FLOORING + THE WELL BUILDING STANDARD VERSION 2

Next Article

Louis Vuitton , Miami, Fla.

Explore the various ways that flooring can contribute toward the WELLv2.

By: Jeanette Fitzgerald Pitts

Sponsored by: Altro

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Exploring the various ways that flooring can contribute toward a project earning WELL v2 certification and offers insights into choosing the best solution for a WELL certified space.

CREDITS: 1.0 AIA LU/HSW

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After reading this article, you should be able to:

1 Explore the requirements of the WELL Building Standard™ version 2 (WELL v2™) that are applicable to the selection of flooring throughout a project.

2 Summarize key qualities to consider when specifying flooring materials for WELL certified projects.

3 Explain how compliance with the WELL standard is impacted depending upon the type of flooring being specified—carpet, hard surface, LVT, or resilient.

4 Specify flooring that will contribute toward earning WELL v2 certification.

Interest in designing buildings that are healthy to occupy has never been higher. The WELL Building Standard version 2 (WELLv2™) offers an evidence-based design framework to help architects create buildings that will have a positive effect on human health, well-being, and performance.

W hen designing a project to be WELL-certified, every decision counts. Every product can influence the quality of the indoor air, the way the building uses water and energy, the level of comfort and calm occupants feel, and even the way that people are motivated to move throughout the space and interact with others. Each of these qualities contributes toward a building being designated at WELL certified.

W hile the full scope of the WELL v2 certification is broad and nuanced, there are central themes we can explore that relate specifically to certain product categories—flooring, for instance. In terms of flooring, a major focus of WELL v2 is to protect the indoor air quality by limiting the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other harmful chemicals that can off gas into the built environment. Material transparency plays a role in this, as architects must know the ingredients in a product, to ensure that it doesn’t contain potentially harmful substances.

B eyond preventing health issues, WELL v2 is also concerned with the way that people feel and function in the space. The design standard incentivizes the creation of interiors that are easy to navigate and that connect occupants with nature and establish a sense of place. Each of these items is something that the right flooring can contribute toward achieving.

T his article explores the various ways that flooring can contribute toward a project earning WELL v2 certification and offers insights into choosing the best solution for a WELL certified space.

Vocs

Limit Volatile Organic Compounds

One of the most important things to consider when specifying materials for WELL certified buildings (or any building for that matter) is to make sure to specify products designated as having low volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

T he term VOC encompasses a very large and diverse group of compounds emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. They are concerning because VOCs are comprised of a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. They are also concerning because they are found in almost everything. Over 900 VOCs have been identified in indoor air. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found concentrations of VOCs in indoor air to be as much as five times greater than in outdoor air and sometimes far greater. While the WELL Standard has always recognized the presence of VOCs in indoor air as something to minimize, there were some important changes in this latest iteration that may impact the way that design teams approach these criteria.

VOC REQUIREMENTS

CHANGE IN VOC REQUIREMENTS WELLV1 TO WELLV2

For some clarity on how the VOC requirements changed from WELL v1 to WELL v2, look no further than a WELL Tip article published by the Well Building Institute (IWBI) titled, “WELL Tip: Navigating the new VOC requirements in WELL v2,” written by Mona Duff. In it, she explains, “With the addition of a new Materials concept in WELL v2, some of the features regarding VOCs

Over 900 different VOCs have been identified in the indoor air. WELL v2 seeks to limit the presence of these VOCs in the indoor air by limiting the use of products that contain these compounds in the built environment.

Delightful and durable, smooth commercial flooring with hidden slip resistance