1. What is WELL

WELL (WELL Building Standard^®) is a global third-party certification system that adds an evaluation axis of human health to best practices in building design, construction, and operation. It measures and examines various items that affect well-being. Health refers to overall wellness, including physical, mental, social, and environmental aspects, while Well-being is a concept that, in addition to health, encompasses not only being healthy in order to lead a happier and more fulfilling life, but also the meaning of well-being and fulfillment, which are important in life, including quality of life, stress management, positive emotions, growth, and self-actualization.

As with LEED^®, the reviews and certifications are conducted by GBCI^®（Green Business Certification Inc.^™） of the United States. The International WELL Building Institute^™ (IWBI) is responsible for designing and deciding the system requirements. WELL was launched in 2014 with WELL v1. In 2018 WELL v2 pilot was launched, and in 2020 WELL v2. Starting in 2021, new projects need to be registered under WELL v2.

2. Eligible Projects

As a certification system that contributes to evidence-based health and comfort, WELL is designed to be adaptable to various project types, not just office buildings.

There are two main types of certification for individual buildings: WELL Certification and WELL Core. WELL Certification covers entire buildings and proprietary areas, while WELL Core covers common areas of tenant buildings. Certification is valid for three years and must be re-certified to keep its validity.

WELL Community, which evaluates well-being initiatives in building spaces, town blocks, and communities, is available. It is based on comprehensive, integrated, and resilient concepts and continues to expand globally.

In comparison to the WELL certification, which evaluates individual buildings, WELL at Scale enables to assess multiple facilities. There are two approaches to WELL at Scale: Enterprise and Portfolio. Enterprise evaluates all buildings owned or occupied by a firm or organization, while Portfolio evaluates multiple building configurations of five or more.

When evaluating projects under Enterprise, the WELL Score is utilized. WELL Score is a comprehensive score provided to demonstrate the progress of a company's ESG initiatives. On the other hand, when evaluating projects under Portfolio, the average score of each project pursuing WELL is used to represent the achievement.

3. Concepts

The WELL certification rating system consists of 10 concepts or categories: Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, Thermal Comfort, Sound, Materials, Mind, and Community, as follows.

4. WELL Accredited Professionals

A WELL Accredited Professional ("WELL AP") is an accredited professional with expertise in WELL recognized by GBCI^®(Green Business Certification Inc.^™).

WELL APs provide the advice necessary to help buildings seeking certification meet the requirements of the individual sections of the WELL rating system. Woonerf has several qualified professionals.

5. Process

The review and issuance of WELL Certification are conducted under the criteria established by GBCI^®. The WELL Certification process includes both documentary review and on-site testing.

6. Certification Levels

Both WELL Certification and WELL Core are rated in four certification levels in accordance with the number of optimizations which are met (all preconditions must be met as well): Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze, in order of highest to lowest levels. 80, 60, 50, and 40 points or higher are required, respectively.

7. Fees

In addition to consulting fees, project registration, document review, and on-site review fees are required to achieve the WELL certification. The review fee depends on the certification type and the project's total floor area . The renewals, which every three years also require documentary and on-site review fees.
For more information on fees, please refer to the following link: WELL Pricing：https://www.wellcertified.com/certification/v2/pricing Note: IWBI and GBCI^® do not endorse the WELL summary, which is the sole creation of Woonerf. For more information about the WELL Building Standard^®, please visit
WELL Pricing：https://www.wellcertified.com/certification/v2/pricing

1. What is WELL Health-Safety Rating^™

The WELL Health-Safety Rating^™ is a global standardized rating system for facility management and operations, focusing on infectious disease control.

The WELL Health-Safety Rating^™ is designed to help various businesses prioritize the health of their employees, visitors, and others. Once acquired, the WELL Health-Safety Rated seal at the entrance of the building can be a landmark. Displaying this seal widely communicates to building users that the management and operation of the building are in consideration of people's health, safety, and welfare, including infectious disease control, science-based facility cleaning and disinfection, air and water quality control, emergency preparedness, etc. Compared to the WELL certification, the review costs and the evaluation period are lower. The WELL Health-Safety Rating^™ has been actively introduced in office buildings and large shopping malls in Japan for these reasons.

The WELL Health-Safety Rating^™ belongs to the WELL certification family, along with the WELL Performance Rating^™ and the WELL Equity Rating^™. It was designed and released in 2020 based on the findings of more than 600 experts in various fields, including public health, in a task force established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2. Evaluation Items

The WELL Health-Safety Rating^™ consists of over 20 features across five concepts (categories).

For a project to receive a WELL Health-Safety Rating^™, it must earn at least 15 points out of a total of 27 features, which consist of the five concepts plus Innovation features.

Because there are no preconditions (mandatory features) that must be obtained in the rating, it can be customized based on the type and use of the facility, allowing for flexibility in meeting the needs of the organization. There are no certification levels like in the WELL certification, and the rating is valid for one year.

