International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) - Experts & Thought Leaders

Johnson Controls celebrated the renovation of its North American Headquarters in Glendale, Wisconsin, USA. The 144,000-square-foot facility exemplifies Johnson Controls’ dedication to the productivity and wellbeing of its nearly 1,500 local employees. New OpenBlue Innovation Center With its new OpenBlue Innovation Center, it also serves as a showcase of solutions for building owners, operators, and other industry leaders to create a new class of smart buildings that are secure, healthy, and sustainable. “This campus has been designed to create a culture of collaboration and sustainability with our OpenBlue digital platform at the core of its design,” said Vijay Sankaran, the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Johnson Controls, adding “We look forward to welcoming visitors to the OpenBlue Innovation Center, where together, we'll shape the future of building technologies.” Showcase for North American Customers The Innovation Center is a nearly 12,000-square-foot interactive space that will host thousands of visitors The Innovation Center is a nearly 12,000-square-foot interactive space that will host thousands of visitors per year from a wide range of industries and provide interactive product demonstrations, cutting-edge virtual reality technology, and other multimedia sessions. In addition to the OpenBlue Innovation Center, the full Glendale campus also is a demonstration of how building technology and design can improve a building’s efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and improve occupant experiences. Innovation center to serve as a source of inspiration “This new innovation center will serve as a source of inspiration for our customers, helping to improve the design, operation, and maintenance of their indoor environments, ultimately driving value for their businesses,” said Julie Brandt, President of Building Solutions North America at Johnson Controls. Julie Brandt adds, “By engaging with our leading experts and exploring the latest advancements, our customers will gain a comprehensive understanding of how connected, data-driven solutions provide deeper insights into their building's performance.” Enabling an Optimized Environment The Glendale location is the eleventh to join Johnson Controls’ growing network of OpenBlue Innovation Centers across the globe. In addition to the OpenBlue Innovation Center, the full Glendale campus also is a demonstration of how building technology and design can improve a building’s efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and improve occupant experiences. Johnson Controls’ OpenBlue solutions This platform offers facility management staff a unified view to track performance metrics of building systems Technology plays a central role in reaching these goals. Johnson Controls’ OpenBlue solutions, integrated with its Metasys building automation system and other third-party devices, serves as the centralized control network. This platform offers facility management staff a unified view to track performance metrics of building systems, such as the energy usage of its heating and cooling systems, lighting, and shade controls. Sustainable solutions Recognizing that buildings are responsible for approximately 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions, Johnson Controls provides sustainable solutions to its customers, while also setting ambitious targets for reducing its own environmental footprint. To help drive these goals, the campus includes a ground-mounted solar photovoltaic array system, generating 250 kW of power and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 827,000 pounds annually. Johnson Controls on-site heat pumps Further, Johnson Controls on-site heat pumps that use electricity to circulate energy rather than burn fuel are expected to cut winter heating costs by around 29%. The renovations also are an investment in Johnson Controls’ working environment to foster a positive culture for employees and other occupants. Reimagined floor plans and contemporary workstations Reimagined floor plans and contemporary workstations give employees multiple work-points to utilize Reimagined floor plans and contemporary workstations give employees multiple work-points to utilize. Additionally, the newly implemented lighting system not only contributes to energy savings, but also enhances occupant comfort and productivity. Furthering its commitment to its employee wellbeing, the Johnson Controls Glendale campus has achieved the prestigious WELL Health-Safety Rating from the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) for the past two years. In addition to high-efficiency filtration and fresh air ventilation, the campus has an extensive indoor air quality (IAQ) monitoring platform to ensure optimal IAQ. Creating healthy working environments Maintaining the WELL Health-Safety Rating, as well as leveraging Johnson Controls’ industry-renowned IAQ technology through the OpenBlue digital platform, exemplifies Johnson Controls’ dedication to creating healthy working environments that support high-performing teams for its employees and visitors, as well as its customers. “As a leader in the smart buildings industry, Johnson Controls is committed to continually evolving our campuses to implement the latest and greatest digital solutions and design principles for more sustainable facilities and a top-notch workplace culture,” continued Julie Brandt. Transforming Johnson Controls' North America headquarters Julie Brandt concludes, “By transforming our North America headquarters, just as we do for our customers every day, we’re truly putting our core values and offerings into action to show what’s possible for our teams and visitors.”

