these concerns by setting guidelines that help create environments that support well-being.

From optimizing air filtration systems to ensuring adequate natural light, the WELL standard provides a framework to improve the quality of life for occupants. As a WELL AP, you'll be at the forefront of this movement, contributing to healthier buildings and communities.

Becoming a WELL AP Professional with the International Well Building Institute IWBI

If you're considering becoming a WELL Accredited Professional with the International Well Building Institute, here’s what you need to know about the process:

Eligibility and Exam Requirements

The first step in earning the WELL AP credential is passing the WELL AP exam. This 115-question multiple-choice exam is designed to test your knowledge of the WELL Building Standard and your ability to apply its principles in real-world projects.

The exam covers various topics, including air and water quality, light, thermal comfort, nutrition, and other key wellness elements in the built environment.

The test is administered by GBCI (Green Business Certification Inc.) and can be taken at Prometric testing centers worldwide. Yes, there are quite a few different entities involved here, including the International Well Building Institute but stick with us!

Certification Cost and Maintenance

The cost of becoming a WELL AP includes both the exam fee and any preparation materials or courses you choose to take.

Once certified, WELL APs must renew their credential every two years to stay current. This involves completing continuing education requirements to ensure your knowledge stays up-to-date with evolving standards and practices.

Career Opportunities and Market Demand

In today's job market, professionals with expertise in green building standard and the wellness certification process are in high demand. It's already a global movement, so passing the WELL AP exam can open up new opportunities across various sectors, including real estate, architecture, interior design, and corporate wellness consulting.

With businesses and developers increasingly focusing on creating healthier workspaces, residential communities, and hospitality environments, the demand for WELL APs continues to grow.

Whether you're working on office design, residential real estate developments, or hospitality projects, the WELL AP exam credential enhances your professional profile and boosts your career prospects.

Conclusion

While preparing for the exam and maintaining the credential requires an investment of time and resources, the benefits—ranging from enhanced career opportunities to improved earning potential—make it well worth the effort.

If you're passionate about designing healthier, more sustainable environments, the WELL certification credential denotes expertise like nothing else out there right now!

Role of Salutogenic Design, Evidence Based Design & the Anthropocene in Healthy Building — Wellness Design Consultants

In this article we explore the concepts of evidence based design, salutogenesis and the anthropocene as they relate to the healthy building movement for new and existing buildings. Additionally, we will delve into salutogenic design principles, which are crucial for creating environments that promote health and well-being through thoughtful use of space, natural light, and social interaction.

Beulah, Australia

Setting the scene: the anthropocene era and the healthy built environment movement

The concept of the Anthropocene and the healthy green buildings movement are interconnected in several ways, as both address the profound impact of human activity on the environment and human well-being:

1. Environmental Context: The Anthropocene signifies a new geological epoch characterized by the significant influence of human activities on Earth’s systems. This includes changes in the climate, biodiversity loss, and alterations in ecosystems.

The healthy buildings movement recognizes that the built environment and the physical environment play a substantial role in contributing to or mitigating these environmental changes.

Sustainable building practices, reduced resource consumption, and energy-efficient design are key aspects of both movements. 2. Climate Change Mitigation: The Anthropocene is marked by rapid climate change driven by human activities, particularly the release of greenhouse gases.

Healthy buildings are designed to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, contributing to climate change mitigation.

Strategies such as green building materials, energy-efficient HVAC systems, and renewable energy integration align with efforts to address climate change in the Anthropocene. 3. Human Health and Well-Being: The Anthropocene has brought about environmental challenges that directly affect human health, including air pollution, extreme weather events, and the spread of infectious diseases.

Healthy buildings prioritize creating indoor environments that protect occupants from these external threats.

Improved indoor air quality, ventilation systems, and access to natural light and views are all design elements that can enhance physical and mental health in an era marked by environmental challenges. 4. Resource Efficiency: The Anthropocene has witnessed the unsustainable exploitation of natural resources.

The healthy buildings movement emphasizes resource efficiency and sustainable material choices, reducing the environmental footprint of construction and operation. This approach aligns with the imperative to minimize resource depletion in the Anthropocene. 5. Adaptation to Environmental Change: As the Anthropocene brings about more frequent and severe environmental disruptions, healthy buildings also consider resilience and adaptability.

They incorporate features like flood-resistant design, temperature control systems, and sustainable landscaping to help occupants cope with and adapt to changing environmental conditions.

In essence, the concept of the Anthropocene underscores the urgent need for sustainable, environmentally conscious practices, and the healthy buildings movement responds by promoting sustainable design and construction strategies that mitigate environmental impacts and safeguard human well-being in a rapidly changing world.

Both movements recognize the critical role of the built environment in addressing the challenges of the Anthropocene.

capita spring, singapore

What is evidence based design?

Evidence-based design (EBD) is a fundamental concept in the realm of architecture and interior design, particularly in the context of creating healthy buildings.

Healthcare architecture, which incorporates evidence-based design and salutogenic principles, is crucial in promoting human health and well-being through architectural interventions. Elements such as sense of comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness in healthcare architecture can positively impact patient recovery and promote a natural healing process.

This approach is rooted in the idea that design decisions should be informed by rigorous research and empirical evidence to optimize the well-being of occupants and achieve desired outcomes.

For real estate professionals and interior designers, understanding the role of EBD in healthy buildings is crucial for creating spaces that enhance both physical and psychological health and wellbeing.

In healthy building plans, EBD plays a pivotal role by guiding the decision-making process. It relies on a systematic analysis of existing research, user feedback, and data-driven insights to inform design choices.

As wellness experts, we are frequently asked by clients to make a judgement call on a variety of options placed before us, be they materials, furniture, plants or wall decor. So we are regularly calling upon our knowledge of human health in the built environment, as well as medical research, product certifications and more.

For instance, studies have shown that access to natural light and views of nature can improve productivity, mood, and overall health. EBD takes such findings into consideration when planning window placement and incorporating biophilic elements in a design or office building.

Furthermore, EBD is instrumental in addressing issues such as indoor air quality, acoustics, and ergonomic design, all of which impact the health and comfort of building occupants.

For instance, selecting low-VOC materials, using acoustic performance, implementing sound-absorbing surfaces, and creating ergonomic workstations are evidence-based strategies to foster a healthier indoor environment.

For examples of our own research-based approach, see here.

St. John’s Terminal, NYC

How does the concept of salutogenesis influence salutogenic architecture in the healthy buildings industry?

The concept of salutogenesis has a profound influence on the healthy buildings industry by shifting the focus from merely mitigating health risks to actively promoting active health, well-being, and resilience among building occupants.

Salutogenesis, developed by medical sociologist Aaron Antonovsky, emphasizes the factors that contribute to health and the capacity for individuals to thrive, rather than solely addressing disease or illness. It also guides architectural and other interventions to create more human-centered spaces.

Here’s how this concept influences the healthy buildings and public health industry:

1. Holistic Well-Being: Salutogenesis encourages a holistic approach to design and construction. Instead of narrowly concentrating on physical health concerns, it considers the psychological, social, and emotional aspects of well-being.

Healthy buildings therefore aim to create environments that support mental health, reduce stress, and enhance overall quality of life, particularly in the healthcare sector where promoting health and well-being is crucial. 2. User-Centered Design: Salutogenesis places a strong emphasis on involving building occupants in the design process.

This user-centered approach ensures that spaces are tailored to meet the specific needs and preferences of those who will use them. It encourages active participation and engagement, which can positively impact mental and emotional health. 3. Biophilic Design: Salutogenic principles often align with biophilic design, which incorporates natural elements and connections with nature into built environments. The use of natural materials in architecture can create a restorative environment that promotes overall well-being.

This design approach has been shown to reduce stress, improve cognitive function, and enhance overall well-being by fostering a deeper connection with the natural world. 4. Empowerment and Control: Salutogenesis promotes a sense of empowerment and control over one’s environment. It helps maintain physical and mental well-being by creating environments that support these aspects.

Healthy buildings provide occupants with opportunities to make choices that influence their surroundings, such as adjustable lighting, temperature controls, and flexible workspaces, which can contribute to a sense of autonomy and well-being. 5. Long-Term Health Promotion: Rather than addressing health issues reactively, salutogenesis encourages a proactive approach to health promotion. Salutogenic architecture supports long-term well-being by creating environments that help occupants develop healthier habits and lifestyles.

Healthy buildings aim to create environments that support long-term well-being, helping occupants develop healthier habits and lifestyles. It is prevention rather than cure, for the latter you’ll want a health clinic or hospital designed along EBD principles!

The salutogenic model focuses on promoting human health and well-being through the built environment, emphasizing elements like social support, nature, and restorative spaces.

From a salutogenic perspective, the relationship between the built environment and its users is crucial for fostering overall well-being. This perspective integrates principles that create conditions for transformative and healing power.

A key element of salutogenic design is the sense of coherence, which includes manageability, comprehensibility, and meaningfulness. A robust sense of coherence can enhance a person's resistance to illness and enable a prompt and full recovery.

What role is there for 'evidence based design' in the WELL certification standard for new and existing healthcare facilities?

Evidence-based design (EBD) plays a significant and foundational role in the WELL Building Standard, a performance-based system for measuring, certifying, and monitoring features of the built environment that impact human health and well-being.

EBD aligns seamlessly with the principles and requirements of the WELL Standard in the following ways:

1. Informed Design Decisions: EBD emphasizes the importance of using empirical evidence and research to inform design decisions.

The WELL Standard incorporates a wide range of evidence-based strategies and criteria related to air quality, lighting, acoustics, materials, and more. This ensures that design choices are not arbitrary but are backed by scientific research and best practices. 2. Health and Well-Being Focus: EBD prioritizes the well-being of building occupants, and the WELL Standard is explicitly focused on creating healthy and supportive environments for people. In healthcare facilities, evidence-based design is crucial for creating environments that support patient recovery and natural healing processes.

By utilizing evidence-based strategies, designers and project confidently implement features that are known to have a positive impact on occupant health, such as proper ventilation, access to natural light, and ergonomic design. 3. Ongoing Monitoring and Evaluation: The WELL Standard encourages ongoing monitoring and evaluation of building performance, which aligns with the EBD principle of continuous improvement.

By measuring and assessing the health and well-being outcomes of building occupants, project teams can refine their design and operational strategies based on real-world data. 4. User-Centered Approach: Both EBD and the WELL Standard prioritize a user-centered approach to design.

EBD involves engaging with building occupants to understand their needs and preferences, while the WELL Standard places a strong emphasis on occupant engagement and education. This ensures that buildings are designed and operated in a way that supports the physical and mental health of their users. 5. Adaptation to New Research: EBD acknowledges that scientific knowledge evolves over time, and so does the WELL Standard.

The WELL Building Standard is periodically updated to reflect the latest research and industry best practices. This dynamic approach ensures that buildings certified under the standard continue to meet the highest standards of occupant health and well-being.

In summary, evidence-based design is integral tothe WELL Healthy Building Standard. It guides the selection and implementation of strategies wellness features that promote health and well-being in the built environment, ensuring that buildings certified under the standard are not only aesthetically pleasing but also conducive to the physical and psychological well-being of their occupants.

Is the concept of salutogenesis present in the International WELL Building Institute WELL Standard?

While the term “salutogenesis” may not be explicitly mentioned that often in WELL, many of the principles and features outlined in the WELL Standard align with the salutogenic approach, which focuses on promoting health and well-being rather than solely mitigating disease or risks.

Here are some ways in which salutogenic principles are reflected in the WELL Building Standard:

1. Holistic Well-Being: The WELL Standard emphasizes a holistic approach to health and well-being, taking into account physical, mental, and social aspects of well-being.

It addresses factors such as air quality, water quality, nourishment, fitness, mind, and comfort, all of which contribute to a comprehensive sense of health and wellness. 2. User-Centered Design: Much like salutogenesis, the WELL Standard prioritizes user-centered design.

It encourages building owners and designers to engage with occupants, understand their needs and preferences, and create spaces that support their well-being. Occupant engagement is a key component of the standard. 3. Positive Environmental Factors: The WELL Standard promotes positive environmental factors that can enhance well-being, including access to natural light, views of nature, indoor air quality, and thermal comfort.

These elements align with the salutogenic approach, which recognizes that a supportive environment is essential for health. In healthcare settings, these principles are crucial as they help create spaces that promote social interaction, use natural light and ventilation, and incorporate elements that enhance the sense of comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness for both patients and staff. 4. Psychological Well-Being: The WELL Standard addresses psychological well-being through features that reduce stress and enhance mental health.

This includes strategies to reduce noise, provide spaces for relaxation and reflection, and support cognitive function—all of which are aligned with the salutogenic aim of promoting mental well-being. 5. Long-Term Health Promotion: The WELL Standard encourages long-term health promotion by fostering healthy habits and lifestyles among building occupants.

It includes requirements related to nutrition, physical activity, and access to clean water, which align with the salutogenic approach of empowering individuals to make healthier choices.

In summary, while the term “salutogenesis” may not be explicitly used in the WELL Building Standard, the principles and features of the standard clearly align with the salutogenic approach by prioritizing the creation of environments that actively promote and support the health and well-being of building occupants.

What are the physical and mental wellbeing principles of the WELL certification for indoor spaces?

The WELL Building Standard is a performance-based system for measuring, certifying, and promoting features of the built environment that impact human health and well-being.

It consists of seven key categories or concepts, known as "concepts," each of which focuses on specific aspects of well-being. Within these concepts, there are more than 100 features that can be addressed to achieve WELL certification.

The seven key concepts are:

1. Air: This concept focuses on indoor air quality and ventilation, aiming to provide occupants with clean and healthy air. It addresses factors such as air filtration, ventilation rates, and the control of indoor pollutants.

2. Water: The Water concept aims to ensure access to safe and clean drinking water and promote proper hydration. It includes features related to water quality, filtration, and the availability of drinking water.

3. Nourishment: This concept emphasizes healthy eating habits and nutritional choices. It includes features that encourage access to nutritious foods, portion control, and food labeling.

4. Light: The Light concept focuses on providing occupants with natural and artificial lighting that supports their circadian rhythms and visual comfort. It addresses aspects such as daylighting, lighting design, and glare control.

5. Fitness: Fitness promotes physical activity and active living within the built environment. It includes features related to opportunities for exercise, active transportation, and design elements that encourage movement.

6. Comfort: The Comfort concept aims to create environments that support occupant comfort and reduce stress. It includes features related to thermal comfort, acoustic comfort, ergonomic design, and relaxation spaces.

7. Mind: The Mind concept addresses psychological well-being and mental health. It includes features that support stress reduction, cognitive function, emotional well-being, and access to nature and biophilia.

Each of these seven concepts has specific features and criteria that can be pursued by building owners, designers, and occupants to achieve WELL certification.

