Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2020 - 11

Photo courtesy Paul Hanaoka (Unsplash)

HOW GREEN
WALLS RELATE
TO THE WELL
BUILDING
STANDARD
BY MEILSSA CAGGIANO, PLANT CONNECTION, INC

The WELL Building Standard is a building performance rating and certification system
compatible with and similar to LEED, but focuses on the physical and mental health of
humans. It maximizes the happiness and wellness of employees within the built environment,
rather than the effect of buildings on the environment.

he WELL Building Standard was developed through seven
years of consultation with leading doctors, scientists, architects,
and other wellness professionals. It is grounded in solid science and medical research that demonstrates the connection
between buildings, where people spend more than 90 per cent
of their time, and the health and wellness impacts on occupants.
The WELL Building Standard sets performance requirements
in 7 categories of architecture and design conditions: air, water,
nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind. The installation of
green walls or the addition of potted plants helps to earn credits
and satisfy 3 of the 7 categories. Green walls can help create a more
sustainable workplace by boosting employee happiness and productivity, reducing absenteeism, and improving well-being. Here are
the areas within WELL where green walls apply.
AIR - Air Quality Standards: Plants naturally remove carbon dioxide
and convert it into oxygen through photosynthesis. This process can
also effectively "scrub" the air of VOCs (volatile organic compounds)
and other harmful toxins like benzene and formaldehyde that are
generated indoors from textiles, paints, wood finishes, and electronic
devices. VOCs can be detrimental to human health if there are too
many particles present in the air. The addition of a living wall within
an interior space has been shown to reduce VOCs in the air.
COMFORT - Sound Reducing Surfaces: Green walls have been
proven to provide sound absorption, reducing the amount of ambient noise within a room, when fully installed on vertical surfaces.
This means living walls can effectively be used as acoustic panels to
create a more comfortable noise environment. While they cannot

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insulate sounds from coming in
or out of a room, they can significantly decrease the amount
of echo and sound movement
within the room in which they
are installed.
THERMAL COMFORT - The
presence of plants directly
affects the temperature and
humidity within a room. Living
green walls can help maintain
the optimal balance of cool air,
warm air, and humidity, thus
increasing the overall comfort
within a space (as opposed to a
space with fewer or no plants).
MIND - Biophilia I - Qualitative:
WELL's Biophilia requirements
were modeled after the Living
Building Challenge, and seek to
address humanity's psychological need to be around life and
nature. Living walls directly
fulfill the requirements of
incorporating nature within the
building or space by providing
an environmental element,

incorporating patterns from
nature, and allowing humannature interaction.
BIOPHILIA II - Quantitative: The
quantitative element of biophilia
includes wall or potted plants
being incorporated into the design of the interior space, which
of course can be accomplished
easily with a living green wall
installation. WELL requires "a
plant wall per floor, covering a
wall area equal or greater than
2 per cent of the floor area, or
covering the largest of the available walls, whichever is greater".
More Information
Melissa Caggiano, CNLP is the
Vice President of Plant Connection
and Chair of the Green Walls
Committee which just completed an
online course and resource manual
on the benefits of green walls. Please
visit www.livingarchitectureacademy.com to learn more and register
for the training.

LIVING ARCHITECTURE MONITOR / SUMMER 2020 / 11

https://livingarchitectureacademy.com/ http://www.LIVINGARCHITECTUREMONITOR.COM

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2020