WELL Hits Major Global Milestone Supporting Healthier People and Better Buildings

The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) has announced that it has exceeded the 500-million-square-foot mark of constructions registered and certified under the WELL Building Standard (WELL). The milestone rapidly follows this months earlier announcement that the number of WELL Accredited Professionals (APs) and registrants has surpassed 10,000, further proof of the accelerating growth of the international movement to assist people thrive via better constructions and communities and enhanced organizations.

With more than 4,000 projects in almost 60 nations and spanning all space types offices, schools, hotels, residences and more its clear that this second wave of sustainability has gathered powerful momentum, stated IWBI Chairman and CEO Rick Fedrizzi. To attain a half-billion square feet of spaces applying WELL is to positively have an impact on the health and well-being of more people in more locations and to start to genuinely change the narrative around how we design and operate the areas where we spend our time.

So much of WELLs success is due to our WELL APs and WELL Faculty, an energetic and developing community that brings education about WELL to colleagues and clients around the world, he continued. Together with the market reach of our 130+ organizational members, this mixed leadership has performed a fundamental role in IWBIs journey towards market transformation, one that places the people we care about squarely in the middle of each decision we make.

Over the course of 2019, almost four times as many new projects registered to pursue WELL as all through all of 2018.

Halfway to a billion is one thing, but whats truly remarkable is the pace of adoption, stated Rachel Gutter, President of IWBI. WELL entered the market in 2014, and it took roughly 4 years to reach 250 million square feet, however its only taken a year to double that to a half-billion. While thats a powerful market signal, it actually displays an incredible rise of a committed community around the world that is committed to investing in health.

To build upon this growth and momentum, IWBI additionally has leveraged new partnership possibilities to attain priority markets and scale the advantages of handing over better buildings.

We are fostering a global movement to radically change how we deliver on the promise of better constructions that assist all people thrive, stated Gutter. We know we cant do it alone. Thats why previous year we declared a partnership with Enterprise Community Partners to bridge sustainability and health by integrating WELL with the Enterprise 2020 Green Communities Criteria, which is the main building standard for green inexpensive housing construction nationwide. Currently 27 states and Washington D.C. require or incentivize Enterprise Green Communities certification for low-cost housing developments that receive public funds. Beginning in October projects meeting these necessities will additionally be certified to WELL.

As we proceed to scale throughout each and every dimension, it becomes more essential than ever that we find a area and time for our community to experience the power of this movement, stated Fedrizzi. Thats why in two brief months, well convene in Scottsdale, Arizona, for the launch of The WELL Conference, a gathering designed to inspire, energize and celebrate the people and organizations who are assisting us change the world.

In collaboration with the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and Emerald Expositions (Emerald), The WELL Conference will bring together architectural, design and engineering communities, along with real estate developers, corporate officials, public health practitioners, and technology companies. Centered on the concept that our constructions and communities are essential to our health and well-being, the event will unite a numerous representation of industries and sectors round a shared mission.

Given these considerable accomplishments in just the five years since WELL first launched, were beyond excited to see what this new decade will bring, stated Fedrizzi. Every new project, WELL AP, WELL Faculty and IWBI member helps us take more steps forward in this journey. And when the mission is to enhance the health of people, each milestone is worth celebrating.