The WELL Building Standard is designed to be flexible, allowing projects to select and implement features based on their specific goals and priorities, with the ultimate aim of creating spaces that enhance human health and well-being.

Contact us if you wish to discuss your WELL certification, WELL Building standard or employee wellbeing project design.

Key concepts in wellness real estate & healthy buildings

Heidis Garden Shop with biophilic design - check the moss wall installation!

What is a healthy building concept?

Healthy buildings refer to a structure that is designed, constructed, and maintained with the well-being of its occupants in mind. It is a space that promotes the physical, mental, and emotional health of the people who live or work in it.

Such examples of wellness real estate are designed to provide clean and fresh air, access to natural light, and comfortable temperature and humidity levels.

They also prioritize the use of non-toxic materials and incorporate features that enhance indoor air quality, such as proper ventilation systems and air filtration.

Additionally, well buildings often incorporate elements that support physical activity and wellbeing, such as designated spaces for exercise or access to outdoor areas.

Overall, a health-oriented building is one that supports the health and well-being of its occupants through thoughtful design and maintenance practices.

International well building institute ("WELL")

The concept of a well building has gained significant attention in recent years as people have become more aware of the impact of their built environment on their health.

The International WELL Building Institute has developed the WELL Building Standard, which provides guidelines and certifications for buildings that prioritize occupant health and well-being.

This standard focuses on several key aspects, including air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind. By following these guidelines, building owners and developers can create spaces that not only meet the needs of their occupants but also contribute to their overall health and well-being.

Typeform offices - an example of biophilic offices

What is 'salutogenesis'?

Salutogenesis is a concept that focuses on promoting health and well-being rather than solely focusing on the prevention and treatment of diseases. It emphasizes the factors that contribute to a person's overall health and their ability to adapt and cope with stressors.

In the context of the built environment, salutogenesis is closely related to the concept of healthy buildings or well buildings.

These elements of green buildings are believed to have a significant impact on the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of individuals.

By creating a conducive environment that supports health and wellness, healthy buildings aim to promote productivity, reduce absenteeism, and improve overall satisfaction among occupants.

The concept of salutogenesis aligns with the principles of healthy buildings by recognizing the importance of creating spaces that contribute to the well-being of individuals.

It acknowledges that the built environment plays a crucial role in shaping our health outcomes and believes that by providing healthy and supportive environments, we can enhance people's ability to live a healthy lifestyle.

Salutogenesis emphasizes the proactive approach of promoting health rather than simply addressing disease, and this aligns with the goals of healthy buildings.

By incorporating salutogenic principles in the design and operation of buildings, we can create spaces that prioritize the health and well-being of its occupants.

What is Sick Building Syndrome ('SBS')?

Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) refers to a condition in which occupants of a building experience a range of health issues that are believed to be caused by the building itself. This can include symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, eye irritation, and respiratory problems.

The term "sick building syndrome" was coined in the 1980s when an increasing number of people were reporting these symptoms in relation to their workplace or other indoor environments.

In recent years, there has been a growing focus on creating healthy buildings that prioritize the well-being of occupants.

These healthy buildings are designed with features such as good ventilation, natural lighting, and low levels of pollutants to minimize the risk of sick building syndrome and promote a healthier indoor environment.

The concept of a "well building" has gained traction, emphasizing the importance of designing and maintaining buildings that support the physical and mental well-being of its occupants.

What is the Harvard Healthy Buildings Program led by Joseph Allen at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health?

The Harvard Healthy Buildings Program, led by Joseph Allen at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, is a groundbreaking initiative that aims to improve the quality of indoor environments in buildings.

This program recognizes the significant impact that buildings have on our health and well-being, and seeks to create healthier spaces for occupants. By conducting research and providing evidence-based guidance, the program aims to transform the way buildings are designed, operated, and maintained.

Through the implementation of strategies such as improved ventilation, filtration, and lighting, the program aims to create healthier buildings that promote productivity, comfort, and overall well-being.

The Harvard Healthy Buildings Program is at the forefront of promoting healthy building practices and is making significant contributions to the field of public health.

What are the Foundations of a Healthy Building?

Inspired by the Joseph Allen model from the Harvard Healthy Buildings Program, here are a selection of foundations that contribute to creating a healthy building environment targeting enhancements to human health markers for the occupants.

These foundations include air quality, water quality, thermal comfort, lighting, acoustics, materials, ergonomics, biophilia, and health amenities.

Indoor air quality

Firstly, ensuring good air quality is essential for a healthy building. This involves proper ventilation and air purification systems to remove pollutants and improve indoor air quality.

Water quality

Secondly, maintaining clean and safe water is crucial for the health of the occupants. Regular testing and treatment of water sources are necessary to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases.

Thermal comfort

Thirdly, providing thermal comfort is vital in a healthy building. Proper insulation, temperature control, and access to natural light contribute to creating a comfortable environment for occupants.

Lighting

Fourthly, adequate lighting plays a significant role in promoting productivity and well-being. Natural light and proper artificial lighting should be incorporated into the design of the office building.

Acoustic performance

Moreover, addressing acoustic issues is important for a healthy building. Noise control measures should be implemented to reduce noise pollution and create a peaceful environment.

Healthy materials

Using sustainable and non-toxic materials in construction helps create a healthy indoor environment by minimizing exposure to harmful chemicals.

Ergonomic design & active design

Furthermore, ergonomic design principles should be applied to promote comfort and reduce physical strain. This includes adjustable furniture, proper desk heights, and ergonomic tools.

Biophilia design & nature

Incorporating biophilic design elements such as plants and natural materials can have positive effects on mental health and well-being.

Health facilities and wellness amenities

Lastly, providing health amenities such as fitness areas or wellness programs encourages occupants to prioritize their health and well-being.

wework coworking spaces go big on air purifying indoor plants

The role of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) refers to the overall conditions inside a building that can affect the health, comfort, and productivity of its occupants. It encompasses various factors including indoor air quality (IAQ), thermal comfort, lighting, noise levels, and ergonomics.

IEQ is a broader concept than IAQ as it takes into account all aspects of the indoor environment that can impact the well-being of individuals.

While IAQ specifically focuses on the quality of the air inside a building, IEQ considers a wider range of factors that contribute to a healthy building.

IAQ primarily looks at factors such as the presence of pollutants, ventilation rates, and humidity levels. On the other hand, IEQ includes not just air quality but also factors like temperature control, natural lighting, noise reduction measures, and ergonomic building design.

The distinction between IEQ and IAQ is important because it highlights the need for a comprehensive approach to creating healthy buildings. Simply addressing IAQ alone may not be sufficient to ensure a high-quality indoor environment.

A holistic approach to IEQ considers multiple factors and their interaction to create a comfortable and healthy space for occupants.

While indoor air quality is an important component of IEQ, it is not the only factor to consider. A holistic approach that addresses all aspects of indoor environment is necessary to create truly healthy buildings.

What are 'VOCs' and 'PM' in indoor air quality data?

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are organic chemicals that easily evaporate at room temperature and can be found in indoor air. They are emitted from a variety of sources, including building materials, furniture, cleaning products, and personal care products.

VOCs can have both short-term and long-term health effects. Short-term exposure to high levels of VOCs can cause eye, nose, and throat irritation, headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Long-term exposure to low levels of VOCs has been linked to respiratory problems, allergic reactions, and even cancer.

Particulate Matter (PM) refers to tiny particles suspended in the air that can be inhaled into the lungs. These particles can come from various sources, such as combustion processes, smoking, and outdoor pollution that seeps indoors.

PM can be categorized into different size fractions, with smaller particles being more harmful as they can penetrate deep into the respiratory and nervous system more. Exposure to PM can cause respiratory symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. Long-term exposure to high levels of PM has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, lung cancer, and premature death.

To maintain a healthy building environment, it is important to minimize the sources of VOCs and PM. This can be achieved by using low-emission building materials, choosing non-toxic cleaning and personal care products, and ensuring proper ventilation to reduce the concentration of indoor pollutants.

Regular maintenance and cleaning practices can also help in reducing the accumulation of dust and particulate matter. Implementing these measures can help create a healthier indoor environment for occupants and reduce the potential health risks associated with VOCs and PM.

What is the COGfx study into the benefits of healthy buildings on cognitive performance?

The COGfx research study is a groundbreaking initiative that investigates the impact of healthy buildings on occupants' cognitive function and productivity. Led by a team of researchers at Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, this study aims to provide valuable insights into the relationship between indoor environmental quality and human performance.

By examining various aspects of the built environment, such as ventilation, lighting, and thermal conditions, the researchers seek to identify the factors that contribute to a healthy building. The ultimate goal of medical research is to develop evidence-based guidelines that can be used to design and maintain buildings that promote occupant health and well-being.

The COGfx research study takes a comprehensive approach to understanding the effects of healthy buildings on cognitive function. It involves conducting controlled experiments in office spaces where participants are exposed to different environmental conditions.

These conditions are carefully manipulated to simulate various scenarios commonly encountered in real-world buildings. By measuring cognitive performance using standardized tests, the researchers can assess the impact of different environmental factors on participants' abilities to concentrate, make decisions, and solve problems.

The findings of the COGfx research study have significant implications for the design and operation of buildings worldwide. By demonstrating the positive effects of healthy buildings on cognitive function, this study highlights the importance of investing in indoor environmental quality.

It provides valuable evidence that can be used to advocate for better building standards and policies that prioritize occupant health and well-being. Ultimately, the COGfx research study aims to promote a shift towards healthier buildings that enhance productivity, satisfaction, and overall quality of life for occupants.

The big picture view - what role does the anthropocene play in the healthy buildings movement?

The Anthropocene is a term used to describe the current geological age, in which human activities have had a significant and lasting impact on the Earth's ecosystems. It is characterized by the rapid evolution of technology and the widespread industrialization that has occurred over the past few centuries.

This has led to significant changes in the natural environment, including increased pollution, deforestation, and climate change. These changes have had profound effects on the health and wellbeing of both humans and other species.

The rapid evolution of technology and industrialization has brought about numerous advancements and improvements in our daily lives. However, it has also come at a cost to our health and wellbeing.

The increase in pollution from industrial activities has led to a decline in air and water quality, resulting in respiratory and other health issues for humans. Additionally, deforestation and habitat destruction have led to the loss of biodiversity, disrupting ecosystems and potentially leading to the spread of diseases.

Climate change, another consequence of human activities during the Anthropocene, has also had significant effects on our health and wellbeing. Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and changing patterns of precipitation can lead to increased risk of heat stroke, vector-borne diseases, and food insecurity.

These changes disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, such as those in low-income communities or developing countries.

PRADO restaurant lisbon with biophilic design

the chemical revolution

The chemical revolution refers to the significant changes that occurred in the field of chemistry during the 18th and 19th centuries. It marked a period of intense scientific development and discovery, leading to advancements in various industries and the understanding of chemical processes.

This revolution brought about major changes in manufacturing methods, agriculture, medicine, and everyday life. The use of chemicals became widespread, leading to both positive and negative impacts on society.

One negative impact of the chemical revolution is the role that harmful chemicals play in sick building syndrome. Sick building syndrome refers to a condition where occupants of a building experience acute health effects or discomfort due to the time spent in the building.

Poor indoor air quality, often caused by the presence of harmful chemicals, is a common factor contributing to this syndrome.

Chemicals such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from building materials, furnishings, cleaning products, and even personal care products can accumulate indoors and negatively affect the health and wellbeing of occupants.

These chemicals can cause respiratory problems, headaches, fatigue, dizziness, and other symptoms. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure proper ventilation and minimize the use of harmful chemicals in buildings to prevent sick building syndrome and promote a healthy indoor environment.

This context helps to explain how it came to pass that the buildings we inhabit for 90% of our lives (!) may in fact be having a negative impact on our wellbeing.

Only through some combination of new and existing buildings improving their building operations to impact human health in a positive sense, combined with efforts by the likes of US Green Building Council LEED and WELL certification for new buildings do we stand a chance of not just reducing the environmental impact of the real estate sector but converting it into a wellbeing contributor.

Green Healthy Places - healthy building consultants

Whether your concern be workplace wellbeing or health interior design, by integrating wellness features such as those described above, from monitoring features and a performance based system rating systems, to sustainable design, improve air quality, WELL building standard certification and efforts to improve air quality, followed up by post occupancy surveys, contact us at Green Healthy Places (part of Biofilico) to discuss how we can assist.

WELL Building Standard / a 5-minute guide

What is a healthy building standard?

In recent years, the concept of wellness real estate and healthy buildings has gained significant attention and the recent COVID pandemic further served to push the real estate industry towards a green and healthy awakening.

Healthy building standards aim to promote the health and wellbeing of occupants by creating a comfortable and healthy indoor environment, this is done through a combination of construction, architecture, interior design, mechanical and operational interventions.

One of the most widely recognized healthy building standards is the WELL Building Standard, the focus of this article.

In summary, this is a certification program that focuses on seven core concepts: air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind.

It provides a framework for building design and construction intended to promote improved physical and mental health of building occupants by leveraging the latest scientific research and global experts with taking into account the specific needs of different occupant groups, including children, elderly, and people with disabilities.

This is in contrast to other models for defining the concept such as that of the Harvard Chan School in Harvard University that inspired this article of our based on the nine principles of a healthy building. In the end, we are all pointing in the same direction, WELL is a certification, the 9 Principles is more of an intellectual framework.

Are healthy building standards green?

The short answer to this is 'yes but only indirectly', as it is not their main focus but concern is taken to factor in the other side of the coin, environmentally friendly building construction, interior design and management.

Green building practices, such as the use of sustainable materials and energy-efficient systems, are therefore integrated into the human health oriented standards wherever appropriate to ensure that buildings are not only healthy for occupants but also sustainable for the planet.

On this basis, a double certification process of say USGBC LEED or BREEAM in parallel with WELL is really the gold standard for many conscious property developers nowadays.

What is WELL accreditation and the International Well Building Institute?

WELL is a certification system that focuses on promoting the health and wellness in new and existing buildings. It is a performance-based system that evaluates buildings, communities, and organizations on their ability to promote human health and wellbeing.

The WELL certification is administered by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) and is based on a comprehensive set of criteria that cover seven core areas of wellness: air, to improve air quality, and water quality, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind.

In the context of wellness real estate, WELL certification is becoming an increasingly important factor in determining the value and desirability of a property. As awareness of the impact buildings can have on health and wellbeing grows, investors and tenants are seeking out properties that have been designed and built with wellness in mind.

What is the role of a wellness real estate consultant?

Getting there successfully is where a WELL consultant providing advisory services can be invaluable, no matter whether formal certification is being pursued or not. In the end our role is about to advance human health in buildings and interiors, nothing more nothing less.

