Does your workplace improve your well-being?
The WELL Building Standard (organized by the International Well Building Institute) measures, monitors and certifies healthy building environments and highlights how interior spaces impact our health. We spend 90% of our time indoors, and this program emphasizes the effects that proper environmental changes can make on our long-term mental and physical wellbeing.
WELL studies and implements health standards in seven global categories: air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind. Within the seven categories, we learn about the intent of each area, the health impact it makes on the occupants and optimal conditions with which to integrate their suggestions.
Under the ‘Mind’ category, for example, we learn about the concept of biophilia, “the idea that there is an instinctive bond between humans and nature, and that this natural affiliation enables the human mind to be more relaxed and calm in the presence of nature.”(1) Thus, adding plants and other natural elements can continue to quiet occupants’ minds and reduce long-term stress and its ill-effects.
Within the WELL Standard for optimal “Mind” health, the IWBI recommends several items building owners and employers can offer, ranging from health/lifestyle monitoring and stress management to human-centered architecture providing more natural light and indoor spaces that incorporate natural elements such as indoor plants.
BETTER BUILDINGS ARE WELL
The WELL Building Standards are leading the charge in workplace health and wellness, much like the US Green Building Council LEED design standards forged the path for more sustainable building construction and maintenance. Whereas the USGBC focuses its efforts on the urban hardscape, the WELL Building Standard hones in on the human occupant and their interactions between the urban built environment, whose mission is to “improve human health and well-being in buildings and communities across the world.”
Learn how Plant Interscapes can help you design wellness into your workplace by scheduling a design consultation below.
Visit WELL Standard to learn more on the 7 concepts addressed in their a comprehensive approach to environmental health & well-being or download a PDF copy of the International Well Building Standard here. For additional resources, pilot addendum’s and certification guidebooks: https://www.wellcertified.com/standard
