Standards · International WELL Building Institute

WELL Building Standard v1

WELL v1 is organised into seven concepts, Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Fitness, Comfort and Mind, and 100 features numbered 01 to 100 across them. Within each concept the preconditions are numbered first and the optimizations follow. For New and Existing Buildings the split is 41 preconditions and 59 optimizations: Air 12 and 17, Water 5 and 3, Nourishment 8 and 7, Light 4 and 7, Fitness 2 and 6, Comfort 5 and 7, Mind 5 and 12.

Applies to All buildings and interior spaces. Not hospitality specific. Superseded by WELL v2 for new projects; v1 certificates remain in force until they lapse or are recertified.. Version read: WELL v1, as published at standard.wellcertified.com. 100 features across seven concepts.. Reviewed 2026-09-19.

The standard. The published criteria.

Read from the public v1 standard at standard.wellcertified.com on 19 September 2026, which publishes every feature by number and name per concept but does not label preconditions on the feature pages. The precondition counts come from the Scoring page, which gives them concept by concept, and v1 numbers preconditions before optimizations within each concept. Failure to achieve any precondition precludes certification at any level, so every feature named below is proven by any v1 certificate whatever its award level. Fitness is the one concept with no equivalent on this index.

Against the eight pathways

Each row describes what this standard’s published criteria say. It is not an assessment of the organisation, and it is not a comparison of how well anyone applies it.

PathwayCoverageWhat the criteria say
01Air EcologyCovered

Air carries twelve preconditions, and this is where v1 is materially stronger than v2. 01 Air quality standards sets performance-tested limits for volatile substances, particulate matter, inorganic gases and radon. 05 Air filtration, 06 Microbe and mold control and 12 Moisture management are all mandatory, where v2 leaves filter grade and mould control to optional features. 03 Ventilation effectiveness, 04 VOC reduction, 07 Construction pollution management, 08 Healthy entrance, 09 Cleaning protocol, 10 Pesticide management, 11 Fundamental material safety and 02 Smoking ban complete the twelve.

To reduce mold and bacteria growth within buildings, particularly from water damage or condensation on cooling coils.
Where this criterion is published
02Water IntegrityCovered

Water carries five preconditions, all of them testing: 30 Fundamental water quality, 31 Inorganic contaminants, 32 Organic contaminants, 33 Agricultural contaminants and 34 Public water additives. Four named contaminant classes is a wider mandatory panel than v2's W01. Periodic retesting (35) and treatment (36) are optimizations, so the certificate attests to a test rather than to an ongoing regime.

To limit the presence of sediment and water-borne pathogens in water designated for human contact.
Where this criterion is published
03Light RhythmCovered

Light carries four preconditions: 53 Visual lighting design, 54 Circadian lighting design, 55 Electric light glare control and 56 Solar glare control. Circadian lighting design being mandatory is the single biggest difference from v2, where circadian performance sits in an optional feature. Daylight modelling (62) and fenestration (63) remain optimizations.

To support circadian health by setting a minimum threshold for daytime light intensity.
Where this criterion is published
04EMF HarmonyNot covered

WELL v1 contains no feature addressing radiofrequency exposure, electromagnetic fields, network topology, shielded cabling, demand switches or field measurement. The same gap as v2. A v1 certificate says nothing about EMF at any award level.

05Materials and TextilesCovered

Materials sit inside the Air concept in v1 rather than in a concept of their own, and three of them are preconditions: 04 VOC reduction covers interior paints, coatings, adhesives, sealants, flooring and insulation; 11 Fundamental material safety restricts legacy hazards; 09 Cleaning protocol and 10 Pesticide management govern what is applied to surfaces afterwards. v1 sets no criterion on mattress composition, linen fibre content, or textile certification such as GOTS or OEKO-TEX.

To minimize the effect of VOCs in building materials on indoor air quality.
Where this criterion is published
06Food and KitchenCovered

Nourishment carries eight preconditions: 38 Fruits and vegetables, 39 Processed foods, 40 Food allergies, 41 Hand washing, 42 Food contamination, 43 Artificial ingredients, 44 Nutritional information and 45 Food advertising. 43 Artificial ingredients being mandatory is stronger than v2, which leaves artificial ingredient limits to an optimization. Safe food preparation materials (46) and responsible food production (49) are optimizations, so the certificate says nothing about cookware or sourcing.

To help occupants avoid artificial colors, sweeteners and preservatives in food.
Where this criterion is published
07Biophilic and Healing DesignCovered

Two of Mind's five preconditions read onto this pathway: 87 Beauty and design I and 88 Biophilia I, qualitative, which requires a design that incorporates nature through environmental elements, lighting and layout. The quantitative biophilia feature, with its area and frequency thresholds, is an optimization.

To nurture the innate human-nature connection within the project.
Where this criterion is published
08Sound and Sensory EcologyCovered

Two of Comfort's five preconditions are acoustic: 74 Exterior noise intrusion and 75 Internally generated noise, both with numeric limits. That is stronger than v2, where measured background noise sits in an optimization and only sound mapping is mandatory. Reverberation time (78), sound masking (79) and sound barriers (81) remain optimizations. 77 Olfactory comfort is an optimization, so the certificate says nothing about scent.

To reduce acoustic disruptions by limiting external noise intrusion.
Where this criterion is published

Standards are revised. If this has been read wrong, or a newer version changes an answer, write to corrections@verifiedwellnessspaces.com and we will correct it and log the change. Back to the matrix.

Stays in our index holding WELL Building Standard v1

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