This role requires being not just an expert in the WELL certification system itself but also creative solutions to integrating advanced human health design interventions that do not break the budget, whether that via innovative biophilic design solutions or leveraging the latest piece of medical research.

With the help of a WELL building consultant or accredited professional, property owners and developers can navigate the certification process, demonstrate compliance with the global benchmarks right up to the level of WELL platinum certification or the newcomer WELL health & safety rating, all the while backing this up with ongoing performance testing via a range of healthy building monitoring features.

Why was the WELL Standard for new and existing buildings introduced?

We believe the WELL Standard was introduced for several reasons. Clearly there is a growing demand for wellness-focused real estate. Over the years, there has been a significant shift towards prioritizing health and well-being in our daily lives, and this has carried over into the real estate industry.

Residential and office development projects in particular, whether existing interiors and a fit out project, or a new build project design, have the opportunity to leverage a host of wellness features geared for people's health. The WELL Building Standard is effectively the world's leading framework for designing single building and operating such spaces that prioritize human health and wellness.

Prior to the introduction of the WELL building standard, there was no clear-cut framework for creating wellness-focused spaces, the type of work we specialise in at Biofilico. This made it difficult for designers and operators to know what aspects of existing buildings to focus on to promote wellness.

Using the WELL building standard as inspiration and guidance only

The WELL Standard provides a comprehensive set of guidelines to ensure that all aspects of the built environment are taken into consideration. Again, it is worth reiterating that full certification is not obligatory and can simply be used as inspiration for smaller projects without the budget to pursue all of the WELL features with an accredited professional.

The introduction of the WELL Standard has also led to an increase in demand for well consultants, such as us. These are professionals who specialize in helping building owners and designers implement the standard, this work can be purely advisory with the team making recommendations to the project team and architects, or it can be more creative, with the consultants dipping into the design process with concept designs for specific spaces that are maximized for WELL features and point scores, for example biophilic recharge rooms or biophilic gyms, our specialty!

WELL, human health and healthy building materials

One of our favourite sections of the standard, and one that is especially applicable even to those merely aiming for silver certification, is the healthy materials guidance.

Here a design team really needs to work alongside the external healthy building consultants, if they do not have such expertise in-house, to come up with a range of design strategies addressing wellbeing issues found in sick buildings such as poor indoor air quality caused by toxic materials with Volatile Organic Compound (VOCs).

Here the WELL Building Standard encourages the project team and specifiers to think not just in terms of form and function but also well being and indoor air quality, minimizing human exposure to toxic materials, or eliminating toxic compounds indoors that could be introduced through material specifications.

The WELL certification process

WELL Building standard certification is possible in Silver, Gold, and Platinum (with the Platinum certification being a top achievement). A WELL-accredited building is a three-year process.

To get WELL Building certification, you need to enroll in the program by paying an enrollment fee of $2,500 [1][2]. After that, you need to pay a program fee of $0.16 per square foot, with a minimum of $6,500 and a maximum of $98,000 [1], or a maximum of $100,500 [2]. The exact program fee will depend on the size of your building. Additionally, you will need to pay required performance testing fees [2].

The WELL certification process involves several steps, including registering your project, submitting documentation, and undergoing performance testing. Overall, the cost of WELL certification can vary depending on the size and complexity of your project, but it can provide significant benefits and ROI in terms of improved health and employee wellbeing, for occupants.

References: [1] WELL v2 | Certification Pricing [2] What does WELL Certification cost? [3] WELL Certification Cost: What is the ROI of WELL?

What are the principles of well certification?

The principles of WELL certification are a comprehensive set of guidelines that focus on creating healthy and sustainable buildings. This certification is designed for wellness real estate, which aims to promote the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of its occupants.

A WELL consultant is an individual from a company like ours trained and certified to assess buildings and ensure they meet these human health and built environment principles.

There are several principles of WELL certification that are essential for creating a healthy and sustainable building. The first principle is indoor air quality, which focuses on providing clean and fresh air indoors via proper ventilation, air filtration, and minimizing the presence of harmful chemicals.

The second principle is water quality, which focuses on providing access to clean and safe drinking water. This includes filtration systems and testing for contaminants.

The third principle is nourishment, which focuses on providing healthy and nutritious food options for occupants. This includes priority access to nutritionally dense, fresh, seasonal food rather than packaged and processed options such as sweet snacks and soft drinks in vending machines or staff canteens.

The fourth principle is light, which focuses on providing adequate light levels and minimizing exposure to harmful light sources. This includes a militant focus on maximizing access to natural light, combined with sensitive lighting design, and minimizing the use of harsh artificial light after dark that might otherwise disrupt sleep patterns.

The fifth principle is fitness, which focuses on promoting physical activity and movement within a building be it residential, educational or office. This includes access to fitness facilities, bike storage, and walking paths as well as active design stairwells.

The sixth principle is comfort, which focuses on providing a comfortable and supportive environment for occupants. This includes ergonomic chairs, adjustable desks, and temperature control.

The seventh principle is mind, health and wellbeing, which focuses on promoting mental and emotional well-being. This includes access to meditation rooms, stress management programs, and mental health resources.

The eighth and final principle is community, a far wider scope concept related to human health but a critical one nonetheless as it focuses on promoting social connectivity and a sense of community within the building, which in turn will impact human health. This includes communal meeting spaces, social events, and volunteer opportunities, all intended to foster a sense of well being and connection amongst building occupants.

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Further Reading

• Well Building Standard: Mind M09 Enhanced Access To Nature

• Biophilic Design In The Well Building Standard

• Well Building Standards And Well Consultants - All You Need To Know

• Well Building Standard Movement V01 Active Buildings & Communities

• Well Building Standard Feature V03: Circulation Network

• Well Building Standard Movement V09 Physical Activity Promotion

• Well Building Standard: M07 Restorative Spaces

Acoustic performance in WELL buildings

acoustic comfort / acoustic performance / sound design / WELL rating system / healthy building

WELL Certified / SOUND CONCEPT

acoustic performance with ethan bourdeau

Welcome to episode 48 of the Green & Healthy Places podcast in which we discuss the themes of wellbeing and sustainability in real estate.

I’m your host, Matt Morley of Biofilico Healthy Buildings and in this episode we’re in New York talking to Ethan Bourdeau, the Sound Concept Lead at the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) - the organization behind the WELL healthy building rating system. 

An architectural acoustician, Ethan also holds down a role as Executive Director of Standards and Built Environment for Quiet Parks International (QPI).

Ethan and I discuss the role of acoustics in creating a comfortable environment for building occupants; how pink noise can cover up unwanted background noise, sound zones and spatial layouts; the all important distinction between sound, silence, and noise; the role nature sounds can play in promoting wellness; and the main causes of noise in a building that need to be mitigated in a comprehensive healthy building acoustics plan in line with the WELL Sound concept he helped conceive.

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acoustic performance / conversation highlights

• Acoustics is just one element of a holistic platform of comfort metrics that are operating in synchronicity.

• In WELL we look at spatial layout, acoustic thresholds and criteria for optimal performance (pulled from the leading acoustical standards) and in some cases, include novel requirements for acoustical design and acoustical comfort that have yet to really hit the market outside of the WELL rating system.

• Not all sound is noise - sound is just sound until it annoys you, then it becomes noise!

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WELL acoustic performance conversation with Ethan Bourdeau, Sound Concept Lead, International WELL Building Institute (IWBI)

full transcript courtesy of OTTER.AI (excuse any typos)

Matt Morley

Ethan, a pleasure to have you here. I'd like to start with some basics, if we may - what was your path into sound design and audio engineering? For people who are perhaps not entirely familiar with how that relates to real estate, perhaps you could give us a quick intro to that bridge between those worlds?

Ethan Bourdeau

Sure, thanks, Matt. It's great to be here. Happy to discuss this. So my background in acoustics and sound goes back to my days as a musician growing up. I've practiced and spent a lot of time performing on the folium, which is a low brass tube like instrument that carried me throughout a degree in Music Performance and Acoustical Engineering at the University of Hartford.

So, yeah, constantly listening to my own sound really led me to want to better understand the way that interior environments sounded and to what degree architects and designers have the ability to manipulate, shape and improve the sound of spaces that we spend our time in.

Nature sounds, quiet and wellbeing

Matt Morley

As context, the work you're doing with the Quiet Parks International (QPI) might give us a starting point of the best case scenario, as in a perfectly quiet, natural environment. Does nature provide a baseline of excellence in terms of sound and noise?

Ethan Bourdeau

My work with Quiet Parks International is my latest endeavor. It's been the result of a year's worth of collaboration with those folks, field recorders that have come together behind this one mission of preserving and recognizing quiet in the natural and built environments throughout the world.

Their expertise so far has brought them to places like Glacier National Park, Haleakala Crater on Hawaii, and various other urban and wilderness quiet parks throughout the world as potential candidates for meeting our criteria that denotes and best exemplifies what quiet really means to the surrounding or indeed visiting populations.

We have, over the past year, worked to define what that criteria looks like, how do we define quiet from a physical, a parametric and even a subjective standpoint.

To what degree do we assess using audio technology, sound level meters, audio recording devices, and even just anecdotal and colloquial evidence that we can get from people with boots on the ground in those areas to describe ‘quiet’.

Over time, we're planning to develop a better understanding of how quiet and the definition of silence and tranquility changes around the world. So we're actively recruiting and finding candidate spaces, including a site here in New York City, actually, that we're hoping can add more flavor to understanding and unraveling that narrative.

Nature sounds for wellness

Matt Morley

So these are areas where there's no obvious intervention of a built environment, you're effectively out in a completely isolated natural corner of the world, in which case ‘quiet’ is not necessarily ‘silence’ . It's the sounds of nature with no man-made interventions.

Ethan Bourdeau

It is, for the most part, we do find ourselves in instances where the term ‘silence’ could perhaps be the only classification in the case of some remote places like Haleakala crater, but you're right for the most part, we are entering places where the soundscape is defined by sources of sound that are not manmade, they are a part of the natural landscape, they could be geographical features, they could be animals, migratory birds, insects, etc.

Well Certified / SOUND CONCEPT

Acoustic comfort in buildings

Matt Morley

So if we then use that as a bridge into the discussion around interiors and buildings, the idea of acoustic comfort or acoustical comfort, do you see that as being a fundamentally objective measure? Or is it all to do with how each individual responds to noise and their personal reactions to whether it's too quiet or to silent or is it and then measures that you can use that would say, Well, this is the optimal acoustic comfort to perform a certain task.

Ethan Bourdeau

When we think about occupants within a space, we can learn a lot about where are those people are coming from if if they're entering a new office environment that's undergoing renovation, to what degree can their past and prior experiences with the acoustical quality or even just the indoor environmental quality of where they're originally used to, how does that inform the way that we as designers can approach facilitating better sounding spaces.

Acoustics is just one element of a holistic platform of comfort metrics that are operating in synchronicity.

Acoustics in the WELL Building Standard

I think one great example is how the WELL rating system has been able to break this down into the various concepts among which includes SOUND is a key feature.

In WELL we look at spatial layout, acoustic thresholds and criteria for optimal performance (pulled from the leading acoustical standards) and in some cases, include novel requirements for acoustical design and acoustical comfort that have yet to really hit the market outside of the WELL rating system.

It’s a huge opportunity, I think, for not just acousticians, but really architects, designers, folks who are consulting in the space of biophilic design to really ask those questions of what is it about the sonic environment that maybe even I don't quite fully understand or can convey to occupants in clients who are coming from those areas where that was a large concern and maybe an obstacle towards a better productive and more fulfilling workplace experience.

Possible sources of noise in a healthy building

Matt Morley

Okay, so what are the typical causes of unwanted noise in buildings be that an office, hotel, learning or residential environment? How does the WELL standard concept of sound mapping mitigate for those sources of noise?

Ethan Bourdeau

There are many different sources, for the purposes of an initial review of a building, we'll look at environmental impacts from exterior noise intrusion that can be sources such as traffic, aviation noise, pedestrian noise depending on where this place is located.

We also look at Interior mechanical systems design and the way that building services can potentially impact not just any one given space, but the building at large which introduces sound in a number of ways.

Sound can travel through air, it can can travel through vents in HVAC systems, even through structures. If you have large, rotating pieces of mechanical equipment that are delivering air throughout a building, or even filtration systems, the vibration of air and movement can enter the structure and then radiate throughout an entire building.

We can also talk about occupant generated noise in the office that can be as one of my friends likes to say, the person next to you with the Frito lays chip bag in the middle of the day making sounds while you're on one of your 100 Zoom calls for the week. Or it could just be any combination of activity that's happening again throughout the building.

So while sound travels through air it can also travel through structures and with the proliferation of fitness areas and CrossFit gyms, things like impact noise from weights can travel through an entire building as well. Those lead to distractions and other obstacles to productivity.

Sound mapping in a healthy building

Matt Morley

So the process of sound mapping then would be an attempt to prevent the construction of the eventual fit-out on a building project being completed before a plan is in place for acoustics.

So you're talking to the HVAC engineers, the architects, quite a few people around that table to try and get a sense of what the acoustic environment will be like in a space especially on a on a new build construction?

Ethan Bourdeau

So when it comes to acoustics, there's something that's generating the sound to the source, which can be controlled or maintained, in some instances, it gets a little difficult when we talk about occupants, for instance, but for mechanical noise or exterior noise intrusion, there's ways to investigate noise control at the source.

There's the path so what is between that source and the receiver with HVAC, we mentioned ductwork there's also structural components - are we reducing vibration caused by circular mechanical equipment.

In the case of occupant noise, what's blocking you from not just the line of sound or the the path of the sound, but also even the line of sight with you and another person that plays a role in what we call psycho acoustics or the role that acoustics plays in our own mental and cognitive, health and wellbeing within the built environment.

Then there's the receiver. And so that's us the listeners, the final crux in the acoustic comfort equation of - who is receiving this sound? How are they responding to it and then how can we qualitatively assess the subjective outcomes of such sound.

Not all sound is noise, sound is just sound until it annoys you, then that becomes noise!

Biophilic design and acoustic comfort

Matt Morley

That brings to mind a project that I was involved in, in Switzerland, it was a round shaped, concrete and glass corporate headquarter building for a natural food business. We were called in to assist both on the biophilic design side, but also trying to fix the incredible noise issues.

They had a lot of hard surfaces, double-height central atriums that were allowing sounds to bounce around from the ground level reception up to almost the second floor of the building. We looked at options for introducing acoustic materials and everything from acoustic paint on the walls to sound absorbing plant walls.

Noise control and sound absorbing solutions

I'd love to hear how you think about what the tools are available to a consultant in that type of environment, as a specialist really, in that type of thing, you're going into a space, they have a problem with noise, and it's already happening. What's in your toolbox?

