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For years, the rise of green, sustainable, high-efficiency or near-zero energy architecture has led to the establishment of specific guidelines, criteria or requirements to measure its environmental impact and its impact on human health. Depending on the type of building and the field of action, the requirements are framed in the form of environmental seals or certifications with different approaches and objectives throughout the different phases of a building construction and occupation project.
The most initial energy and sustainability certifications prioritise the reduction of negative environmental impacts through the use of sustainable and low environmental impact building materials, pollution reduction, water and energy saving and efficiency, etc. These certifications result in the reduction of energy, environmental, social and economic costs directly or indirectly linked to the environment.
In parallel, and in a very simplified form, there are the seals and certifications focused on assessing the impact of buildings on the health and well-being of their occupants, where, in fact, indoor air quality monitoring is one of the key criteria, due to its importance in the well-being and productivity of workers. These certifications provide the necessary guidance to improve the constructive and operating conditions of buildings, from an integral perspective.
The holistic approach is then key to analysing the impacts on human health. And the WELL(WELL Building Standard) certification is a clear example. WELL is a certification focused on the health and comfort of users, based on performance and not so much on prescription. It works from 10 key concepts that provide sufficient knowledge and metrics under a holistic and integrated certification work - air, water, food, lighting, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, mind and community.
WELL aims to transform our built environment through a focus on health and wellness as the center of all building design, construction and maintenance decisions.
In that sense, WELL certification can help companies to:
Indoor air quality is key in WELL and one of the most important concepts, which has led to the collaboration between inBiot and the Technological Institute of Galicia (ITG) - Partner of the International Well Building Institute (IWBI) in Spain - for the development of MICA WELL. This device monitors in real time indoor temperature, relative humidity, concentration ofCO2, formaldehyde, TVOC (total volatile organic compounds), PM2.5 and PM10 suspended particles, ozone and carbon monoxide.
Among all the concepts that WELL works on, the monitoring of indoor air quality thanks to MICA WELL allows to justify the following concepts(precondition) of the standard, together with the obtaining of additional voluntary points(optimization) that allow to reach a better global score in the certification:
Indoor air quality monitoring is not only a key tool for improving the well-being and comfort of people in the built environment, but also a strategy for achieving high building standards, thanks to environmental certifications such as WELL certification.
MICA WELL will help you obtain your certification and increase the value of your building, while ensuring adequate air quality for the health of those who occupy it. More information at WELL SERVICES ITG.