Johnson Controls, the global pioneer for smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings, announced it has invested in its collaboration with the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) to strengthen its commitment to healthy building solutions for both its employees and customers. Johnson Controls' designation as a WELL Enterprise Provider (EP) helps customers meet their business objectives in areas such as ESG reporting, human and social capital management, and workplace strategy and policy. As a WELL EP, Johnson Controls will expand on its existing building certification consulting services to incorporate WELL certification and ratings into its offerings. Author's Quote "Now more than ever, ensuring that our indoor spaces are healthy is a critical business need – especially as our customers manage hybrid work models," said Tyler Smith, vice president, Healthy Buildings, Johnson Controls. Johnson Controls announced a relationship with IWBI to accelerate the reinvention of healthy buildings "Partnering with IWBI to advance the WELL Building Standard supports our holistic approach in creating healthier and safer environments that cut building costs, raise productivity and deliver on sustainability goals. We look forward to leveraging our new WELL EP designation to help our customers realize the business value of operating buildings that prioritize health and wellness." "In leveraging and engaging in WELL, Johnson Controls is able to drive organizational returns while also integrating evidence-based building strategies that advance health and well-being," said Jessica Cooper, Chief Product Officer, IWBI. "We are thrilled to have Johnson Controls—a marked industry pioneer in transforming the built environment—onboard as a WELL Enterprise Provider, deepening its commitment to creating people-first places and helping others do the same." relationship with IWBI In April 2021, Johnson Controls announced a global relationship with IWBI to accelerate the reinvention of healthy buildings through advanced technology development, outcome-based planning and best practices that improve the health and safety of people in buildings and communities. In addition to certifying its headquarters facilities, Johnson Controls has also committed to embedding the program into its organization to bring the WELL Building Standard to its global customers. WELL Health-Safety Rating Johnson Controls also committed to embedding the program into its organization to bring the standard Two of Johnson Controls' global headquarters buildings in Shanghai and Glendale, Wisconsin have also achieved the WELL Health-Safety Rating from IWBI for the second year. The WELL Health-Safety Rating is an evidence-based, third-party verified rating for all facility types focused on operational policies, maintenance protocols, emergency plans, and stakeholder education to address acute health threats now and broader health- and safety-related issues into the future. Enhancements implemented at the Glendale, Wisconsin, and Shanghai facilities include updates to the company's emergency preparedness, health-service resources, and air and water quality. "The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the critical role that buildings – and those who operate and manage them – play in supporting people's health, safety and well-being," said Thad Steffen, vice president, Enterprise Property Group & Security, Johnson Controls. "Having confidence in the safety of their work environment is of utmost importance to our workforce, and that's why pursuing this rating means so much to Johnson Controls and our employees." Additional elements of Johnson Controls collaboration with IWBI Johnson Controls is an IWBI Keystone Member, part of a network of pioneering organizations working together to advance the movement for better buildings and communities globally. Johnson Controls is a member of the Healthy Workplaces Coalition with IWBI, a group of more than 40 national organizations, industry pioneers, and trade associations collaborating to support and advance federal policy aimed at helping businesses and organizations better afford and implement health and safety improvements in workplaces and across the built environment — to benefit the health and well-being of employees, customers, and the public.

The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), the global authority for transforming health and well-being with its people-first approach to buildings, organizations and communities, announced that it has crossed the three billion square-foot mark of spaces enrolled in WELL. Expansion of WELL's building area In the past year, the building area applying WELL offerings has tripled from one billion square feet to more than three billion square feet of space, so that current WELL strategies support the health and well-being of an estimated 13.6 million people, in more than 33,000 locations in nearly 100 countries. Rachel Hodgdon, IWBI’s President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), said “As the world continues to grapple with our current public health crisis, it’s no coincidence we are seeing enormous demand for WELL’s holistic approach, to applying the science of how physical and social environments can affect human health, well-being and performance.” Global enterprises leverage WELL Organizations around the world are leveraging WELL to implement evidence-based strategies" Rachel Hodgdon adds, “Organizations around the world are leveraging WELL to implement evidence-based strategies, set human and social capital performance goals, track progress and celebrate impact.” Since the launch of the WELL Building Standard (WELL) in 2014, more than 2,000 companies, including 20 percent of the Fortune 500, have adopted WELL as an evidence-based roadmap for scaling health across their organization. Major global companies engage with WELL Major companies and brands that are engaging with WELL include, among others, ARM, Brookfield Asset Management, Carrier, Centene, Charter Hall, Citigroup, Cushman & Wakefield, Herman Miller, Honeywell, Investa, JLL, JPMorgan Chase, Lendlease APPF, New York Yankees, Simon Property Group, T-Mobile and Uber Technologies. “The tailwinds behind WELL are strong and growing exponentially,” said Rachel Hodgdon, adding “We’re currently enrolling nearly 5.7 million square feet of space every day, and we’re working with organizations and professionals in every industry, to help scale up impact so that people-first places are