Ethan Bourdeau

Well, the biggest question that I would ask at the start is the one that I hoped the project team would have asked before creating a space like this, it's what is it the intent of this space? Why are people congregating here? What exactly are the activities and the experiences that have happen happen in this particular environment, then from there we can define criteria.

We’d work with the team to say, unless you do this, you will not be able to achieve XYZ. So you know, in the case of this building that you're describing, it sounds like there could be issues with speech intelligibility, or potentially even issues with too much speech intelligibility, where there are areas where you want to hear someone speak, and you simply can't.

Then when you're working at your desk, you might be hearing more conversations than you would may like to, and so that's where we pull out the really specific solutions based examples for acoustic and interior design and noise control. So in these cases, we would look at how do we reduce the sound in that path equation that we were talking about and source path and receiver?

Speech intelligibility for acoustic comfort

How do we bolster speech reinforcement, if someone is giving a presentation if they're giving a lecture, or even if they're talking on a simple zoom call, we're now starting to add tools to our toolkit that address this.

This in this hybrid workplace lifestyle, where we can communicate with others around the world like you and I are right now and not necessarily need to be in a studio that has acoustic panels like mine, you can be in a place that considers speech intelligibility without really breaking the bank and creating something that's a studio quality space.

There's no one element of acoustic comfort that should be focused for every single project, every single project is different.

WELL Rating Standard on sound in open plan offices

Matt Morley

So the WELL rating standard is especially strong on mixed-use buildings, and particularly commercial office buildings. Imagine then an open plan, office space for a creative team, the intent was originally to foster collaboration but there has been kickback on that over recent years around productivity taking a hit rather than a boost. Do you think there's still space for open plan offices like that with certain acoustical interventions?

Ethan Bourdeau

So a hot topic in the acoustics industry, right now, I'm fortunate to sit on a few Working Group committees for ISO and other standards groups that are specifically looking at Interior acoustics in the open work plan environment. And these conversations get very complicated very quickly, because the culture of Open Office acoustics and open office use in general changes so much as you go into different regions throughout Europe, and especially between North America, Europe and the rest of the world.

Acoustics in a workplace wellness strategy

Where we pull this criteria from to develop, and design, better acoustics and open offices changes quite a bit. So what I like to do, again, is really take it back to some fundamental steps. And on a lot of these working group discussions, I bring up what I feel the WELL rating system has done so well in breaking down into the fundamentals of what types of zones could you potentially think about, and what are the lowest common denominators for acoustical comfort when thinking about spatial layout, from a workplace strategy perspective in an open office.

Acoustic zones in a healthy building plan

So we have a few categories in this WELL feature. So one, we break it down into quiet zones, where focused work is the priority, or that could also include places like bedrooms, for instance, what is an area that you want to protect in terms of acoustic comfort and make entry as a sensitive space, we then have mixed zones, which could be a combination of any of those things and include collaboration, not all collaboration necessarily has to be boisterous and loud and, and people shouting over a desk of a floor plans, or, or whatever, it could also just be, hey, we're going to meet together as a team in this open environment and discuss XYZ amongst ourselves at appropriate levels.

Then we have loud zones. And so these could be any combination of areas where you have noisy mechanical equipment that just needs its own isolated, dedicated space to be moved away from any other sensitive environments, are these gonna be places where you have amplified speech, you have maybe a very active teleconference room that uses amplification. So these are areas that you really need to keep separate from your quiet zones.

In the precondition, this is required for every single project in the sound concept. Now, we have found that when people approach from this lens they have a better idea of WELL, I know now what I should probably be pursuing with our subsequent optimizations in the wall rating system.

Spatial layouts in the WELL SOUND concept

Based on the spatial layout that we were required to do. I know that speech reinforcement is going to be important. I know that speech privacy in my Open Office is going to be important. So what do I need to do to then show up and make sure I'm meeting those needs for my occupants? And those conversations become very fruitful, we learn a lot more about acoustics than we would if we were just meeting criteria. If we were just submitting documentation, saying, from an acoustician, you pass, here's the checkmark. Here's the check in that box of acoustic comfort.

So I would encourage folks who are in that position of rethinking the Open Office, from an acoustic perspective to really focus on the lowest common denominator, how many spaces do you intend to have there where focused quiet work is a key function of the holistic open office design, and start from there, because if collaboration is the leading draw to creating an open collaborative space, the folks who rely on quiet zones to complete their work aren't being there. The folks that are relying on quiet zones to achieve their work, have needs that aren't being met by the design team and the organization who put collaboration first, when in reality, people want a healthy balance of both.

Sound masking systems in a healthy building

Matt Morley

And we also mentioned the idea of sound masking systems - the idea of there being a level of white noise that can be pumped into the background to create a baseline that can help cover some of the mechanical systems. How does that work? Is that about the frequency? Is that about the the intensity of the sound? And would some nature sounds fit into that category?

Ethan Bourdeau

Yes, so sound masking is a very tried and true technology that as a consultant, I've been able to deploy quite a bit in open office settings with great success. And what it really focuses on is delivering a Pink Noise signal, which is somewhat calmer than white noise, which, if you were able to compare the two on YouTube I guarantee you will have a preference over over pink noise to over white.

Why we choose pink noise is because you can you can also go into the sound source itself and adjust the contour of the equalization curve, so that it can really match and really perform in accordance with preferred occupant acoustic comfort parameters. Now that's that's more of the technical side of how you would deploy a system like this.

A sound masking system is a network of loudspeakers that are directly mounted hung from or otherwise located throughout a ceiling, plane or even plenum, they can be directly exposed or be behind an acoustic ceiling tile. So it's a very useful tool when we try to address speech privacy from a signal to noise perspective.

Sound masking for productivity in an office

Signal to Noise - meaning you have a ‘signal’, which could be another person talking, their voice carries throughout an office that you don't necessarily need to hear. And then ‘noise’ being what is the background sound level that allows you to discern that signal or the sound of another person's voice.

So as we raise that background sound, the difference between the ambient level and the signal is then reduced. And so that helps with reducing the total impact of hearing another person's voice encroaching on your ability to focus and be better productive in a in a workplace.

Natural soundscapes in the built environment

Now to your other question about natural sounds as a sound source, I'm, as a designer and in working with folks who are field recordists and who are architectural designers. I'm actively trying to indicate that introducing natural soundscapes into the built environment is a new format of introduced sound. Sound masking is a form of introducing sound that focuses specifically on speech privacy.

Natural soundscapes have a number of potential benefits to them as well being immersed in and hearing soundscapes of birds, wind, waves, etc. In a spatially uniform environment that can elicit emotional response in ways that addressing speech privacy, for instance, isn't necessarily going to do.

There's some really tremendous examples of new technology that's emerging that focuses on this. There's actually a company there's a couple companies one is MoodSonic, who actually sits on our advisory board for the sound concept that focuses on delivering soundscapes from a natural sound source perspective.

There's a new company that I've heard about called spatial, who I'm trying to learn more about in the coming weeks that is providing a similar solution and has worked with some hospitals and then North America to create spaces for respite for nurses and people who need a moment of Zen or peace or tranquility to to continue their daily work.

Biophilic sounds for wellbeing

Matt Morley

Yeah, I've certainly used it in an intimate nature space in the central business district of London called Canary Wharf. We did a month-long biophilic design research study.

Sound was definitely part of what he called a multi-sensory wellbeing design strategy along with aromatherapy, and smart lights and various other things. But I found it was all too easy to just accept that, you know, a Spotify playlist of English bird songs, as we were in England, would be sufficient, I felt that there was more to be done in terms of perhaps matching place, season and the situation or the desired emotional response. And so I could see how those type of services could perhaps add that extra layer of detail, right?

Ethan Bourdeau

In reality, the ear is not dumb. The ear knows when it's in an office and crickets are playing from a Sonos speaker in the corner. The brain understands that when it is truly immersed in an environment, only then can it naturally respond and react to it the way that we would if we were there in reality.

I am an aspiring audio engineer and more of an architectural acoustician. But audio engineers are really looking at this from the perspective of, of how do sounds really travel in the sound field? And how can multiple loudspeakers and an array of loudspeakers help to create and elicit those environments.

I've seen examples where in software, they can create sound sources and an XYZ grid and just have them move around. And you know, not too dissimilar to going to the theater and listening to a Dolby system where you can pinpoint exactly where the sound is in the given cinema. So we're seeing that enter places like workplaces, hospitals and public public areas where sound installations can better interact with humans and vice versa.

WELL Rating System on SOUND

Matt Morley

In terms of how the WELL rating system positions the sound concept, the ultimate aim here, when you get all of this right, is primarily a boost in comfort and productivity, worker happiness? What are your desired outcomes in terms of a healthy building strategy and the acoustic component in particular?

Ethan Bourdeau

It changes per project type. So in a typical workplace, yes, we would talk about workplace satisfaction, we've talked about productivity, we would talk about ability to collaborate, if if there are more spaces, if there are more areas throughout a given office floor plate, where a person can interact with different types of acoustic environments to better support their work, there is a sense of fulfillment that we can we can draw from that and indices indicating surveys that are indicating that noise is a top concern.

Or pointing to that the lack of choice and the inability to be in a place where you can speak when you need to without worrying about other people hearing you or vice versa.

That is the primary focus that is that is something in the workplace environment that that is a key outcome. Absolutely. And especially now when we think about how do we return to that type of environment where you you are looking someone directly in the eye from across a table and your voice doesn't have to go through a series of digital signal processing through Whatever you can describe the software for this hybrid environment, I think there is a real learning that we will have to undertake when it comes to thinking about how we communicate in the workplace, for instance, and then that will ultimately describe the way that we address acoustics from the onset and design.

Acoustics for improved sleep in residential and healthcare

Now, with places like healthcare and residential, we see noise as a concern as it relates to sleep. And with acoustics being a top contributor to sleep disturbance, it's important that we can see the key outcomes in things like fitness trackers, and other types of technology that can measure and better assess our quality of sleep.

This is very important with healthcare where patient surveys that are administered, especially here in North America, indicate the performance of a hospital based on a patient's ability to sleep and spend their time recovering in some instances.

The links between acoustic comfort and patient recovery are many, it's actually where a lot of the research in acoustics and health and wellbeing derives from.

So over time, as we see places like hospitals, Senior Living outpatient facilities, adopting more of these health and wellbeing metrics into their design, the more we're going to see these uptakes in patient satisfaction surveys.

Matt Morley

In summary then, the WELL rating standard for me is a such a helpful marker it has given me at least a minimal level of understanding in sound and acoustics planning. So congratulations on everything you've done so far. How can people reach out to connect with you?

Ethan Bourdeau

You can find me on LinkedIn of all places. I'm usually posting the latest updates with all of the outfits that I'm involved with there.

The role of sleep in healthy buildings & workplaces

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charlie morley / sleep / healthy sleep / healthy buildings / workplace wellness / cognitive performance

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Welcome to episode 46 of the Green & Healthy Places podcast in which we discuss the themes of wellbeing and sustainability in real estate. 

I’m your host, Matt Morley of Biofilico Healthy Buildings and in this episode I’m talking to none other than Charlie Morley, a bestselling author and teacher of mindfulness, lucid dreaming and all round sleep expert whose latest book deals with resolving trauma affected sleep through a set of practices called ‘Mindfulness of Dream & Sleep’.

Charlie, who is as you may have guessed my brother, was “authorised to teach” within the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism by Lama Yeshe Rinpoche in 2008. Since then he has written four books, delivered retreats in more than 20 countries, spoken at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities, as well as the Ministry of Defence Mindfulness Symposium and The Houses of Parliament. 

Our conversation explores the connections between my world of healthy buildings and interiors, and Charlie’s world of healthy sleep. We discuss sleep hygiene, the physiological impact of sleep on our bodies not to mention our brains, pre-industrial age sleeping habits vs todays, the power nap as a productivity tool, how to create restorative spaces or sleep pods in an office or educational environment that people will actually use, and the role of meditation and restorative deep relaxation practices in improving rest.  

https://www.charliemorley.com/ 

Charlie Morley instagram

Full transcript courtesy of Otter.ai

“Unless you are part of the ‘sleepless elite’, which is less than one percentile of the world’s population, who can do very well on five hours or less sleep, almost everybody in the world, needs seven to nine hours per 24 hour period - this is still the golden standard of sleep. ”

— charlie morley

Matt Morley

When thinking about sleep the building blocks of creating a healthy night's sleep in terms of how much we need, the risks of poor sleep hygiene and what you've described as the ‘sleep delusion’, how does one evaluate and measure a good night's sleep?

Charlie Morley

So the measure of sleep is inherently subjective. How do I feel upon awakening? What are my energy levels the next day? What is my cognitive ability the next day, so we can look at it like that.

They've done some interesting tests where people who are very high achievers are only getting kind of six, or five or six hours sleep, great social lives etc who say, this is all I need, I work perfectly well on six hours sleep, but then you put them into a brain scanner, or you give them cognitive ability tests. And although they say they feel optimal performance, their brain shows significant sub optimal neurological performance.

Now, that's one of the scariest pieces of research I came across, because it shows that even if you think you feel fine, in fact, a state of sleep deprivation has been so normalized by ourselves and by society that are natural, I feel fine state is actually one of suboptimal neurological functioning.

Sleep and cognitive performance in the workplace

So what's the next step, you force these people into position where they have to have one extra hour of sleep per day, it can be a nap during the day or an extra half an hour at night, but you get one extra hour per 24 hour period. Their cognitive performance went through the roof, the descriptions they have is like it feels like have access to a superpower. They're social lives, become more vibrant, their interpersonal relationships get better, or their performance at work gets better, just through one extra hour. So yes, it is subjective. But also there are very objective measures that show seven to nine hours for most people is 17 hours will allow us to function optimally. And crucially, just one extra hour per night can do massive, massive benefit to everyone.

Matt Morley

And how do you see then in terms of integrating an element of tech so that you're able to literally see the sleep quality over the course of the evening that otherwise we're over the course of the night that otherwise you might not? You might have a sense of how you slept, but you don't really no? Are you buying into this? Do you think there's there's real value in it, or were we being sold product and service that frankly, we've managed pretty well without all these years. And we're, in a sense trying to create a desire that, that we don't necessarily need to own these things.

Sleep trackers for health metrics

Charlie Morley

So at the moment, one of the higher end sleep trackers called the AURA ring, who sponsored a sleep science study that was part of even the aura ring, which is really the top end of the market is still only 60 to 70% accurate, which means is a crucial 30 to 40% of the time where it's just getting it wrong. And that's that worrying, let alone most people have a much cheaper version, the kind of, you know, the wrist based ones that hook up to your iPhone and stuff like that.

So if sleep trackers are benefiting your sleep, if they are making you feel more refreshed, if they are leading to more healthy relationships with sleep, then continue to use them. For a lot of people, they lead to a real neurosis around sleep. So take them with a big pinch of salt. I mean, in my new book, The first chapter is about becoming your own sleep tracker. So in the morning, taking most of how do I feel upon awakening? What are my energy levels throughout the day? Yes, what time do I go to bed?

