The April issue of OnOffice saw The Porter Building lead the way as the UK’s first accredited WELL building Standard core and shell certified office. The new 11,150sq m development, sat directly opposite Slough train station, embodies the ideal blend of wellbeing and forward-thinking workplace solutions.
As health becomes a necessary investment in all parts of construction, Kristen Coco, vice president of communications at the International WELL Building Institute, shares the ways to create a happier workplace, and the new set of standards currently taking the reigns on office design.
Run us through what’s required to achieve the WELL Core and Shell Certification, and how did The Porter Building reflect this?
Building owners and investors can play a pivotal role in advancing the health of the people by designing and operating buildings with wellness at the forefront. By ensuring that key elements, such as the building structure, window locations and glazing, building proportions, the heating, cooling and ventilation systems and water quality are designed for health, this can have a significant impact on the tenants, visitors and staff.
Earning WELL Core & Shell Certification verifies the performance of a building, and communicates a strong commitment to partnering with the tenants in creating a healthy environment for the employees. WELL Core and Shell Certification also provides a strong basis of design and performance that makes it easier for tenants to further pursue WELL Certification for their fit outs. By building upon the attributes of a WELL Certified base building, tenants can then add wellness-focused elements like nourishment programs, fitness policies and healthy materials, among many other strategies.
The Porter Building was recognised for WELL Core & Shell Certification at the Gold level based on the number of health-promoting strategies achieved across all seven WELL concepts: Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Fitness, Comfort and Mind. The Landid and Brockton team have demonstrated outstanding leadership by focusing on the well-being of the people inside the building every day, through natural light, healthy air, access to clean drinking water, an abundance of plants, a layout that encourages physical activity and a variety of comfort measures, including temperature and acoustic considerations.