On average, a person spends about 20 hours a day indoors—whether it’s babies in daycare, students in classrooms, or employees in offices. Over an 80-year lifespan, this totals approximately 584,000 hours, or 83.3% of our lives, spent indoors. Given this significant amount of time, the health impacts of indoor environments are crucial.
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) addresses these impacts through the WELL Building Standard. This framework enhances the quality of life in buildings by focusing on air and water quality, nourishment, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, mind, and community. Achieving WELL Certification demonstrates a building’s commitment to occupant well-being.
WELL Certification
WELL Certification represents the highest achievement in health-focused building design, requiring projects to meet stringent standards across ten concepts. Two key aspects are L03 Circadian Lighting Design and L08 Electric Light Quality.
L03 Circadian Lighting Design
Our bodies rely on light cues to regulate circadian rhythms. Prolonged indoor time with inadequate lighting disrupts these rhythms, affecting sleep quality and linking to health issues like obesity and depression. The WELL certification sets requirements for Melanopic Equivalent Daylight Illuminance (melanopic EDI) to ensure proper circadian lighting, specifying 136 melanopic EDI for tier 1 and 250 for tier 2.
L08 Electric Light Quality
High-quality electric lighting enhances color perception and reduces flicker, which can cause eye strain, headaches, and migraines. WELL standards ensure lighting supports accurate color rendering and minimizes flicker, promoting a healthier indoor environment.
Conclusion
WELL certification underscores the impact of indoor environments on health. Good lighting supports circadian rhythms, mood, and productivity. Achieving WELL certification ensures buildings provide optimal lighting, enhancing both physical and mental well-being, and creating healthier, more productive spaces.
Read the whole paper here
Source: UPRtek
Comentarios