The new WELL designation will pioneer a health leadership benchmark for new and existing homes focused on spurring global market transformation; early adopters hailing from 10 countries signal strong market demand.

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / January 30, 2024 / In an effort to recognize and award industry best practices to create healthier and more resilient homes, the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), the global authority for driving market transformation through healthy buildings, organizations and communities, today announced its new WELL for residential program, launching with 25 global pilot participants that have enrolled nearly 30,000 homes and residences. The evidence-based, third-party verified certification program is poised to transform the way homes are designed, built and maintained to support human health and well-being.

The WELL for residential program, informed by the evidence-based principles of the WELL Building Standard (WELL) and its 10 WELL concepts, offers more than 100 strategies to create homes that prioritize resident health, comfort and well-being. Designed to empower builders and developers, operators, architects and designers and homeowners, the new health leadership framework is applicable to both single family homes and residences within multifamily buildings.

"We are excited to work side by side with our pilot participants, as well as hundreds of stakeholders along the residential sector value chain, to introduce this transformational roadmap that will help market leaders adopt health-first strategies into how we design, operate and maintain our homes," said Rachel Hodgdon, President and CEO, IWBI.

Healthier and more resilient homes are increasingly vital today as people look to enhance their homes for advancing their health and well-being, while also fortifying against future health threats or challenges. The WELL for residential program seeks to provide a solution to help transform the global residential market and ensure that everyone, no matter their backgrounds, has access to a home that enhances their health and enables them to make healthier decisions.

The development of the program drew upon two years of industry input, market insight and expert recommendations from IWBI's WELL for residential Advisory, a working group of over 100 globally renowned subject matter experts, including leading builders and developers, architects and engineers, public health and building scientists, government officials and academics, as well as other real estate professionals.

Projects can earn the WELL Residence seal for residences upon completion of third-party review and verification of selected strategies. To attain a WELL Residence certification, a home must achieve at least 40 points. Projects also have an opportunity to earn a pre-certified WELL Residence status upon preliminary design review, an incremental milestone that allows participants to communicate achievement before construction is completed.

Leading organizations excited to contribute toward the groundbreaking program are embracing WELL for residential in their developments. Twenty-five pilot participants have committed to implementing WELL for residential across nearly 30,000 residences in both single family homes and multifamily communities. The projects have a diverse global footprint across 10 countries, including, the United States, Canada, China, Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Spain, Montenegro and the Netherlands.

Hodgdon applauded the pilot participants for their leadership and commitment to creating healthier living environments for residents.

To date, participants of the WELL for residential program include but not limited to:

• AM Gebiedsontwikkeling - Groen van Prinstererlaan Amstelveen and Burgemeester Haspelslaan Amstelveen
• ARCHETYPE Investments - Continuum 115 Apartments
• Assembly OSM - 147 St. Felix Street and 247 East 117th Street
• Baopu Development - Baopu Care
• Caplow Manzano - CM1
• City Sanctuary Development - Albion Court
• Corvias - United States Army and the Department of Defense Military Housing
• d2d Green Design - Singh Residence
• Daiwa LifeNext - L-Place Esaka II
• First Wave Development - Soho Capital Project
• Foshan Green Neighborhood Villa Technology - Green Neighborhood Villa
• Johnson Development - Jubilee
• Magleby Development - Velvaere
• Minto Communities - 123 Portland
• Patron Capital Advisors - Cotown
• Shea Homes San Diego - Fox Point Farms
• Seneca - Seneca at Southern Highlands
• Synchro PM1 doo - Synchro Yards Water Residences
• Urban Green Development - 1643 Boulder

Embracing WELL for residential as a way to pioneer health innovation, some of the programs earliest adopters included Corvias with nearly 22,000 single-family homes and apartments across seven military installations in six states through its partnerships with the United States Army and the Department of Defense as part of the military housing privatization initiative; Jubilee, a Texas-based community of nearly 5,000 single family homes by Johnson Development; Velvaere of Park City, Utah, a wellness-focused sky resort by Magleby Development; Caplow Manzano's CM1 in Miami, a single family house elevated for climate preparedness; Albion Court of London, a historic brewery conversion by City Sanctuary Development; 123 Portland in Toronto by Canada's leading developer Minto Communities; New York modular tech company Assembly OSM's Saint Felix in Brooklyn and 117th Street in Harlem; Baopu Care in Taipei; Christopher Homes' Seneca at Southern Highlands in Henderson, NV; Green Neighborhood Villa in Foshan, China; and renovated Continuum 115 Apartments by ARCHETYPE Investments in Charlotte, NC.

