Can You Renovate to the WELL Building Standard

Kat West is a specialist with the WELL Building Standard.

ATLANTA—What kind of impact can be achieved on renovation projects that follow the WELL Building Standard? We asked Kathryn West , a sustainability specialist and associate project manager at JLL Atlanta, for her thoughts on the question in part two of this exclusive interview. You can still read part one: Why You May Want to Build to the WELL Building Standard . WELL expands the concept of healthy indoor environmental quality by establishing 100 design and operational building features to promote nourishment, comfort, fitness, happiness, calmness, and overall health. Where the LEED rating system has prerequisites and credits, WELL introduces preconditions and optimizations. Optimization features are optional, whereas 100% of preconditions must be met to earn WELL certification for a building. “Unlike LEED, there is no WELL Building Standard specifically written for existing buildings,” West tells GlobeSt.com. “Buildings must meet the requirements outlined in the WELL Building Standard for Core and Shell, New and Existing Interiors, or New and Existing Buildings.” West’s advice: Renovation projects must carefully review all WELL preconditions to ensure that certification is achievable. A qualified WELL Accredited Professional can review your building design and perform a WELL Gap Analysis. This analysis, she says, will show you how to achieve WELL Certification and identify any potential road blocks. “Some requirements that are easy to implement in new construction projects can be tougher during renovation projects,” West says. As an example, she says all WELL Certified projects must meet current Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility requirements. There are no exceptions. “Requirements related to the building structure may influence site selection,” West says. “For example, WELL projects pursuing whole-building certification must have at least one staircase that is 56 inches wide or within 25 feet of the entrance to the building.” Selecting a building with this feature already incorporated, she says, will save money compared to renovating to meet this standard. Finally, outside air requirements are based on ASHRAE 62.1-2013 and may require significant upgrades to buildings with older mechanical systems.