by Brianna Crandall — June 17, 2016 — The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) and the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) announced a partnership this week at the NeoCon contract furnishings show in Chicago to engage the interior design community to accelerate the integration of health and wellness in the built environment.
The collaboration is expected to help advance the profession by demonstrating design’s critical impact on the human experience, and position design professionals at the leading edge of industry practices through co-developed research, education, and training opportunities around the WELL Building Standard (WELL), which is the first building standard to focus exclusively on the health and wellness of the people in buildings.
As part of the partnership, ASID has pledged to educate its members in preparing for the WELL Accredited Professional (WELL AP) program with a goal to significantly grow the number of practitioners who become accredited in the coming months. The WELL AP credential signifies knowledge in human health and wellness in the built environment and specialization in the principles, practices, and applications of the WELL Building Standard.
Additionally, ASID will provide informational and research-based resources to support members in developing innovative interior design solutions that can enhance health and well-being.
The alliance will also generate research on the health impacts of the built environment, with ASID and IWBI collaborating on a pre- and post- occupancy study on the new ASID National Headquarters in Washington, DC, which is registered to pursue WELL Certification. The office is intended to be a living laboratory to advance research and education, demonstrating that interior design can improve people’s lives, says ASID.
Pioneered by Delos, WELL is an evidence- and performance-based system for measuring, certifying, and monitoring features that impact human health and well-being in the built environment, through air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind. WELL is administered by IWBI and third-party certified by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI). To date, the program has enrolled nearly 170 building projects in 18 countries.