3. Process

【Review Institutions】

The WELL Health-Safety Rating^™, similar to the WELL certification and other ratings from the WELL family, is developed and administered by IWBI (The International WELL Building Institute) and audited by a third-party organization, GBCI^® (Green Business Certification Inc. ^™).

The review and issuance of the rating will be conducted under the criteria established by the GBCI^® (Green Business Certification Inc. ^™). All communication regarding the submission of application documents and the application process is conducted online.

4. Fees

To obtain the WELL Health-Safety Rating^™, a project registration fee is required in addition to the consulting fee. The project registration fee (which includes the review fee) varies depending on the size of the project, ranging from $5,000USD for a standard project to $12,600USD for a large project.

For more information on pricing, please refer to the following link:

IWBI Homepage（Original）：https://www.wellcertified.com/health-safety/pricing

1. What is WELL Performance Rating^™

The WELL Performance Rating^™ is a roadmap for leveraging building performance and occupant experience data to make business decisions and change the organizational culture. Based on the WELL certification, WELL Performance Rating^™ provides organizations with a measurable with a focus on building performance strategies and validation through field testing and sensor technology.

WELL Performance Rating^™ is a system focused on continuous monitoring of key Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) indicators and pursuing performance best practices, with an eye toward the next phase of the pandemic. The main difference between WELL Health Safety Rating^™ and WELL Performance Rating^™ is that while WELL Health Safety Rating^™ qualitatively evaluates the development and implementation of building and space management policies, WELL Performance Rating^™ quantitatively operates through measurement and monitoring, and requires the use of qualified measurement personnel, measurement equipment that meets certain standards, and occupant surveys.

The WELL Performance Rating^™ belongs to the WELL certification family, along with the WELL Performance Rating^™ and the WELL Equity Rating^™. It was developed and announced by IWBI in 2021 as the second rating following the WELL Health Safety Rating^™. It has been designed with insights from over 120 multidisciplinary advisors, 42 WELL Performance Testing Organizations around the world, 10+ sensor technology market leaders, and 15+ WELL Enterprise Providers.

2. Evaluation Items

The WELL Performance Rating^™ consists of over 30 features across seven concepts.

For a project to obtain a WELL Performance Rating^™, it must achieve 21 points or more out of the 7 concepts which consist of innovation items and 37 features in total.

Because there are no preconditions (mandatory features) that must be obtained in the rating, it can be customized based on the type and use of the facility, allowing for flexibility in meeting the needs of the organization. There are no certification levels like in the WELL certification and the rating is valid for 1 year.

3. Process

【Review Institutions】

The WELL Performance Rating^™, like the WELL certification and other ratings from the WELL family, is developed and administered by IWBI (The International WELL Building Institute) and audited by a third-party organization, GBCI^® (Green Business Certification Inc.^™).

The review and issuance of the rating will be conducted under the criteria established by the GBCI^® (Green Business Certification Inc.^™). All communication regarding the submission of application documents and the application process is conducted online.

4. Fees

In addition to the consulting fee, a project registration fee, and an on-site review fee to be paid to the PTA are required to obtain the WELL Performance Rating^™. The project registration fee (including document review and evaluation) is $5,000 USD for a single project, and there are discounts for public facilities and small business projects. There are also significant discounts for registering multiple projects. The on-site review fee varies depending on the scale of the project and is calculated by the PTA.

For more information on pricing, please refer to the following link:
IWBI Homepage (Original): https://www.wellcertified.com/performance/pricing

1. What is WELL Equity Rating^™

WELL Equity Rating^™ is a rating system to promote "Equity" including health, well-being, accessibility, diversity, and inclusion in an organization to improve corporate culture and employee health.

It is an effective tool for closing the gaps between people, helping to create equitable, people-first places, and improving an organization's ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and social impact outcomes. It is an entirely new tool aimed at helping companies set new targets.

The WELL Equity Rating^™ belongs to the WELL certification family, along with the WELL Health-Safety Rating^™ and the WELL Performance Rating^™. The WELL Equity Rating^™ was developed and launched in 2022 as the third rating, following the WELL Health-Safety Rating^™ and the WELL Performance Rating^™. It was designed based on the findings of 158 advisors from various fields, including 44 co-chairs from 26 countries.

For more information on fees, please refer to the following link:
IWBI Homepage (Original):https://www.wellcertified.com/ratings/

2. Evaluation Items

For a project to receive a WELL Equity Rating^™, it must achieve a minimum of 21 points out of 49 features across the six concepts plus the Innovation section.

Because there are no preconditions (mandatory features) that must be obtained in the rating, it can be customized based on the type and use of the facility, allowing for flexibility in meeting the needs of the organization. There are no certification levels like in the WELL certification, and the rating is valid for one year.

3. Process

4. Fees

In addition to the consulting fee, a project registration fee is required to obtain a WELL Equity Rating^™. The project registration fee (which includes the review fee) is USD 5,000 for a standard project, with discounts available for utility and small business projects. Significant discounts are available for multiple project registrations.
For more pricing information, please refer to the following link:

IWBI Homepage (Original): https://www.wellcertified.com/equity

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