What time do I wake up any dreams, I can remember, becoming your own sleep tracker to create a baseline is far better than that than the level of tech we've got at the moment. However, there is something on the market that we use when we do this sleep science studies called the Zed max or the Z max. Now that's about $600. And that's like a mini EEG machine. That's very, very accurate. So give the technology five years when we can get the technology of the XEmacs into an aura ring or into the to the app on your phone. And then sleep tracker data will be very, very accurate. But at the moment, we're just a little bit behind. So yeah, I wouldn't take don't take it too seriously.

Matt Morley

So if we then jump into establishing exactly what's going on during a night's sleep, you have what you've described as light, light sleep, the dream phase, and then deep sleep. So sort of the top line concepts for each of those three, and how is the sleep connecting with our health during the rest of the day? Like what are the processes going on? Sure. So there's

Charlie Morley

Actually two there's the gateway in and out either side to the hypnopompic and hit sorry hypnogogic hypnopompic. So stage one of sleep is called the hypnagogic state and is experienced by most people. Less is asleep stage proper, more a state of drowsiness. So you can still hear the sounds of the room, you can still feel your body in the bed. brain goes into deep alpha and theater, the brain looks almost indistinguishable to a brain that is in hypnosis.

So every time you fall asleep, the gateway into sleep, whether in a nap in the middle of the day or at night, you go through this natural state of hypnosis. And it's actually in that state that we can do a lot of really beneficial stuff for asleep because it's in the hypnagogic state that we can practice ns a nonslip, deep rest to us, humans term, or yoga nidra practices or my term hypnogogic mindfulness, which are the states of deep relaxation that happened just before we enter asleep.

So we have the hypnagogic state, really good for you, deeply relaxing, but a state in which people who have stressed out sleep will spend a lot of the night you know, you're kind of tired enough to be in that drowsy state, you can't quite pass the threshold. Eventually, though, with normalized sleep patterns, you'll move from hypnogogic into light sleep, light sleep is named for the quite untechnical reason that it's just quite easy to wake people from, you know, back in the early days asleep science, they would register the depth of sleep just by poking someone and saying their name.

So light sleep as it sounds, you're easy to be woken from it, you are now blacked out, you can't hear the sounds in the room. Unless they're loud enough, you can't feel your body in the bed. But you're yet to be dreaming. Light sleep is really good for procedural memory integration. So sleep is all about memory. That's why there's a direct link, as we know, with our with our mum, between sleep and Alzheimer's, and sleep and memory. So let's say you're learning to drive a car, it's light sleep, that you'll be processing the memory of how to do this, the stick in this and the the gears and all of that, and the pedal in the gas and everything that will be happening in light sleep procedural memory, whereas if you were in a car crash, that would be processing dreaming sleep.

So dreaming sleep is about processing emotional memory, memory reconsolidation, especially traumatic or stressful memories too. So we have the hypnagogic state stage one, then light sleep for procedural memory and learning, then we move into deep sleep. Deep Sleep is very, very interesting. This is where the brain is almost entirely switched off. So your brains never fully switched off. But if you look at the brainwaves of the waking state, they're very close together ticket ticket ticket ticket, if you look at the brain wave of someone in deep sleep, this will delta wave is dominant brainwave, and are very far apart.

I know people can't see me, but I'm making slow deep waves, signals with my hand. So in deep sleep, the brains almost entirely switched off, very unlikely to be dreaming very little happening in the brain. Apparently, but actually, if you look at the neuroscience of what's happening, loads is happening. Deep Sleep is when cerebral spinal fluid is flushed up into the brain. And it actually removes toxins from the brain a bit like imagine he had a fruit smoothie, and he drank all the fruit smoothie, but there's still kind of the remnants of the fruit smoothie in the bottle. And then if you put a bit of water in that bottle and shook it up, you could get all the remnants of the fruit smoothie out, right.

That's what's happening in deep sleep, the cerebral spinal fluid is flushing through the brain. And the blood capillaries go big, small, big, small, big small, which creates this kind of flushing motion. And that directly flushes out amyloid plaques, which are what cause Alzheimer's and many other forms of dementia.

So also a human growth hormone is released. So I know you're really into your fitness. If you have like a big workout during the day, like you're you're kind of working out you're lifting weights in the gym. Unless that night you get enough deep sleep, your muscles will not grow, there'll be massive reduction in muscle gains. And the same goes for losing weight.

So if you spent your whole day dieting, but then at night, you don't get enough deep sleep, you will lose weight based on the calorific deficit of not eating that much. But you won't actually make changes to your metabolism that leads to long term weight loss. So deep sleep so so important for memory for toxins flushed out for changing the body in any way we want.

We have that period of deep sleep, and then we'll move into dream. So dream actually comes at the end of the cycle, we think of dream as being a very active sleep state. And it is but by the time you get the dream, you've been knocked out for at least 6070 minutes. And if you put those together that makes up the 90 Minute sleep cycle, the cycle continues throughout the night. What changes is the amount of time you spend in each one until you get to the last two hours or you're almost in full dream for like two hours.

sleep for human performance

Matt Morley

Okay, so I think that's really given us the kind of foundations between these connections between sleep like what's happening at night and how are we performing? How are we feeling, how we cognitively how we functioning during the day so effectively that is the basis of sleep as a form of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Charlie Morley

“Yeah, there is no biological process that is not adversely affected by insufficient sleep - anything less than seven hours per 24 hour period, yet we don’t teach kids about this in school, we have a sense of almost pride that we can get by off of a lack of sleep. It’s crazy. ”

— charlie morley

Certain parts of America lost an hour because the daylight saving. So like 1.6 billion people do this every year different times, but based on your countries, but on that day where people lose one hour of sleep, the next day, American Studies have shown as a 22% increase in cardiac arrest the next day, just by robbing people of one hour asleep. That's 10s of 1000s more death, because of one hour lost sleep. There's also a massive increase in traffic accidents the next day, when you take one hour of sleep.

Conversely, when the clocks change, and you gain an extra hour of sleep, there's a 22% decrease in heart attacks the next day, and a 15% drop in traffic accidents. Now, when you roll that out in 26 countries around the world that have these daylight savings, that is millions of people live longer, or live shorter lives based on robbing or giving them one extra hour of sleep.

Sleep health in a historical perspective

Matt Morley

Yeah, that's powerful stuff. If if we can take a step back to a slightly sort of, let's say, a historical perspective, just to understand the connection between pre Industrial Age sleep cycles, modern sleep cycles, and the potential benefits in accepting and embracing the idea of a nap, a siesta, or sleeping again, after the amount, number of hours you managed to get during the night. So when do you draw the line between how things were before the Industrial Age? And how things are now? And is that necessarily have the optimal version of our sleep pattern?

Charlie Morley

Sure. So I'm sure many of your listeners have heard about this. heard this before. That before the Industrial Revolution, so about 200 250 years ago, most people in Western Europe slept very differently. They didn't sleep all in one, they would obviously this depends on seasonal fluctuations. And a lot of research was done in England, actually, especially the British Isles, where it can get dark as early as 4pm in the nighttime, in the wintertime, so people get asleep within about two hours of sundown.

So because candles are really expensive. They're made of whale oil, only the wealthiest people could have these candles and kerosene was difficult to come across, or whatever they use back then. So people get asleep within about two hours of sundown. So it could be 6pm 8pm. But like early, right asleep for about two, three hours. And then they would wake up again, like fully awake, pubs would reopen.

People would have these like tobacco circles, you kind of sit around and smoke, people would go into the field and milk their cows, they believe the quality of the milk. If you milk them at this time was better people would have sex they felt you're more fertile. That actually true. There is a fertility booster at that time. There are hundreds of these records is oh, there's even a 15th century prayer manual from Portugal, full of prayers especially to do in the second sleep. Sorry, between the first and the second sleep.

So you get this reference the first and second sleep. The way it actually came about was a crime researcher was looking at records in courts and other crimes were committed after the first sleep basically the middle of the night, you'd get your three hours sleep you got Rob someone's house and then go back to bed again. It was like perfect crime. Right. S

o this is how it first came into, into public awareness. Now is that the best way Oh, sorry. And then you would go back to sleep after two hours until sunrise. seasonal fluctuations. So you'll still be averaging about like 678 hours sleep but Krushi with a two hour gap in the middle. Fast forward to the modern day, the most common form of insomnia. In western societies, the most prevalent form is not sleep onset insomnia, which is where you just can't get to sleep. It's actually sleep maintenance insomnia.

Now, here's a description of sleep maintenance, insomnia, the ability of the subject to fall asleep upon first awakening. Within two to three hours, the subject awakens again, feeling fully awake and conscious for up to two hours. The subject is then able to fall asleep again till morning. That is flippin exactly the same description as the pre industrial sleep cycle.

So could it be that there are millions of misdiagnosed insomniacs, who aren't actually insomniacs, they are showing from an anthropological point of view a much more natural sleep cycle than the rest of us who are trying to blackout for eight hours. Does it mean that blackout of eight hours is not the way to do it and we should all be having that nighttime waking No, not at all, perhaps is a chronotype thing perhaps type thing. But it is important for people to know, if they do have that sleep pattern, you're probably not insomniac.

And actually just knowing that it's okay to be awake in the middle of the night moves us out of the fight or flight sympathetic response that keeps us awake and allows us to fall asleep. And secondly, there are a lot of people who have that sleep pattern, but they don't know that there's a second period of sleep waiting for them in the wings. So they don't stay awake for two hours, they just get up and Assad do there is another four hour sleep waiting for you.

But you have to allow yourself to slip back into it. Interestingly, the term insomnia was first produced in print as a, as a kind of a coined term in the New York Times in 1901. It was called the new fangled malaise of insomnia, within 30 to 40 years of us changing the way we sleep, we suddenly have this term insomnia cropping up. So very, very interesting. So no, I wouldn't say we should be sleeping like that. But if you are sleeping like that, it may not be such a bad idea. It may be just the way your body is, is working. And the main thing to know is there's nothing wrong with it. You know, nighttime wakefulness is not a pathology. For some people. It's just the way they're built.

Matt Morley

We introduced the idea of bi-phasal sleeping or perhaps sleeping for X number of hours during the night, and then catching up at another stage during the day. And interestingly, that's one of the connections between your work in healthy buildings / workplace wellness and you work, right. So when I'm looking at, say, healthy building concept of trying to create spaces within a building that are designed to foster wellness, and wellbeing for people spending eight to 12 hours of their days or nights, if it's a residential context, or if it's an office environment, then it's a place where they go to work and to be productive.

With the leading healthy building standard, that's called the WELL Standard, they have an entire concept around MIND. And one of the features there is the idea of restorative opportunities and, and nap policy.

So we're starting to see the way sort of trickle down effect from the top whereby the certification systems that are becoming increasingly common now in the world of real estate are encouraging and completely accepting the concept of a nap being a healthy part of a workday, it might sound confusing for some people, but it's out there.

But for sure, it's already happening. It's already coming. Now, once you have that policy as a as an employer, you then need to offer some kind of a space where that happens. So yeah, that might be an area where I'd say okay, well, I'm going to try and introduce some, some natural elements, biophilic design, I'm going to think about light, I'm going to think about the thermal qualities of the temperature in there and think about the acoustic isolation.

When you think about what I know you've turned sleep hygiene. And so the restorative environment in which one goes to sleep like what are your your key touch points there? Like what are the essential elements that we need to think about when we're creating an environment, whether it's at home, or in a potentially office space, where it's congenial to having a 20 or 30 minute nap during the day?

Restorative spaces in the WELL standard

Charlie Morley

First of all, before I answer that, I just like to say, that's so good to hear that that's part of, you know, you building regulation and part of what businesses are thinking about.

“Apart from any kind of philanthropic aim that the business might have, your employees will be 30% better at anything they do after 60 to 90 minute nap. That’s the science. That’s a fact. ”

— charlie morley

It's like if you want to make more money, give your employees a nap because they will make better deasl. They make better trades, they'll have better interpersonal relationships. It is very good for your employees. Yes. And also you will make more money. It seems crazy. They aren't implementing this. I did a thing at Deutsche Bank at Deloitte. I was telling them you will make more money if you do this, and hasn't been implemented. Not that I know. But really anyone listening?

The science is there. This isn't hippie dippie stuff, your employees will be better at whatever they do after a 60 to 90 minute nap. So rant over next bit. I would say when you people sleeping in public is a really vulnerable thing to do. So actually, your question is not so much about the bedroom at home, but actually sleeping in public, which is very different sleeping and public. I would save for Start, you need something that's lockable, if possible, something that's lockable.

So I know the are these great sleep pods in I believe it's Munich Airport, you can rent them for like an hour, a pop, and these little kind of micro pod beds, but they're lockable. And it's really important that that it's not just quiet and dark and all the sleep hygiene II stuff. But they're lockable. And a lot of the traumatized populations I work with, like veterans and people with C PTSD. simply placing a lock on your bedroom door can increase sleep quality by up to half an hour, an hour a night. Because there's something about humans, we need to no one's going to come in, we're in this deeply vulnerable state of rest.

So I would say they need to be not only private and a correct temperature for sleep, and yes, dark and quiet if you can, but also lockable. There was one rest port I went in, and there is a difference in arrest port and asleep port, where my legs were exposed, there was kind of a big bubble thing over most of my body in my head, but my legs were exposed, very difficult to fall asleep. And one of those, you know, my feet, people could brush by they could do something to them, I wasn't able to fully sleep.

So yes, it would be enclosed, it would be lockable, it would be private. Just to say that those rest pods, you know, there is a difference between NSDI non sleep deep rest and napping. Non sleep deep breath has loads of benefits, too. So even if you can't provide a full private, lockable, even just a space for rest and mindfulness like they have in the Google offices in London are really, really good.

Recharge rooms in tech offices

Matt Morley

Yeah, it is often the tech companies that are approaching the and saying, Well look, we want to create a space in a sense, in your terms, clearly that they will then actually be breathing a multifunctional space where there can be some of that depressed slash napping going on. It can also be a space where it's congenial to restorative practices, whatever that might be taking some time out of your day, perhaps to meditate perhaps to do your prayers, or just simply take some time by yourself.

And in fact, there's often the term the quiet room, or a restorative space where the idea is really just to take some time away from your key tasks to recharge, to go back. And then I think within that there's perhaps a subgroup too, which is the the nap pods or sleeping pod? The issue there with my sort of design head on is okay, you got to think about hygiene.

Now, post COVID, you got to think about ventilation. If it's lockable, and it's an enclosed space, then the best thing to have their own fans and and suddenly, you know, the prices do go up. But I think there's there's real value in that. So we've established you mentioned temperature just to dig into it. So thermal comfort typically is actually cooler than we think, isn't it in terms of the ideal sleeping temperature.

