I recently had the opportunity to interview Mark D’Ambrosio, Senior Project Engineer – New Technology Strategy, Focal Point on the topic of how lighting fits into the WELL Building Standard. The interview informed an article I wrote for tED Magazine’s September 2019 issue. Below is the transcript.
DiLouie: What is the WELL Building Standard and how would you describe lighting’s role in it?
D’Ambrosio: The WELL Building Standard™ (WELL) was created using scientific and medical research and articles on behavioral and health factors that suggest a correlation between productivity and health benefits as they relate to building design, construction, and management. It is the premier standard for buildings, interior spaces and communities seeking to implement, validate and measure features that support and advance human health and wellness.
Now more than ever, designers are diving deeper into how they can create environments that maximize occupants’ comfort by addressing elements such lighting in commercial spaces. WELL provides guidelines that help promote visual, mental and biological health grouped under Features. The Features address key areas of lighting: circadian lighting design, visual lighting design, glare control, color quality, daylighting, automated shade and dimming control and more, that contribute to enhancing productivity, support quality sleep and deliver visual comfort.
DiLouie: Where is WELL being adopted now? How much traction is it getting?
D’Ambrosio: According to the International WELL Building Institute, 1541 WELL projects (153 certified projects and 1388 registered projects) with 311 million square feet in 48 countries have been completed. It has become the premier standard for buildings, interior spaces, and communities seeking to implement, validate and measure features that support and advance human health and wellness.
Currently, two versions of WELL are available for buildings seeking certification, WELL v1 and WELL v2 which is in pilot phase.
As a manufacturer of architectural lighting solutions, we continue to receive inquiries from designers about how our lighting and acoustical solutions support the WELL Building Standard™ even if the building is not applying for a WELL certification or registration. Specifiers are designing toward the standard, seeking products that help support the creation of more human-centric environments.
DiLouie: Does WELL follow lighting design practices, extend them, or contradict them?
D’Ambrosio: WELL is the next generation of design objectives for future-proofing buildings. The WELL standard references requirements for lighting design, while also extending beyond luminous thresholds. WELL is putting a greater emphasis on the people who inhabit the spaces and the future of the environment.
DiLouie: How practical or simple is it to implement WELL’s lighting provisions?
D’Ambrosio: WELL v2 is more practical and attainable than WELL v1. Its new parameters provide various methods to achieve a Feature while still supporting and advancing human health through better buildings.
DiLouie: How well does WELL work with LEED, which might be described as a cousin of the standard?
D’Ambrosio: LEED and WELL work alongside one another to ensure that buildings and communities preserve energy and resources and promote initiatives that enhance the human experience in spaces that are better for the inhabitants, and for the planet. LEED focuses on sustainability by addressing energy management and materials among others, while WELL encourages a human-centric approach to the built environment. Both standards are striving to enhance human health, well-being, and performance.
Both standards address four key elements of lighting: daylight, glare, controls, and light quality. However, the approach to addressing each of these elements is different. WELL emphasizes circadian rhythm as it relates to daylight while LEED uses daylight as a method for energy conservation. According to both standards, solar and electrical glare should be managed. WELL has more stringent standards around controllability while they both place great value on light quality.
DiLouie: How well does WELL work with prevailing commercial building energy codes and standards such as 90.1, IECC, and Title 24?
D’Ambrosio: IECC, Title 24, and ASHRAE 90.1 all focus on energy efficiency. IECC and ASHRAE are now harmonized, concentrating on overall building energy consumption and the fundamental impact on people’s lives to further address the economic well-being of the nation. IECC focuses on lighting power density (LPD) of the overall space using control and dimming systems.
While Title 24 does have some environmental “well-being” type requirements, its primary goal as with IECC/ASHRAE is energy consumption reduction and efficiency. Title 24 also addresses flicker. Although WELL does not address energy efficiencies in terms of limits or thresholds, there are complimentary sections, in particular in WELL V2, Light, Feature 05 enhancing daylight which would reduce energy consumption via daylight harvesting.
Also, if a space were to undertake the Innovation Feature 105 section of WELL, and pursued the ILFI Zero Energy Certification (which is approved by WELL), most if not all energy codes could be met as ILFI Zero Energy entails 100% of the buildings energy needs are renewable.
DiLouie: Some lighting designers have stated WELL addresses and promotes quality lighting. What is your take?
D’Ambrosio: The point of WELL is to address quality of building elements to enable human comfort and well-being. Feature L07 of WELL v2 explicitly addresses electric light quality. The feature contains two parts: Part 1 ensures color rendering and color quality and Part 2 focuses on managing flicker. More importantly, WELL states that light sources with features similar to daylight can improve comfort and well-being of users within a space, creating a healthier environment. The metrics specified as minimum requirements under Part 1 align with recent independent studies that have converged to identify a light spectrum preferred by humans.
DiLouie: What are disadvantages or shortcomings of the lighting provisions in the current version of WELL?
D’Ambrosio: From WELL v1 to WELL v2, there were many changes. However, even the latest version still fails to address the outdated metrics used in assessing glare.
DiLouie: What approach should a distributor take with a client that is adopting WELL but is reluctant to implement the lighting provisions? What provisions in WELL are the easiest and which are the hardest? Which are most influenced by design and which by product?
D’Ambrosio: A distributor should begin by addressing the impact of a WELL certified environment – a positive outcome on one’s health and well-being through design. There should be emphasis placed not only on the benefits for the users of the space but also that of the owner of the facility. Studies have shown employees who feel more comfortable achieve improved productivity, engagement, and retention, reduced absenteeism, and ultimately cost savings.
WELL v1 is comprised of seven Concepts: air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind. WELL v2 has expanded to include ten Concepts: air, water, nourishment, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, mind, and community. As it relates to lighting, WELL v2 contains eight Features covering daylight, glare, control and light quality. Features L03 – Circadian Lighting Design, L06 – Visual Balance, and Feature 07 – Electric Light Quality, are driven by product design. Feature L07 Part 1 is the simplest to achieve, with its straightforward metrics (using CRI and IES TM-30-18) and thresholds which define an acceptable color rendering quality. To meet the requirements, one must simply select a luminaire that meets the provision.
Feature L04 is requires more than selecting a luminaire that meets required light levels. Since glare is influenced by design it is difficult to assess at a luminaire level. Influenced mainly by design, there are many variables within a space that could factor into measuring glare (i.e. location where a person is sitting or standing).
DiLouie: If you could tell the entire electrical industry just one thing about the lighting provisions in the WELL Building Standard, what would it be?
D’Ambrosio: Designers are finding new ways to enhance spaces and create environments that maximize occupants’ comfort. Now is the time to familiarize yourself with the standards that help to deliver more human-centric environments. These standards may appear overwhelming at first, but their benefits will be felt from organizations, building owners, and users alike. WELL allows designers to make small adjustments to obtain a large impact in a space.
