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    WELL Building Standard

    Also known as: WELL v2, WELL certification

    Definition

    A building standard and certification run by the International WELL Building Institute, organised around concepts such as air, water and light.

    Editorial definition: The QHSE Standard, updated 3 October 2026 · https://qhsetech.com/glossary/well-building-standard

    Scope: Name the version, WELL v1 or v2, and the project type; levels and requirements are set by the Institute and are not a legal duty.

    Sources checked: . Examples are editorial illustrations.

    What the WELL pages say about the standard and its certification

    The WELL Building Standard is run by the International WELL Building Institute, IWBI, which describes WELL as an evidence-based roadmap to create people-first places. IWBI's pages on 4 October 2026 carry a certification page for WELL v2, and the v1 overview invites readers to move to v2, although none of the pages opened says in so many words which version is current. Its certification page lists ten concepts, in the order air, water, nourishment, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, mind and community, and says the standard covers more than 500 design, policy and operational strategies. The page names the concepts by title and, in the text opened, does not set out what each requires. Projects reach one of four levels, Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum, which the WELL pages describe as earned through points.

    The same page separates project types: WELL Certification for tenant or owner-controlled interiors, WELL Core for base building features, WELL for Residential and WELL Community for wider areas. The home page adds that IWBI keeps a network of performance testing providers who verify building metrics on site, and a WELL Performance Rating that offers continuous monitoring across indoor environmental quality metrics. It also lists a Health-Safety Rating, an Equity Rating and a Coworking Rating, WELL at Scale for applying WELL across multiple locations, a Works with WELL listing of products and services, and credentials for accredited professionals. The pages opened do not state level thresholds, the steps of the certification process or any renewal period, and this page does not either. Statistics shown on different IWBI pages differed, so none are repeated here.

    Another page on the WELL site describes WELL v1, with seven concepts: air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind. It organises its features under those seven concepts, and it asks readers whether they are ready for WELL v2. Anyone citing the standard should therefore name the version, since the concept lists differ. Nothing on the pages opened describes WELL as a legal requirement, and nothing says it replaces compliance with workplace safety law, which is set elsewhere. This page is general information, not legal advice.

    Sources opened :

    What a WELL project record set looks like in software

    • The project details: space or building, ownership, the WELL version and project type, and the target level.
    • A register of the concepts with the features or strategies chosen for each, the status of each and the owner.
    • Evidence for each feature, such as design drawings, policies, test reports and photographs, with dates and authors.
    • Performance data, such as indoor air, water, light and sound readings, with the method, location and result.
    • Verification records: who tested, when, which spaces and what was found, and whether the tester was a testing provider listed by IWBI.
    • Corrective actions where a measurement or a document fell short, with owners and closure.
    • Operational policies and occupant communication records, with review dates and the version of the standard they reference, kept so an update to the standard can be traced to the policy it changed.

    WELL, a management system standard and a safety law

    WELL certifies features of a space and strategies around it, such as air, light and thermal comfort. A management system standard such as ISO 45001 certifies how an organisation manages occupational health and safety, and a safety law sets duties for the employer. The three can overlap on topics like indoor air and workplace comfort, but they answer different questions and are assessed by different bodies. A performance rating, which the home page describes as continuous monitoring of indoor environmental quality metrics, is listed as a separate offer from certification. WELL v1 and WELL v2 also use different concept lists, so a record has to state which one it follows.

    A hypothetical example: tracking a fit-out against ten concepts

    This case is invented to illustrate the record and describes no real project. A company fits out a floor of an office and keeps one evidence sheet for each of the ten WELL v2 concepts. After four months, 6 sheets are complete, 3 are in progress and 1 has not been started, 6 plus 3 plus 1 making the 10, so 60 per cent are complete. Each sheet lists the features chosen, the documents attached and an owner. The company also asks whether a testing provider will verify on site and records the answer and who asked.

    A performance check samples 12 rooms for air and light readings against the project's own criteria, and 9 meet them, which is 75 per cent. The 3 rooms that do not meet them share one ventilation zone, so a single corrective action covers all three, such as adjusting ventilation or lighting, and a retest date is set. The record notes the version of the standard in use, since IWBI's pages show that v1 and v2 differ.

    Common misunderstandings about the WELL Building Standard

    • WELL is not a regulation. The pages opened describe a standard and certification run by IWBI, not a legal duty.
    • There is no single concept list. WELL v1 has seven concepts and WELL v2 has ten, so the version must be stated.
    • A certificate is not a safety management system. Management system certification assesses an organisation's system, as ISO 45001 does.
    • A level is not defined here. The pages opened name four levels but not the thresholds.
    • A pass on one measurement is not a result for the building. Performance records have to say which spaces were tested and by what method.

    How WELL relates to other glossary terms

    WELL touches occupational health, sustainability reporting and management systems.

    • ISO 45001: the management system standard for occupational health and safety, assessed differently.
    • ESG: the reporting field where building health and wellbeing claims can appear.
    • EMS: the system for managing environmental aspects, which can include building performance.
    • KPI: an indicator, such as a share of rooms meeting a criterion, that a project may define.

    Records and evidence that usually exist for a WELL project

    • The project registration and the version and project type chosen.
    • Evidence sheets for each concept.
    • Performance test reports with methods and locations.
    • Verification reports from testing providers.
    • Corrective action records.
    • Policies and occupant communications with review dates.

    What a software tool needs to capture for a WELL project

    • A project record that states the standard version and project type.
    • A concept and feature register with status and owner.
    • An evidence store with dates and authors for each item.
    • Measurement records by space, method and result, importable from instruments.
    • A corrective action log linked to the failed measurement.
    • Review reminders for policies and recurring checks.

    Catalog profiles documenting occupational health and workplace environment

    The list comes from the occupational health rule. It does not show that a product supports WELL certification evidence or follows its concepts, which should be tested with a sample project.

    Same rule for every product: tagged “Occupational Health”, with a sourced occupational health record, referral or surveillance capability in its record, or one the vendor stated to us, labelled as vendor-stated. Documented and conditional capabilities qualify; check the linked scope before treating a module as included.

    Ordered by how closely our sources document this process, not by quality. Sponsored placements are labelled. How lists are ordered

    All 4 matching profiles are shown. Documentation review, not hands-on testing or a claim of compliance.

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    Frequently asked questions

    Who runs the WELL Building Standard?

    The International WELL Building Institute, IWBI, which develops and administers WELL according to its own pages.

    Which version is current?

    IWBI's pages carry a certification page for WELL v2, and the v1 overview invites readers to move to v2, but none says in so many words which is current. Name the version you mean, since v1 lists seven concepts and v2 ten.

    Does WELL replace health and safety compliance?

    Nothing on the pages opened says so. They describe a standard and certification run by IWBI, not a legal requirement, so legal duties are checked separately.

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