Thermal comfort during sleep

Charlie Morley

I can't remember the exact temperature ideal to seven temperature. First of all, they differ from men and women. I remember a brilliant chapter in a book called The The Descent of Man by Grayson Perry. And the title chapter was air conditioning is sexist. Now you see that the title chapter anyway, I'll come on straight to that chapter. He's absolutely right, the average the default setting of air conditioners across the world are set to the male preferred temperature at room temperature. And women need it about up to one to two degrees warmer. So actually, air conditioning is sexist.

So the first thing your points would need to be would you need to adjust it because women would want a slightly different to men. Basically, if you're in bed, and you can stick your foot out from the blankets or out of the duvet, and it's warm enough to keep it outside your rooms too hot. Your bedroom should be pretty cool, but not cold. But if you stick your foot out, it should feel cool. And your nose should be cool. You know this is cooler, the better many people with sleep problems, they just have the room too hot, it becomes the Princess and the Pea.

You know they pile up loads of blankets and and they get really really hot and you can't you know sleeps about thermo regulation. Remember the we used to we now know actually that human beings used to even hibernate for long periods of time where the deep sleep state would go for a massive percentage. And you could actually move into these almost hibernation states for days or weeks. And of course, what's hibernation about thermo regulation? So yeah, temperatures, pretty important.

Matt Morley

There is a there's a really interesting book was published recently by the Harvard Chan School for public health by Dr. Joseph Allen, in which he discusses exactly that point around the sexual or sort of the differences between the two sexes in terms of body temperature and therefore thermal comfort within a space and it seems that a lot of the regulations that were still in place or to have guidelines in the US and in fact, even in older buildings how the HVAC aircon systems have been programmed, referring to some data that was plucked from sort of 1980s office buildings were so slick as well. What was happening in 1980s, it was male dominated, they were probably wearing a suit.

And there's now just much more sexual, let's say equality. And therefore, as the man in the three piece suit or in a shirt, a tie, and a jacket is completely different to me sending in a normal summer dress. So some of the solutions around that seem to be around, ultimately creating almost sort of microclimates within or having clusters or microclimates where it's adjustable, if they're getting there with the HVAC and aircon systems, it's sort of within the next five to 10 years, it seems like that would be in a really smart building. So like sort of high performing building where they're able to adjust and allow each individual occupant to have some say over the temperature in their space, just by you know, the kind of airflow that's going on within that.

So yeah, another crossover between Your world and mine. Let's talk about mindfulness. Again, it is something that's part of the healthy building concept, the idea that a allowing time within the day and allowing a space within an office environment, for example, where meditation or mindfulness practice and perhaps breathwork, and can take place is positive, again for productivity, but also for worker well being. So how do you integrate mindfulness and meditation with sleep?

Because obviously, once once we're asleep? There's, in theory, for most of us, at least, there's no active meditation or mindfulness going on, right until you get to like next level, Tibetan Buddhist practice of dreaming. Yeah. But before that, yeah, how what's the connection between mindfulness and improve sleep quality, so that if someone's perhaps practicing or finding time during the day, they're also able to have a positive impact on the sleep at night, which is, I think your another gain, isn't it?

breath work and deep relaxation for rest and sleep

Charlie Morley

Yeah. So mindfulness has a whole wealth of benefits. As far as sleep goes, actually more than mindfulness, it's about regulation of the autonomic nervous system through the breath, and through deep relaxation. Those are the two things that you really find affecting sleep. And it's all based on this thing called parasympathetic drive.

So there's a system within the autonomic nervous system called parasympathetic drive, which is, think of it like a battery, which is charged up every time you do anything relaxing during the day, you charge up this parasympathetic drive battery. Now the reason most people tend to sleep slightly better on holiday than in their working day is unless you're screaming kids and stuff, on holidays, you're probably doing more relaxing things. So every time you do anything relaxing the day zap, you get a little charge to the parasympathetic drive. If you spend at least half an hour a day doing something really, really relaxing, that moves you into a deep parasympathetic emphasis, such as yoga nidra, slow, deep breathing, coherent breathing, other forms of non sleep deep breaths, you're spending 30 minutes charging up that parasympathetic drive.

Now what happens is then when you go to sleep at night, even if you charge it at 11 o'clock in the morning, or 10 o'clock in the morning, that battery will store the drive until you choose to go to sleep at night. So when you fall asleep at night, the brain kind of downloads that battery power from parasympathetic drive, allowing you to fall asleep quicker and stay asleep longer.

This means we need to completely reconfigure the way we view sleep. Sleep is not about oh, it's half an hour before bedtime quick put on some sleep hygiene tips like not looking at my phone, going wearing my fancy red sunglasses, all this kind of stuff. It's like That's too late dude. Like if you if you've got high levels of stress or trauma, but again, who hasn't got high levels of stress off last two and a half years we've been through as a global society. Sleep good sleep begins during the day.

How much time can you spend charging up that parasympathetic drive battery, and that's where periods of mindfulness but especially slow deep breathing, and NSDI, non sleep, deep breaths, kind of the hypnogogic, mindfulness practice, those really, really work to regulate the nervous system and help you sleep well at night. So that's the link mindfulness is good, because it can help create a habit of mind that sees not getting perfect sleep as more okay, but as mindfulness creates, fosters an attitude of okayness with myself and compassionate acceptance if it's taught in the right way. But the link between just standard mindfulness and sleep is quite tenuous. The link between non sleep deep rest and slow deep breathing and sleep is very, very direct, because it's based on this parasympathetic drive.

Sleep quality for productivity in the workplace

Matt Morley

So then you you see that there is effectively a short term benefit. That is, if you like he's reaping those benefits. Well, first of all, the person in question so the worker the occupant, and indirectly, the, the employer, that's more than that. So the people who are then that they're producing for once they go back into their work environment and are just sort of recharged and fresher and able to do more or get through the rest of the day without hitting X number of coffees.

But then that same building Brunt that same worker gets their own slightly more medium term benefits later on in the day, that's an entirely private matter once they end up trying to get to sleep that also suggests, you mentioned sort of the three hours, I think there's often, you know, there's practical considerations, of course, around when you work out an exercise, right. But when I see people exercising at 9pm, and the best hours of sleep seem to be between about sort of like 11 and 1am, right. There's just it's a crunch between the late workout, getting to bed and getting good quality night's sleep. So it's that would then suggest if, if at all possible exercise should happen lunchtime slash middle of the day.

Charlie Morley

It depends what the exercise is. So for it again, this is about the sympathetic and parasympathetic system. So for example, lifting heavy weights, like you're doing a big weight session actually can lead to such a parasympathetic hit off with this deep tiredness that comes out was it could be reasonably beneficial or at least neutral to do in the evening. However, as we both do a lot of martial arts like Thai boxing, kickboxing, something really fight or flight II like Krav Maga at 10pm, you want to go to bed at midnight? Yeah, you're going to be while you're going to be in that state.

So it's not so much the exercise, but the type of exercise the effect that has on your body, and you can feel it after your workout. Do you feel deeply relaxed? Do you feel that sense of calm? Or do you feel it's kind of jittery? You know, you've still got your pre workout shake in your system or something like that. So it's kind of subjective and personal. But generally, exercise is really good for sleep. But yeah, if you can do it within like three hours of your preferred bedtime, that's best. Sorry, I would do it not, not over three hours before your preferred bedtime. That's best.

Matt Morley

Cool. Plus, I think we can carry on for a while yet, but we're gonna wrap it up there. So if people want to follow along, see more of your work, or reach out with any questions or buy the books like where is that all happening online?

Charlie Morley

Yeah, my website, Charliemorley.com

I'm also on Instagram So check it out.

acoustical comfort in healthy buildings & interiors

acoustical comfort / acoustics in interior design / healthy buildings / wellness interiors / sound mapping / acoustic materials / acoustic finishes / well building standard

What is acoustical comfort?

When due attention is given to interior acoustics as part of the design and fit-out process, unwanted sound simply should not be an issue for building occupants, meaning there are no distracting echos or noise levels beyond those that align with the primary activity taking place in that area - this can differ greatly between a buzzy restaurant for example, and a library or office.

Due to the subtleties of this zone by zone approach, ‘acoustic comfort’ is a largely qualitative concept evaluated primarily by occupant satisfaction surveys - using questions such as “is the sound level right for what you are doing?” and so on.

We also have the possible addition of quantitative data via more scientific measurements around decibel levels and a lot of planning takes place in advance of a refurbishment or fit-out to anticipate potential acoustical comfort issues before they become reality.

As we explore below, a wellness interior designer has a number of tools at his or her disposal to integrate materials that absorb sound into the space, no matter whether it be office, residential, retail or restaurant.

What are the main causes of poor acoustics in buildings and interiors?

Building issues such as loud HVAC equipment, improperly insulated spaces, or an excess of hard interior surfaces in areas with regularly high densities of occupants (and their conversations), can all contribute to poor acoustics and occupant discomfort. 

Airborne noise such as the air con / HVAC system and other mechanical appliances is all too common, especially in older buildings. Then there are of course the sounds of other occupants in or outside a building, primarily via speech but also footfall, opening or closing doors and so on, all of which can cumulatively become a recurring distraction and reduce concentration.

Impact noise, for example from a gym or children playing, is an even more acute version of the same problem. Imagine operating a spa or retail space on the ground floor of a building with a first floor CrossFit gym above (without proper sound insulating flooring to absorb the sound of loaded barbells being repeatedly dropped).

Then there is the problem of a lack of acoustical privacy between enclosed spaces and equally within open-plan spaces, with noise traveling from one of the space to another, bouncing around from wall to wall constantly.

Finally, there is the external noise source of passing transportation such as cars, buses, trains or planes, which can become intensely distracting both during the work day and at night.

What are the health risks of interiors with poor acoustics?

Human exposure to unfavorable noises and improperly regulated acoustics has a tangible impact on mental wellbeing, concentration and focus. It’s not going to send you to an early grave perhaps but it can create a consistent, low-level anxiety and stress that accumulates over time.

In other words, in the world of healthy buildings and wellbeing interiors, as consultants and advisors, we want to implement a strategy upfront in order to minimize acoustic discomfort, likely in collaboration with the Mechanical Engineer and Architects for new build construction or refurbishment projects, or solo as wellness interior designers if it’s an interior fit-out.

Consider how a lack of acoustical privacy, speech intelligibility, and general distractions can all impact our comfort in an open-plan office space for example - whether the noise source is from inside that workplace, elsewhere on the same floor or outside the building.

Typical mental wellbeing issues we encounter in such situations are a reduction in attention span, memory retention, and (in a residential context) lower quality sleep at night.

Designing with good acoustics in mind is therefore a fundamental part of any healthy building concept and wellbeing interior design strategy, so let’s look at the tools available to us.

How can a wellbeing interior design consultant improve an acoustics issue?

To combat these issues, strategies such as planned and isolated HVAC systems, reinforced facades, plenty of sound absorptive materials in the interior specifications and the introduction of consistent background noise / white noise can all be useful.

A range of solutions we might choose to deploy as part of a wellness interior design consultancy assignment would include the following:

• Planning of isolated/balanced HVAC mechanical equipment sound levels (provides baseline/anticipated noise levels) in line with WELL recommendations of between 25 maximum noise criteria (NC) for enclosed offices and 40 maximum noise criteria for open-plan office spaces (Ref. WELL Building Standard)

• Fortification of facades (affects exterior noise intrusion) but will require engineers and architects involvement (more suitable for full refurbishment projects rather than interiors only)

• Replacing hard surfaces with sound reducing, sound absorbing surfaces, wall panels, ceiling baffles and surface finishes (ref. Noise Reduction Coefficient - NRC - an average value reflecting its acoustical sound absorbing properties - see WELL Building Standard for more)

• Introducing consistent background noise levels (sound masking) for added acoustic privacy

• Using non-hollow core door ways with gaskets or sweeps to block noise traveling from one side of a door way to the other

• Interior partition walls with high acoustic absorption qualities, e.g. Sound Transmission Class (STC) of minimum 45 (ref WELL Building Standard)

• Interior walls designed for acoustic performance with minimal air gaps and sound transmission, ‘vertical surfaces in an open workspace should have a minimum NRC of 0.8 on at least 25% of the surface area of the surrounding walls' (ref. WELL Building Standard)

• Exterior windows with high acoustic absorption qualities, e.g. a Sound Transmission Class (STC) of minimum 35 (ref WELL Building Standard)

• Imposing limits on music played in a space to limit distractions, e.g. “7 decibels (dBA) above the ambient sound pressure level when measured at a minimum distance of 4.5 m [15 ft] outside of the entrance to the space” (ref. WELL Building Standard)

• Ceiling surfaces should have a minimum NRC of 0.9 for the entire surface area of the ceiling (excluding lights, skylights, diffusers, beams, joists and grilles) (ref. WELL Building Standard)

What does the WELL Building Standard advise on sound and acoustics?

The WELL Building Standard / Sound section aims to confront potential acoustic problems and provides various strategies to diminish negative health impacts. While it is up to the architects and wellness interior design consultants to interpret these objectives creatively through the lens of design, aligning their decisions with the desired wellbeing outcomes. In this way, health can and should become a central part of the design process from the very start of a healthy building design project.

WELL Building Standard SOUND / S01: Sound Mapping

Goal: create site zoning/acoustical plan that identifies potential noise sources that could affect a specific space. This equates to designating ‘loud’, ‘quiet’, and ‘mixed’ spaces according to zone or the programming of each space making up the floor plan or ‘sound map’.

So for example, within an office floor plate, we would create area for ‘deep work’ and solo concentration, as well as more collaborative areas for small groups and private meetings rooms, perhaps integrate some Skype cubicles for 1-2 people while on a call, and so on.

WELL Building Standard SOUND / S02: Max Noise Levels

Goal: Establish background noise levels for interior spaces to determine HVAC and façade design techniques in order to avoid speech intelligibility problems.

WELL Building Standard SOUND / S03: Sound Barriers

Goal: Increase speech privacy, highlight design constraints that may hinder acoustical comfort while including sound absorbing partitions (especially in open floor plans) as physical privacy is often mentally linked to acoustic privacy.

WELL Building Standard SOUND / S04: Sound Absorption

Goal: Design spaces that support speech intelligibility and increase focus paying particular attention to the hazards of hard surfaces that have the potential to reflect more sound and cause acoustic discomfort. By using sound insulating materials interior designers can control the sound absorption levels in any given space, for example via acoustic ceiling panels, flooring and/or wall panels, where appropriate.

WELL Building Standard SOUND / S05: Sound Masking

Goal: Increase acoustical privacy through noise suppression, where sound masking involves deliberately layering in an even noise level, for example of ‘white noise’ or nature sounds.

