Being WELL
I capitalized “WELL” in the title for the rating system that focuses on the health and well-being of people within the spaces we create. I find this fascinating. We have spent the last few decades trying to recover from a industry that has made buildings all about cover stories and personal egos rather than the people we build them for, and WELL, along with LEED and the Living Building Challenge, has been instrumental in this effort.
And I am now a WELL-AP (accredited professional). This means I am familiar with the system, and ready to assist others in learning from it and in applying the concepts.
We build buildings for people. This is an important piece of knowledge. There are very few, perhaps no buildings, built with zero intention of supporting people in some way. Maybe dog houses. Maybe.
So why do we need guidance/rating system to help us do what should be inherent? Because of the aforementioned cover stories, keeping up with the Jones’s, and all the awful metrics we use to assess quality and success. Square footage is not the answer to wellbeing and happiness. Nor is cost per square foot or number of bathrooms (quarter baths, 3/4 baths). Granite countertops and the “in” color of paint won’t do it.
What does do it is a building that supports your health while in it. A building that helps your intellectual focus. A building with clean air and pristine water. A building with good connection to Nature, inside and out, that provides opportunities for your body to function. A building that makes you feel comfortable and content. And we know how to do this. We know how to do this WELL, as a matter of fact.
Be Greener –
Jodi
1 Like this post (no login required)