Ingenuity Summer 2019

8 Pond | www.pondco.com Well-being As a member of the Sustainability in Design Committee at Pond, James viewed WELL AP accreditation as a natural next step in expanding his understanding of sustainability practices. The architectural designer utilized this opportunity to encourage his peers to get involved in LEED, WELL and general green building standards. While WELL doesn’t fully encompass the bandwidth of sustainability processes, the two can work in tandem to cohesively better the lives of humans. Schoen joins a growing global community of advocates for human-centered design with the completion of this program. WELL, a performance-based system for measuring, certifying and monitoring the impact buildings have on human health, introduces a model to address the negative implications of limited outdoor exposure. This standard is the first architectural benchmark intended to focus on human health and wellness as a facet of sustainability. To achieve this, the standard confronts seven concepts of buildings: air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind. Evidence of these core attributes in projects dictate the type of lighting used in the space, activity incentive programs, the mode of air filtration and the biophilia accenting the interiors and exteriors. Candidates who pursue the WELL AP credential must pass the 100-question exam administered by the Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) that measures their competency to perform duties on a WELL certification project. Leading practitioners in the field of design, health and wellness in the built environment lent their expertise to the formation of the exam. The exam assesses the candidate’s ability to comprehend the WELL attributes, feature requirements and synergies, and the WELL certification process. Spearheaded by Paul Scialla, founder of global wellness pioneer Delos and the International WELL Building Insititute (IWBI), the WELL Building Standard launched in 2013 with the goal of improving lives WELL Buildings for Your W ith continued industry-wide advancement toward sustainable architecture, Pond’s James Schoen is leading by example through his successful acquisition of the WELL Accredited Professional credential. This stellar achievement signifies an individual’s commitment to furthering human health and well-being through building design and construction, as indicated by their experience in accordance to the WELL Building Standard. Office buildings with elements of greenery and nature incorporated reported a 6% increase in productivity. 1