Enhancing indoor environmental quality through well-being-oriented certifications

Abstract

The objectives of sustainability in recent decades have focused on reducing the impact that humans generate on the environment with our lifestyle. More recently, a new sustainable approach has emerged, which measures our impact on nature while placing peoples health and well-being at the center of benefits. One of these approaches is the WELL certification that represents a transformative approach in the architectural and building management sectors, focusing on enhancing indoor environmental quality, particularly in the domains of indoor air quality (IAQ) and thermal comfort. This certification underscores the intricate relationship between building environments and occupant health, well-being, and productivity. From a technical perspective, IAQ is a critical component of WELL certification, necessitating a comprehensive analysis of air composition within buildings. This encompasses the evaluation of factors such as ventilation efficacy, emission levels from building materials, and the prevalence of dust and mold. Scientific evidence links poor IAQ to a range of health issues, including respiratory ailments, cardiovascular diseases, and lung cancer. Furthermore, IAQ is directly correlated with cognitive function and productivity. Empirical studies have demonstrated that exposure to indoor air pollutants, notably PM2.5 and VOCs, can significantly impair cognitive performance, thereby affecting productivity and error rates in occupational and educational environments. Thermal comfort is another essential criterion of WELL certification that demands a more holistic approach to achieve an indoor environment with optimal temperature conditions. This approach involves a meticulous balance of variables including humidity, air movement, and personal clothing preferences, which have been identified as factors that could precipitate health complications such as heat stress or hypothermia and can adversely affect mental concentration and work efficiency when are inadequate. This study refers to the findings in indoor air quality and thermal comfort that the Performance Testing Agents from ACSOS have been identified through Performance Verifications in more than thirty buildings certified with the Well Seal in Spain, Italy, Norway, and Portugal. This information represents an office area of more than 200,000 square meters and allows us to take a glimpse of the office buildings conditions in Europe. The air quality and thermal comfort tests conducted follow a rigorous scientific basis with calibrated instruments and in collaboration with standardized laboratories from Spain.