During the pilot stage, IWBI will work with global users and collect stakeholder feedback to refine the new standard, ensuring it is a robust, globally applicable roadmap for healthier, more resilient homes.

The WELL for residential program adds to the WELL ecosystem and provides a new pathway for creating people-first residences. The program builds upon the work IWBI has already done within the multifamily sector through its WELL Certification and WELL ratings programs. Leading organizations in the multifamily homes that have achieved WELL Certification have helped inform and inspire the development of the new WELL for residential program.

The WELL ecosystem comprises WELL Certification under the WELL Building Standard, a library of building and organizational strategies focused on health, the WELL Health-Safety Rating, WELL Performance Rating, WELL Equity Rating and certification under the WELL Community Standard. WELL's holistic, evidence-based approach has provided a roadmap for organizations to promote social sustainability performance and enhance their ESG strategy. As a result, thousands of organizations including nearly 30% of Fortune 500 companies across nearly 130 countries have adopted WELL strategies in more than 40,000 locations totaling almost five billion square feet of space.

What early adopters are saying about the WELL for residential program:

"We are proud to be an early adopter of the innovative WELL for residential program for our first two projects because it reaffirms our commitment to building high quality, sustainable and healthy housing at scale."

• Andrew Staniforth, CEO, Assembly OSM

"By integrating evidence-based WELL for residential standard into our already health and wellness focused strategies at Continuum 115 Apartments, we give residents an elevated sense of confidence that their inspiring and WELLIFIZE-technology-enabled homes are made even more healthy and resilient for them to enjoy."

• Jaykant Patel, Founder and Managing Principal, ARCHETYPE

"Baopu is thrilled to join IWBI as an early adopter to advance the WELL for residential program. As the first residential project in Taiwan to apply the new standard, Baopu Care aims to be the first to earn the WELL Residence designation for its residents."

• Ko-Chien Liu, Chairman, Baopu Development

"The WELL for residential pilot program is a perfect fit for us because we believe that all real estate decisions should revolve around people's health. We appreciate that WELL shares our goal of preventing health problems before they happen."

• Dr. Ted Caplow, Co-founder, Caplow Manzano

"City Sanctuary is excited to join IWBI as an early adopter of the WELL for residential program as this collaboration evidences our vision to build toward a radically healthier future. Evidence-based WELL strategies will reinforce our design principles for Albion Court."

• Alex Uregian, Managing Director, City Sanctuary

"Corvias is committed to continuing to take care of the residences of servicemembers and their families. Our participation in this program enables us to enhance overall wellbeing, through a third-party, evidence-based program that includes strategies to improve air, water, and light."

• Chris Wilson, CEO, Corvias

"This new WELL for residential program adds another layer to the holistic wellness vision we have set for Jubilee. It can help give residents further peace of mind in their choice to live in Jubilee."

• June Tang, Vice President and General Manager, Jubilee

"We're honored to be part of IWBI's WELL for residential program, as our goal is to revolutionize the future of how we live and inspire wellness-based communities of all kinds not just in Utah, but around the world."

• Chad Magleby, CEO, Magleby Development

"The WELL for residential program focuses on positively impacting resident health, something Minto Communities is excited to give to each of our new residents at 123 Portland. Achieving the WELL Residence designation for each unit will communicate additional confidence to residents in the health benefits inside their homes."

• Carl Pawlowski, Senior Manager, Sustainability, Minto Communities

"Joining IWBI's new residential program empowers us to pioneer the integration of WELL strategies, fostering resident well-being and shaping the future of healthier living environments."

• Michael Stuhmer, Principal, Seneca

About the International WELL Building Institute
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is a public benefit corporation and the world's leading organization focused on deploying people first places to advance a global culture of health. IWBI mobilizes its community through the administration of the WELL Building Standard (WELL) and its WELL ratings, management of the WELL AP credential, the pursuit of applicable research, the development of educational resources, and advocacy for policies that promote health and well-being everywhere. More information on WELL can be found here.

International WELL Building Institute, IWBI, the WELL Building Standard, WELL v2, WELL Certified, WELL AP, WELL EP, WELL Score, The WELL Conference, We Are WELL, the WELL Community Standard, WELL Health-Safety Rated, WELL Performance Rated, WELL Equity Rated, WELL Equity, WELL Residence, Works with WELL, WELL and others, and their related logos are trademarks or certification marks of International WELL Building Institute pbc in the United States and other countries.

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SOURCE: International WELL Building Institute