For a long time believing in wellness in buildings took an act of faith. That is changing fast, and as it becomes easier to measure the benefits, the philosophy of wellness is spreading.
Rapid advances in technology is allowing building owners and tenants to measure far more accurately the impact their buildings have on the people that use them, for better and for worse.
In the office sector in particular, having a building that promotes the health and wellbeing of the staff, and can help improve productivity, is becoming more important as a differentiating factor between schemes. And the benefits for developers and owners are starting to be quantified too.
Earlier this year the Porter Building in Slough near London became the first WELL-certified office in the U.K., and the International WELL Building Institute, which awards WELL certifications, said China now has more square footage of WELL-certified buildings than the U.S., where the concept is much more established.
As a quick refresher — skip the next three paragraphs if you know about wellness — the IWBI has seven ‘pillars’ which it uses to define the wellness of a building: light, comfort, nutrition, fitness, water, air and mind.