WELL Building Standard SOUND / S06: Impact Noise Management

Goal: Manage background noise levels between building floors, conscious that lightweight floor construction (CLT, wood truss, steel frame) emits more noise than resilient floor-ceiling construction (thick concrete slab, suspended ceiling).

Biophilic design in the WELL Building Standard

what role does biophilic design play in the well building standard for human health?

The verdant rooftop courtyard of Montoya co-working and event venue, Barcelona, Spain, exemplifies a biophilic environment as outlined by certification standards like the WELL Building Standard. This approach addresses health and wellbeing issues in urban environments by integrating natural elements to improve overall quality of life.

What is the definition of biophilic design?

Biophilic design is about combining nature, sustainability, and well-being interiors by integrating the natural world into our built environment to create spaces that are better aligned with our evolutionary history, that offer some kind of nature connection rather than turning their back on Mother Nature completely. Biophilic design principles emphasize integrating natural elements into designs to enhance well-being, sustainability, and the human-nature connection.

Biophilic elements play a crucial role in enhancing well-being and sustainability by incorporating natural elements into architectural and interior designs.

Tools available to us include indoor and outdoor landscaping, vertical garden walls, air-purifying plants, natural aromatherapy, natural soundscapes, circadian lighting strategies, providing views of nature, creating scenes of natural beauty, the deliberate use of natural patterns, colours, textures, materials, fabrics, and natural elements - to name just a few.

what is the well building standard?

The WELL Certification process for WELL V2 is now widely established as the leading healthy building and wellness real estate standard in the world today. It is essentially a series of guidelines backed by rigorous scientific research and sustainable design principles, that when taken together, will guide a real estate project, whether new build construction or refurbishment and fit-out, towards a final product that is aligned with human health and wellness.

To gain in-depth knowledge about integrating biophilic principles into WELL-certified projects, consider enrolling in a biophilic design course or an online course. These courses provide comprehensive guidance on incorporating nature into architectural and interior designs, focusing on residential spaces, workplace environments, and public spaces.

Sections of the V2 standard are dedicated to Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, Thermal Comfort, Sound, Materials, Mind, Community & Innovation.

What services do WELL Building Standard consultants offer?

Consultants specialising in the WELL Building Standard for real estate are likely to come from engineering, architecture & interiors, sustainability and/or real estate development backgrounds.

In our case as Biofilico, we have a combination of creative design and real estate development experience, we also have a niche in biophilic design consultancy as well as integrating health and fitness into the built environment.

This means we approach projects from a very different perspective compared to say, a team with an engineering background.

Although we have a wellness architect on our team, we are consultants first and foremost, meaning we are accustomed to working alongside and advising large-scale architecture studios, project management teams and developers on wellbeing design, healthy interiors and biophilic design. We also help clients implement biophilic design principles effectively in their projects. Consultants can benefit from biophilic design online resources to stay updated with the latest trends and practices.

Does the WELL standard favour biophilic design with natural elements?

The short answer is ‘yes’ it does, and likely in more ways than you might think as there are both direct and indirect references to ‘nature’ and ‘biophilia‘ in the standard, just as there are ‘direct‘ and ‘indirect‘ forms of biophilia at our disposal when designing an interior space.

Knowing how to make the most of biophilic design strategies therefore requires in-depth understanding not just of its breadth and depth as a design concept, but a combination of creativity with rigorous knowledge of the standard itself.

Fundamentally, biophilic design contributes to a wider healthy building strategy by benefits on air quality, mental wellbeing, healthy materials, nature connectedness and more, just as it contributes to a green building strategy in terms of sustainability, and so on. The WELL standard encourages designers to incorporate biophilic design to enhance these benefits.

What credits can biophilic design principles help with in the WELL standard?

There are obvious places to go hunting for credits in the WELL building standard as a biophilic design consultant, most notably in the MIND section where connection to nature is referenced in Precondition 02 Nature and Place as well as M09 Enhanced Access to Nature. So, let’s address these before moving on to the arguably less obvious credits that biophilic design can contribute to in the standard.

MIND / Precondition 02 Nature & Place

Here we are on our home turf, this is the main biophilic design credit for all intents and purposes, as it rewards the use of natural materials, patterns, shapes, colors, images or sounds as well as the integration of plants, the presence of water features and nature views into the project.

Part 2 of this WELL Standard Precondition is a more cerebral concept yet also provides considerably more creative freedom for architects and designers to interpret the brief through the lens of biophilic design as we are tasked with creating design elements that celebrate company culture or that of the local community, a celebration of place (connecting to the location in other words), elements of art and, wait for it, ‘human delight’.

MIND / Enhanced Access to Nature M09

M09 is then a continuation of this as it gives specifications of what percentage of workstations on each floor of the project should have direct views of indoor plants, a natural landscape or indoor water feature. If we play that one through to its logical conclusion, the extent of the indoor biophilic design interventions will depend greatly on the availability of external views onto natural landscapes.

If none are available as the project is in a densely populated urban area such as a business district, then the focus will of necessity have to be on bringing the outside world in, if the project is to secure these two credits for M09 by integrating natural elements.

MIND / Precondition Promote Mental Health & Wellbeing and MIND / M07 Restorative Spaces

One possible component of Part 1 in the MIND Precondition is a dedicated restoration space or recharge room.

We specialise in creating biophilic, nature-inspired restorative spaces such as the one above that we created for the HERO Group headquarters in Switzerland in 2019.

One restorative space can then double-up for credit scores in the M07 credit as well, provided it adopts a multi-sensory design covering lighting, sound, thermal comfort, seating, biophilia and ‘calming colours, textures and forms’ (this is clearly open to interpretation but a biophilic approach is always going to be a winner in this regard, with proven science behind its calming properties).

In 2017 Biofilico carried out a own scientific research study into this very subject for EcoWorld Ballymore in London for their Wardian Residences:

NOURISHMENT / N01 Fruits & Vegetables

Part Two: Promote Fruit & Vegetable visibility - create enticing displays in an office canteen or kitchen area that takes on near sculptural form, just a little creativity can go a long way here.

NOURISHMENT / N07 Nutrition Education

A hydroponic garden wall or individual hydroponic towers of edible lettuce leaves and herbs for example can provide opportunities for gardening / planting workshops with staff as well as additional biophilic decoration for the office on an ongoing basis. This strategy also doubles up as a solution for N12 Food Production, see below, as well as N13 Local Food Environment - contributing food produced on-site back to the local community.

NOURISHMENT / N12 Food Production

The provision of a gardening space within 0.25miles of the project can be easily solved either with a hydroponic farm set-up in the lobby or with an urban garden on the rooftop of the building if feasible. Such a facility needs to be accessible to regular occupants during. the daytime and be between 200ft2 and 1500ft2 in size according to the number of regular occupants in the project.

LIGHT / L03 Circadian lighting design

Circadian lighting is a foundation of biophilic design as the key aim is to align our body’s clocks with the regular cycle of dawn and dusk. We have written elsewhere on circadian lighting strategies and how to implement them. L03 in WELL specifies “appropriate exposure to light for maintaining circadian health and aligning the circadian rhythm with the day-night cycle”.

MOVEMENT / V08 Physical Activity Spaces & Equipment

Here WELL are looking for evidence that there is a gym or fitness facility available at no cost for regular building occupants to. use, either in the building itself, nearby or in a nearby outdoor space such as a park.

We specialise in designing green fitness spaces that secure additional points within the WELL certification for MIND M07 Restorative Spaces and MIND M09 Enhanced Access to Nature (using biophilic design that brings the outside world in).

MATERIALS / X06 VOC Restrictions and X07 Materials Transparency

To secure these credits requires an understanding of healthy materials and indoor air quality as well as biophilic design.

The key concept is that all natural materials such as stone, wood, bamboo and cork do not contain any VOCs and come with their own material transparency.

Our main issue here is ensuring that we specify the finishes and fit-out substances such as primers, glues and adhesives as these can inadvertently carry chemicals containing VOCs, thereby negating the good work done by specifying an organic materials in the first place!

To enquire about our services as biophilic design consultants for WELL certified projects, contact us here.

well building standard movement V01 active buildings & communities

a consultants response to the well building standard’s movement V01 Active buildings & communities

What is the WELL Building Standard?

The WELL Certification process for WELL V2 is now widely established as the leading healthy building and wellness real estate standard in the world today. It is essentially a series of guidelines backed by rigorous scientific research, that when taken together, will guide a real estate project, whether new build construction or refurbishment and fit-out, towards a final product that is aligned with human health and wellness.

Sections of the V2 standard are dedicated to Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, Thermal Comfort, Sound, Materials, Mind, Community & Innovation.

What is WELL consulting?

A WELL AP or WELL consultant is there to assist a project team through the certification process, ensuring maximum points are scored along the way by offering expert advice not just on how to lock-in points but also the principles that lie behind them. As a result, the project has every chance of becoming a model of health and wellness in the built environment.

Additionally, a WELL consultant’s skill set might include wellness interior design, biophilic design, knowledge in healthy buildings and consideration for sustainability / green buildings, a WELL building’s close cousin, as well as expertise in health and fitness, or as WELL like to call it ‘Physical Activity’, ‘Movement’ and ‘Nourishment’.

What is the intent of WELL Precondition / Feature V01 / Active Buildings & Communities?

Fundamentally this is about promoting movement and physical activity in all its guises within the context of the built environment, specifically as a way to reduce sedentary behavior in the workplace thanks to targeted design interventions, a.k.a ‘active design’.

inactivity is a health problem because it can lead to chronic diseases and premature mortality, that may sound like hyperbole but many people spend 8hrs or more in their office five days a week and will have a career that spans decades. That’s potentially a lot of inactivity!

The answer to this lies in promoting active design in our healthy buildings, this may be by encouraging greater use of stairwells rather than an elevator, cycling into work rather than driving, engaging in a group physical activity class during the working week with office colleagues, using a standing desk to reduce lower back pain, and so on.

How to design active buildings & communities for this WELL feature

In this Precondition WELL are looking for projects to achieve at least one point from V03: Circulation Network, V04: Facilities for Active Occupants. V05: Site Planning and Selection and V08: Physical Activity Spaces and Equipment.

This makes the Precondition highly achievable in our opinion but remember that the aim with WELL is never just to scrape through with the minimal investment of time and energy possible but rather to look for synergies between features and, where possible, creative solutions to their requirements that have a positive impact on occupant health.

V03: See here for our WELL AP expert opinion on the active design / stairwell strategies in Movement Feature V03

V04: We have written here on Facilities for Active Occupants, effectively these are bike storage, showers and changing facilities on site in adequate numbers to accommodate building users.

V05: See here for our insights into Site Planning & Selection feature in the WELL healthy building standard.

V08: We have previously written (here) in some detail about this WELL feature on Physical Activity Spaces and Gym Equipment as specialists in this particular field of gym design and gym equipment procurement.

To enquire about our services as WELL consultants, wellness real estate and healthy building experts, email us here.

WELL Building Standard Movement V05 Site Planning & Selection

A WELL consultant responds to WELL Building Standard feature: Movement V05 Site Planning & Selection

What is the WELL Building Standard?

The WELL Certification process for WELL V2 is now widely established as the leading healthy building and wellness real estate standard in the world today. It is essentially a series of guidelines backed by rigorous scientific research, that when taken together, will guide a real estate project, whether new build construction or refurbishment and fit-out, towards a final product that is aligned with human health and wellness.

Sections of the V2 standard are dedicated to Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, Thermal Comfort, Sound, Materials, Mind, Community & Innovation.

What is WELL consulting?

A WELL AP or WELL consultant is there to assist a project team through the certification process, ensuring maximum points are scored along the way by offering expert advice not just on how to lock-in points but also the principles that lie behind them. As a result, the project has every chance of becoming a model of health and wellness in the built environment.

Additionally, a WELL consultant’s skill set might include wellness interior design, biophilic design, knowledge in healthy buildings and consideration for sustainability / green buildings, a WELL building’s close cousin, as well as expertise in health and fitness, or as WELL like to call it ‘Physical Activity’, ‘Movement’ and ‘Nourishment’.

What is the main focus of this WELL healthy building feature?

This feature is very similar to some of the features in green building standards such as BREEAM and the USGBC LEED that consider site selection as one of the very earliest decisions for any project to ensure that the result is a piece of real estate in tune with people and planet.

Specifically then, WELL are looking for evidence that the area around the project promotes walkability and has access to public transportation. Read on to discover what that means in practice… there are no fewer than four points on offer here within the WELL certified process after all!

What problem is this healthy building feature addressing?

The WELL Standard make the point that contemporary real estate has a tendency to make our lives easier, more comfortable, less strenuous physically - unlike healthy buildings. This contributes to the worrying dominance of largely sedentary lifestyles in the developed world today.

To combat that this WELL feature looks to raise awareness around active design strategies in interiors but also, just as importantly, to a project’s location and its relationship with physical activity opportunities.

How does site planning connect with physical activity?

Their basic premise here is that thoughtful site planning can improve community health; walkable neighborhoods tend to align proximity, with connectivity, density, safety and aesthetics. They take into account a wide variety of different user profiles, promoting mobility for all.

Even tall buildings cna have a genuine impact on the community through its ground-level architectural choices, by adding public walkways, landscaping and so on that encourage walkability and nature interaction.

Prioritising pedestrians for a healthy community (2 points)

Part 1: STREETS: Projects need to provide at least one building entrance that links to a pedestrian walkway as well as one of a variety of technical considerations such as its WalkScore, vehicle traffic restrictions and the presence of continuous sidewalks. In other words, pedestrians need to be treated with respect, indeed encouraged in the streets surrounding the project. We can imagine this being especially problematic in some US cities where the car tends to dominate the streets still.

Part 2: ENVIRONMENT: Exterior building walls need to include some combination of transparent glazing, overhangs, murals, biophilic design and mixed design features to give the overall impression of a building designed to be aesthetically pleasing for pedestrians in the area.

Access to mass transport (2 points)

For an extra two points, this WELL feature requires that all spaces are located within an area with a specific Transit Score, in vicinity to a bus network and in walking distance to a bus rapid transit stop, rail station or ferry service.

This is to ensure that public transport can be the primary way for regular building occupants to travel to and from the site, if they are not cycling or jogging in.

This is to reduce car usage, which in turn lowers greenhouse gas emissions and lowers our collective impact on the environment, whilst also requiring less car park spaces in urban hubs.

To discuss our consultancy services as WELL Healthy Building experts, contact us here

WELL Building Feature V11: Ergonomics Programming

A consultants response to the WELL Building Standard’s Movement Feature V11: Ergonomics Programming

What is the WELL Building Standard?

The WELL Certification process for WELL V2 is now widely established as the leading healthy building and wellness real estate standard in the world today.

