WELL certification in SFO offices, Health Guarantee
The WELL Certification is the first certification focused exclusively on the health and comfort of users, measuring and monitoring the characteristics of the built spaces that impact the health and well-being of its occupants.
From Ecopenta, we have carried out the first BREEAM + WELL certification in Spain, for the offices of Sevilla Fashion Outlet, achieving the BREEAM Very Good *** + WELL GOLD score.
To achieve the GOLD level of the WELL certification (of the three available levels, GOLD is the second best), measures have been implemented to ensure high comfort for users, which are divided with categories.
To ensure excellent air levels, paints, woods, and glues to be disposed of on site have been selected, reducing the levels of volatile organic components (VOC's), radon, formaldehydes, etc. In addition, an advanced ventilation system has been implemented, for the filtration and renewal of indoor air and a quality parameter monitoring system, which measures the levels of PM10 and PM2.5 particles, contaminants such as TVOC and formaldehydes, temperature and humidity, among others.
In relation to water, an ultrafiltration system has been installed, which allows to obtain water with low levels of contaminants and various water sources, to incentivize water consumption and hydration.
In the field of nourishment, food is neither sold nor cooked within SFO's offices, however, the occupiers have been encouraged and educated in the culture of healthy eating, through bibliography and posters that encourage a balanced diet.
Another very important point in this certification process is lighting. In this case, access to natural light and outdoor views has been guaranteed for most users. In addition, high performance artificial lighting has been installed, with a quality of light color (CRI) greater than 90 and flickering greater than 90 Hz, which guarantees a high light comfort.
The section on movement is not well known, but it is of great importance for the health of the user. In this case, ergonomic and height-adjustable furniture has been installed, such as work tables for sitting or standing functions. The entrance to the offices has been designed in such a way that it incentivizes the use of stairs and, in addition, access to work by bicycle has been facilitated, providing shower spaces, lockers and wheel repair kits.
For excellent thermal comfort, an enclosure has been designed that guarantees a good behavior of the building with respect to the variation of the climate, in addition, a thermal zoning has been carried out with user control and individual thermal comfort policies have been implemented (including specific clothing, blankets, etc.).
All offices have been designed to have high levels of acoustic comfort, through specific sound insulation, absorbent materials and noise reduction elements for HVAC systems.
The materials used in the work have been selected in such a way that they have low levels of toxicity (in the case of paints, seals, woods, insulation, adhesives, etc.) and the installation of unleaded materials, mercury or PCB has been guaranteed. In addition, cleaning protocols include that this will be performed without the use of contaminants.
The mind category is perhaps one of the most innovative that includes THE WELL certification. To ensure the high established standards, a biophilic design has been implemented with plants and natural patterns, among others, that help improve the user's relationship with the immediate environment. Private spaces have also been incorporated, which allow to increase the concentration of workers.
To ensure compliance with the community category, an integrated design has been made, which has involved all parts of the construction process (architecture, property, construction, maintenance managers, etc.) from the start of the project. In addition, staff services (such as diaper changers, accessories for recent mothers, provision of subsidized intimate hygiene elements, etc.) have been provided and surveys of comfort and satisfaction of the workspace have been conducted to ensure the well-being of users.
At the level of innovation, we would like to point out that Ecopenta has a WELL AP consultant and that the SFO office building is the first to achieve the BREEAM + WELL certificate of Spain.
Projects such as SFO offices, in which different professionals contribute their knowledge and work together to ensure a good end result, are the ones that generate a breakthrough in the sustainable construction sector. With each new WELL-certified building, we'll be closer to getting everyone to have the best possible well-being conditions within their workplaces.