accessible to everyone, everywhere.” WELL, global framework for scaling health across buildings WELL is the renowned global framework for scaling health across buildings, organizations and communities. Developed over 10 years and backed by the latest scientific research, WELL outlines key building-level interventions and organizational strategies across 10 categories: Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, Thermal Comfort, Sound, Materials, Mind and Community. The WELL Building Standard ecosystem has been adopted by organizations seeking to prioritize human health The WELL Building Standard (WELL) ecosystem, which comprises WELL Certification, the WELL Health-Safety Rating for Facility Operations and Management, WELL Portfolio and certification under the WELL Community Standard, has been adopted by organizations seeking to prioritize human health and well-being. Adoption of WELL’s evidence-based approach In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, WELL’s holistic, evidence-based approach has provided a roadmap for organizations, to promote human and social capital performance, and enhance their ESG strategy. As a result, leading companies have shifted from largely utilizing WELL for a single asset to making decisions across their entire footprint, embracing WELL solutions at a portfolio or enterprise level. The resonance of the program has also spurred innovations that provide organizations with customizable approaches, to address geographical and cultural health concerns. While the United States and China continue to command WELL’s growth, regional and country highlights include the following: More than 25 percent of all commercial office space in Australia is now engaged in a WELL pathway, due largely to an increase in organizations pursuing the WELL Health-Safety Rating and the WELL Building Standard to support the return of people back to their workplaces. Oceania’s WELL AP community grew by 23 percent in the past year. Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) now account for 3,000 WELL projects comprising 260 million square feet across 42 countries. The United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany and France are leading regional expansion through the WELL Health-Safety Rating, pursuit of WELL Certification and WELL Portfolio. Within the EMEA region, Middle East engagement in the WELL Health-Safety Rating led by governmental entities such as the UAE Prime Minister’s Office and the Dubai Land Department’s (DLD) Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA) has helped drive an 18 percent increase in WELL adoption over the course of 2021. Within Asia, India has experienced rapid growth of the WELL Health-Safety Rating in 2021 and is now ranked second globally for total space enrolled in the rating. Thailand and Hong Kong are two fast-growing markets for pursuit of WELL Certification in Southeast Asia, both among the top 10 performing global markets. Global network of WELL Accredited Professionals Much of WELL’s success is driven by a global network of WELL Accredited Professionals Much of WELL’s success is driven by a global network of WELL Accredited Professionals (WELL APs) or exam registrants, a community now totaling more than 20,000 people across 113 countries. IWBI membership, an expanding program for organizations that offers commercial benefits, as well as brand visibility and networking opportunities, now totals nearly 170 global members, growing by more than 10 percent over the last quarter alone. Throughout 2021, IWBI has ramped up efforts to elevate health and well-being across the investment landscape through its Investing for Health platform, highlighting how health and organizational performance are intrinsically linked. IWBI has also continued its focus on the research that underpins WELL. The Global Research Agenda The Global Research Agenda: Health, Well-being and the Built Environment highlights outstanding research gaps and sector-specific strategies required to push people-first building practices forward, while balancing the needs of industry, research and policy. In collaboration with IWBI advisories and major market influencers, new WELL ratings and programs are under development. The forthcoming WELL Performance Rating will reward building owners and operators for using the measurable and validated building and human performance metrics to gain insights into the health and well-being of the people inside and enhance conditions in their spaces based on those insights. IWBI’s Health Equity Advisory IWBI’s Health Equity Advisory is helping to identify opportunities for a new WELL Equity Rating, which aims to make places that prioritize health available and accessible to all individuals, no matter their identity, location, background or level of ability.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way the world lives, escalating the need to prioritize health and safety where we live, work, learn and play. As organizations around the world respond to the pandemic, the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) has leveraged its expertise to help. Impact of building surroundings IWBI is a public benefit corporation focused on deploying “people-first places” to advance a global culture of health. The community has adopted the WELL Building Standard, which is the anchor in an ecosystem of certifications and ratings focused on creating and benchmarking health and well-being in built environments. IWBI understands that companies have realized the importance of feeling safe inside and the importance of mental health — and how building surroundings impact that. WELL Building Standard (WELL) IWBI is focused on the ways that buildings, and organizations, can improve comfort and enhance health and well-being IWBI is focused on the ways that buildings, communities, and organizations, and everything in them, can improve comfort, drive better choices and generally enhance health and well-being. The work is global, covering 2.5 billion square feet of real estate in nearly 100 countries as of June 2021. The WELL Building Standard (WELL) is a vehicle for buildings and organizations to deliver more thoughtful and intentional places that enhance human health and well-being, according to IWBI. It’s the standard for buildings, interior places, and communities seeking to implement, validate and measure features that support and advance human health and well-being, leading to official certification. Measures to become WELL Certified A building becomes WELL Certified (WELL Building) following the adoption of features from the WELL Building Standard, achieving a threshold based on measures that are validated by a third party.  