Now that the first group of office fitouts to receive WELL certification has been completed, the business case can be analyzed.
A few of the early adopters completed fitouts for less than $1 per square foot in additional costs. For the others, the cost to achieve WELL certification ranged from $1 to $4 per square foot, according to a report by the Urban Land Institute.
The costliest items for most tenant fitout projects were noise reduction in an open office environment, enhanced HVAC filtration and zone control, and increased employee access to healthy food by replacing vending machines with cafés and kitchens.
The WELL standard focuses on seven key elements of a healthy building—air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind. Other initiatives by early adopters included subsidies for a bike-share program, discounted fitness facility memberships, and new sit/stand desks and tables.
Early adopters will now track the potential benefits of WELL—improved productivity, reduced absenteeism, and reduced turnover.
Related Stories
| Aug 6, 2013
Australia’s first net zero office building features distinctive pixelated façade
Australia's first carbon neutral office building, featuring a distinctive pixelated façade, recently opened in Melbourne.
| Aug 2, 2013
Design of world’s tallest wood skyscraper would be more sustainable than steel alternative
Architecture firm C. F. Møller has proposed building the tallest wooden building in the world in Stockholm, Sweden.
| Jul 26, 2013
LEED V4 includes controversial cradle-to-cradle materials provision
Cradle to Cradle certification, a strict assessment of the environmental qualities of materials used in green buildings, is a controversial provision in LEED V4.
| Jul 17, 2013
CBRE recognizes nation's best green research projects
A rating system for comparative tenant energy use and a detailed evaluation of Energy Star energy management strategies are among the green research projects to be honored by commercial real estate giant CBRE Group.
| Jul 10, 2013
TED talk: Architect Michael Green on why we should build tomorrow's skyscrapers out of wood
In a newly posted TED talk, wood skyscraper expert Michael Green makes the case for building the next-generation of mid- and high-rise buildings out of wood.
| Jul 2, 2013
LEED v4 gets green light, will launch this fall
The U.S. Green Building Council membership has voted to adopt LEED v4, the next update to the world’s premier green building rating system.
| Jun 28, 2013
Calculating the ROI of building enclosure commissioning
A researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory calls building enclosure commissioning “the single-most cost-effective strategy for reducing energy, costs, and greenhouse gas emissions in buildings today.”
| Jun 19, 2013
Florida is latest battleground over LEED standards centered on certified wood
A nationwide battle over forest certification standards continues to be played out nationally and in Florida with legislation passed this month.
| Jun 17, 2013
DOE launches database on energy performance of 60,000 buildings
The Energy Department today launched a new Buildings Performance Database, the largest free, publicly available database of residential and commercial building energy performance information.
| Jun 5, 2013
USGBC: Free LEED certification for projects in new markets
In an effort to accelerate sustainable development around the world, the U.S. Green Building Council is offering free LEED certification to the first projects to certify in the 112 countries where LEED has yet to take root.