It is essentially a series of guidelines backed by rigorous scientific research, that when taken together, will guide a real estate project, whether new build construction or refurbishment and fit-out, towards a final product that is aligned with human health and wellness.

Sections of the V2 standard are dedicated to Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, Thermal Comfort, Sound, Materials, Mind, Community & Innovation.

What is WELL consulting?

A WELL AP or WELL consultant is there to assist a project team through the certification process, ensuring maximum points are scored along the way by offering expert advice not just on how to lock-in points but also the principles that lie behind them. As a result, the project has every chance of becoming a model of health and wellness in the built environment.

Additionally, a WELL consultant’s skill set might include wellness interior design, biophilic design, knowledge in healthy buildings and consideration for sustainability / green buildings, a WELL building’s close cousin, as well as expertise in health and fitness, or as WELL like to call it ‘Physical Activity’, ‘Movement’ and ‘Nourishment’.

What is required from projects pursuing WELL Feature / Movement V11 Ergonomics Programming?

Real estate and healthy building projects pursuing WELL Certification are, for feature V11, required to engage with a certified ergonomist to assist in creating comfortable workstations for all staff in order to avoid the most common issues such as lower back pain, wrist pain or a sore neck.

This specialist should also be brought in for regular visits to make ongoing improvements. Given the shift to working from home of late, he/she is also to assist with remote workers’ ergonomics arrangements.

Why is ergonomics important for a healthy building or healthy workplace?

In short, we’re confronting musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) here, one of the primary health risks in the modern workplace that has a direct correlation with absenteeism / sick days and low productivity due to anxiety, discomfort and low level stress.

What does the WELL standard aim to do about it?

An ergonomics specialist will look at the physical environment, for example sit-stand desks or active workstations, as well as internal organizational culture / behavior and, especially in blue collar circumstances, the type of movements and processes involved in the work itself.

• For a separate blog article on ergonomic furniture in a healthy office design see our blog post here

• See our 9-point guide to healthy buildings here.

Implementing an ergonomics program for WELL Feature V11 (1 point)

Firstly, in terms of human resources, a project must either engage with a certified ergonomist / consultant for help with this feature or have an employee with a similar certification and iis formally responsible for delivering the program.

In other words, this needs to be handled by someone who knows what they are doing and WELL want to see proof of a company taking it seriously!

Additionally, a program needs to include stakeholder consultations, a task analysis by a certified ergonomist, individual ergonomic assessments either virtually or in-person on an annual basis after initial employee on-boarding.

This program also needs to be backed up by an engagement plan with workshops or annual training delivered by the certified ergonomist.

Ergonomic improvements for a healthy workplace (1 point)

A project pursuing WELL certification Feature V11 needs to either describe how this feature informed their decisions in Feature V02 Ergonomics Workstation Design and V07 Active Furnishings.

Alternatively, the project team show that they have heard individual ergonomic needs of employees and have actioned a plan to respond to them, with a timeline communicated to those individuals.

Supporting remote work ergonomics (1 point)

Finally, a project team ought to show they have taken into consideration working from home ergonomics too, tailoring parts of the plan above to those spending time at home on a regular basis for remote work, this includes making ergonomic furnishings available to remote workers, whether via a subsidy or reimbursement.

We hope this article has proven useful! Contact us here to discuss how we can help you with workplace wellness and the WELL Building Certification process.

WELL Building Standard: Movement V10 Self-Monitoring

a WELL consultant’s response to WELL Building Certification Feature ‘Movement V10 Self-monitoring’

What is the WELL Building Standard?

The WELL Certification process for WELL V2 is now widely established as the leading healthy building and wellness real estate standard in the world today. It is essentially a series of guidelines backed by rigorous scientific research, that when taken together, will guide a real estate project, whether new build construction or refurbishment and fit-out, towards a final product that is aligned with human health and wellness.

Sections of the V2 standard are dedicated to Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, Thermal Comfort, Sound, Materials, Mind, Community & Innovation.

What is WELL consulting?

A WELL AP or WELL consultant is there to assist a project team through the certification process, ensuring maximum points are scored along the way by offering expert advice not just on how to lock-in points but also the principles that lie behind them. As a result, the project has every chance of becoming a model of health and wellness in the built environment.

Additionally, a WELL consultant’s skill set might include wellness interior design, biophilic design, knowledge in healthy buildings and consideration for sustainability / green buildings, a WELL building’s close cousin, as well as expertise in health and fitness, or as WELL like to call it ‘Physical Activity’, ‘Movement’ and ‘Nourishment’.

What does this WELL healthy building feature focus on?

A developer, employer or landlord provides wearable fitness monitors for physical activity and healthy behaviors at a subsidized cost to all employees / regular building occupants.

What good is a wearable in promoting a healthy building? It provides reliable, or at least more reliable than ‘self reported data’ from building occupants on how active a lifestyle they lead during the working week.

This is not to pry into their personal lives but simply to gauge whether the facilities provided within the healthy building, such as physical activity spaces are being put to good use.

What can tech do in promoting physical activity in a healthy building?

Yes, this can seem an intangible argument and clearly an apple watch or Fitbit alone is not going to make much difference by itself however within the context of a suite of measures that combine hardware and software, physical activity programming for workplace wellness as well as an on-site fitness room with fitness equipment, the wearables can be a valuable part of the package.

To answer the privacy concern head on, WELL Feature V10 suggests selecting a piece of tech that has adequate privacy measures in place - to be clear, the purpose is not for individuals to upload their data for the HR department or external workplace wellness consultant to review, although we believe that there are potential gains in some form of gamification of workplace activity with, for example, prizes for those who take more than 10,000 steps inside the building in a month, etc.

The point here is not any one individual’s performance, quite the opposite, we’re simply looking to use the wearables to promote activity and monitor successes at an individual level, there is no requisite to share this info at all within the WELL standard. Each business / employer is then free to take additional steps as they see fit, or indeed employees may choose to form their own social groups for sharing limited amounts of data amongst themselves, assuming they all have the same piece of tech or software.

How to use wearable tech in WELL V10 self-monitoring

The WELL standard specifies that ALL eligible employees should be provided with a wearable fitness monitor device with the following requirements:

1. Available at no cost or subsidized by at least 50%.

2. Allow users to monitor their own metrics over time (i.e., provides a dashboard where individual metrics are aggregated).

3. Measure at least two physical activity metrics (e.g., steps, floors climbed, activity minutes).

4. Measure at least one additional health behavior (e.g., mindfulness practice, sleep).

As WELL consultants, how do we respond to this feature?

At least in its current format, the problem we have with this feature of the WELL healthy building standard is that it is better suited to smaller scale buildings or workforces, assuming that no allowance is made for a project looking to take a random sample of the workforce as a trial to test the impact of their investment in wearables.

Many people will already have their own wearable tech, or use smartphone apps that do some or all of the same work for them. One question we’d raise with WELL on that basis is whether we could use a hybrid approach of a client sponsoring wearables only for those people who do not have suitable tech already.

Going one step further, we would in future like to explore opportunities to take a sample of data from amongst a workforce to analyse the impact of new active design features in a building for example (with each individual’s consent, or perhaps while wearing the monitor only in the office).

We have heard of problems at other organizations where wearables given to staff were seen as a way to monitor them, or check if they were working at their desks, so there are many hurdles to overcome here in order to leverage occupant movement data in a way that respects privacy.

We shall continue to explore this theme and propose creative solutions to our clients!

We hope this article has proven useful! Contact us here to discuss how we can help you with workplace wellness programs and the WELL Building Certification process

WELL MOVEMENT V04 Facilities for Active Occupants

a consultant’s response to WELL Building Certification Feature ‘Movement V04 / Facilities for Active Occupants’

What is the WELL Building Standard?

The WELL Certification process for WELL V2 is now widely established as the leading healthy building and wellness real estate standard in the world today. It is essentially a series of guidelines backed by rigorous scientific research, that when taken together, will guide a real estate project, whether new build construction or refurbishment and fit-out, towards a final product that is aligned with human health and wellness.

Sections of the V2 standard are dedicated to Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, Thermal Comfort, Sound, Materials, Mind, Community & Innovation.

What is WELL consulting?

A WELL AP or WELL consultant is there to assist a project team through the certification process, ensuring maximum points are scored along the way by offering expert advice not just on how to lock-in points but also the principles that lie behind them. As a result, the project has every chance of becoming a model of health and wellness in the built environment.

Additionally, a WELL consultant’s skill set might include wellness interior design, biophilic design, knowledge in healthy buildings and consideration for sustainability / green buildings, a WELL building’s close cousin, as well as expertise in health and fitness, or as WELL like to call it ‘Physical Activity’, ‘Movement’ and ‘Nourishment’.

What is main focus of WELL Movement V04 Facilities for Active Occupants?

Essentially we are looking at bike storage facilities for those wishing to travel to their workplace by bike, as well as changing facilities and lockers for all those arriving by other forms of active transport, whether it be jogging or simply in need of a shower after a long, hot commute into the office in summer!

Nowadays these are essential components in a healthy building, either with or without a WELL certification.

The target audience here is active commuters but also active occupants - those showers can also encourage employees to go for a run after work, take a shower and then head out for a social appointment with friends, for example.

What issue is WELL Movement V04 Facilities for Active Occupants addressing?

On one level, it is about facilitating the lives of those who wish to travel under their own steam, by jogging or cycling into work, an active commuter in other words. These employees will be generally fitter, healthier and more productive in the workplace, with less days off (unless they end up hitting the IronMan circuit of course!) and less sick days. We can imagine this being especially important in the US where car culture and the lateral spread of cities makes a cycle commute more of a challenge.

In another sense, these active commuters are also placing less pressure on the road networks, they are not polluting, nor are they using public transport, so it is a win-win for both sides.

WELL Movement V04 Cycling Network & Bike Parking

Cycling infrastructure for a healthy building going for WELL Certification can be linked to location, tapping into the cycling network such as cycle lanes and bike sharing schemes.

Additionally, bike parking can be split into short-term (i.e. a public bike rack) for 2.5% of peak visitors, with a minimum of four spaces per building.

Long-term parking would be something like a dedicated bike room or bike wall with space for 5% of regular building occupants and a minimum of four per building. Finally, this same bike room, should provide a basic set of tools for cyclists to fix a tyre. Basic stuff but any cyclist will be glad to find a repair kit one day!

An extension of this we have seen in some healthy building case studies is to bring in a local bike mechanic every three months or so to give the regular cyclists a free bike tuning to ensure they are riding on safe tyres, brakes and so on.

All of the above simply needs to be verified by on-site photographs and a Letter of Assurance – by an architect or designer.

WELL Movement V04 On-site Shower Facilities

Showers, lockers and changing facilities come as a cluster for obvious reasons, and these elements need to be co-located next to each other, with five lockers per shower and the only other variable being the total requisite number of showers on offer within the healthy building to secure another point within WELL V04.

Essentially the calculation is 1 + 1 extra shower for 150 occupants above 100 for any WELL project below 1000 regular occupants.

If you are interested in our services helping you create a physical activity space / equipped gym for WELL Movement V08, contact us here.

Introducing the WELL Health & Safety Rating

Our review of the new WELL Health & Safety Rating

Who is the WELL health & safety rating aimed at?

Having spent some time digging into the available literature online, WELL’s new healthy building rating system appears better adapted to the remit of an in-house facilities management team looking after the interests of their workforce than, say, an owner intent on enhancing a property’s health and safety features either prior to occupancy or in collaboration with tenants and the Facilities team post-occupancy.

This may represent a source of frustration for some forward-thinking developers as there is scope to implement around 50% of the features independently pre-occupancy but the remaining 50% are only deliverable by an HR department on behalf of its workforce.

To receive the WELL Health & Safety rating applicants need to hit at least 15 of the 20 features and by our calculations at least, that is practically impossible to deliver as a conscientious landlord. There are simply too many features linked to the workforce and HR policies for a building owner such as a developer or real estate fund to implement this rating system alone.

On this basis, it would be interesting to imagine an alternate path to certification for landlords acting independently. That said, for businesses keen to protect their staff by implementing a range of scientifically backed operational measures, this new rating hits the spot.

What policies does the WELL health & safety rating require?

Cleaning & Sanitization Procedures

• Support hand washing (appropriately hygienic soap dispensers, hand dryers and signage prompt

• Reduce surface contact (touchless faucets and water fountains, hands-free operation of entry doors, lift doors, washroom doors, window blinds, light switches, waste / recycling bins)

• Improve cleaning practices (a highly detailed and professional cleaning plan that documents all relevant processes and procedures)

• Select preferred cleaning products (all products to be ISO14024 Eco Label compliant)

• Reduce respiratory particle exposure (a range of more intrusive distancing measures, only applicable at times of higher incidence of respiratory disease)

Emergency Preparedness Programs, a.k.a ‘resilience plans’

• Develop emergency preparedness policies (undertake a risk assessment and draft plan)

• Create business continuity plan (BCP) for operating under disruptive circumstances, such as a pandemic

• Plan for healthy re-entry (a set of strategies designed to protect occupant health when returning to the workplace after an emergency evacuation)

• Provide emergency resources (information indicating emergency procedures, at least one first aid kit per floor, a building emergency notification system, occupant training in CPR, designated emergency responder, security / crisis response team in place)

• Bolster emergency resilience (designated space for emergency responders in case of emergency, shelter-in-place plan for emergencies in which occupants can’t leave the building)

Health Service Resources

• Provide sick leave (employers to offer short-term and long-term sick leave)

• Provide health benefits to all eligible employees

• Support mental health recovery to employees at no cost

• Promote / provide flu vaccines to regular building occupants

• Promote a smoke-free environment (ban indoor and outdoor smoking within project boundaries, restrict sales of tobacco products on-site)

Air & Water Quality Management

• Assess ventilation (professional assessment of building ventilation supply rates, potential improvements, air recirculation rates)

• Assess & maintain air treatment systems (complete system inventory, air treatment assessment by a qualified engineer, device maintenance with accompanying evidence of new filters or UV lamps)

• Develop Legionella Management Plan (risk assessment of all water assets, documented maintenance program)

• Monitor air & water quality (on-going data from air quality monitoring system, annual chemical / biological water quality assessment

• Manage mold & moisture (moisture management plan for building operations, annual mold and leak inspection data)

Stakeholder engagement & Communication

• Promote health & wellness (set a health mission for the building, communicate around health & wellness resources to regular building occupants)

• Share food inspection information (applicable to on-site food establishments)

Healthy & Safe Building Innovation

• Innovation within the rating standard, taking it forward in some way

• A WELL Accredited Professional (WELL AP) on the project team

• Implement one of the main WELL certification requirements

• Reach Pre-certification phase for the main WELL certification

We discuss the main WELL Certification on our green & healthy building certification page here.

https://www.wellhealthsafety.com