These measures include building performance and their impact on people’s health and well-being. HVAC is a key element of WELL buildings. The primary purpose of HVAC systems is usually to improve the environmental conditions for the building users. Introducing outdoor air combats the buildup of carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds, which at high levels can lead to sick building syndrome. Particle filters can remove much of the pollution from traffic or forest fires before it is introduced indoors. Problems with HVAC But HVAC systems can create their own problems. For example, cooling coils and drain pans can become a habitat for mold growth if not properly maintained. The WELL Building Standard addresses issues related to air quality and HVAC systems with a holistic approach, with adaptable strategies covering air, thermal comfort, and material. WELL Certification The WELL Building Standard includes strategies in 10 WELL Concept areas, from HVAC systems to architectural details  The WELL Building Standard is a global framework for creating and certifying places that advance health and well-being. It includes strategies in 10 WELL Concept areas, covering topics ranging from HVAC systems to architectural details to human resource programs. WELL Certification is granted following a third-party review that these requirements have been met in a process that involves both submissions of documentation and on-site testing and inspection. Organizations can also enroll groups of projects in the WELL Portfolio, enabling them to document and celebrate their incremental progress in WELL feature achievement and employ the strategies at scale. Professional engagement Stakeholder engagement, including engagement by professionals in the HVAC space, has always been a key part of the development of WELL. For example, there was a 6-month public comment period to solicit feedback on the WELL v2 pilot before its graduation in 2020. Also, just before completing WELL v2, a Task Force on COVID-19 and Other Respiratory Diseases sought to identify any additions that could be added in light of the pandemic. There is also a network of more than 230 experts who participate in 14 IWBI advisories. Within this, there is an advisory for each of the 10 WELL Concepts, including 35 advisors in the Air and Thermal Comfort advisories. Challenges The most important challenge IWBI faces is the same one facing all others: Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the ticking clock of climate change — and all that goes along with it. “As we continue to combat COVID-19, we recognize that feeling comfortable and safe inside is more important than ever,” says Nathan Stodola, Chief Engineer at the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). “The pandemic has taught us the importance of air quality in preventing the spread of disease. This is a critical moment to keep the public informed on the latest scientific findings and best practices.” Adding a human element to buildings IWBI is working toward a future where buildings are designed with people — the human element — in mind" “We have also learned the value and importance of mental health, and how much employees want their employers to know that,” Stodola adds. “And IWBI is working toward a future where buildings are designed with people — the human element — in mind. There is an interconnectedness to all of this, and that’s how IWBI is working to serve the needs of the public.” WELL Health-Safety Rating In response to a rising need in the wake of COVID-19, IWBI introduced the WELL Health-Safety Rating for Facility Operations and Management in June 2020, a third-party validated tool designed to build confidence in the safety of a building. The WELL Health-Safety Rating provides an efficient and effective opportunity to guide, validate, recognize and scale the efforts of owners and operators on critical health and safety issues. Strategies undertaken Specific to the HVAC arena, many strategies that have come to light in the pandemic have been part of WELL since its inception, including sufficient ventilation rates, operable windows, awareness of mental health needs, and proper ergonomic design of workstations. But the Task Force on COVID-19 and Other Respiratory Infections also identified changes that have been implemented in the program, such as treating or eliminating recirculated ventilation air or allowing virtual training courses rather than requiring in-person classes. Most strategies in WELL are “evergreen:” They will continue to have benefits to building users even after the risk of COVID-19 diminishes, says IWBI.  Programs and resources IWBI offers several education programs and resources, as well as professional credential courses, for people in the architecture, engineering, construction, and design industries--and beyond. IWBI offers a training program for schools to educate people on how to maintain a healthy and safe school environment The WELL Accredited Professional (AP) program is designed for those looking to gain skills to help inform WELL projects to further advance human health and well-being in buildings and communities IWBI also offers a training program for schools to educate people on how to maintain a healthy and safe school environment. Focus on health and well-being WELL buildings are not just about design and construction, but also about how to operate space and create policies that change people’s behavior for advanced health and well-being, says IWBI. For instance, the Nourishment Concept is about providing access to healthy food, and biophilia features can help improve people’s mental health. Caters to all markets and budgets Additionally, people tend to think that WELL buildings are expensive or only for the luxury market. WELL applies to all types of places and can be implemented with various budget sizes based on individual projects’ health and well-being needs. Air and Thermal Comfort concepts The HVAC requirements in WELL are dependent on the facilities team in addition to the design team. People need buildings to provide places to live and work, and buildings need people to care for their systems. There are several features in the Air and Thermal Comfort concepts related to the ongoing measurement of conditions within the space and maintenance of the ventilation system.