WELL Building Standard Surpasses 6 Billion Sq Ft in Global Adoption
The International WELL Building Institute’s (IWBI) WELL Building Standard has now been adopted across more than 6 billion square feet (over 557 million square meters) of property in nearly 100,000 sites throughout 137 countries. This remarkable milestone showcases a strong global movement toward designing spaces that prioritize human health and well-being. Widely recognized as the premier framework for healthy buildings and organizations, WELL is currently embraced by over 180 Fortune and Global 500 companies and is positively impacting an estimated 30 million people.
Since early 2020, WELL’s footprint has expanded twelvefold, reflecting a major financial commitment by the real estate sector and beyond to embed health and wellness into workplace strategy. This rapid growth is estimated to represent over $2 trillion in managed assets, underscoring WELL’s value as both a health initiative and a strategic investment.
“This achievement marks a pivotal shift: investing in health is not an expense—it’s a strategic advantage,” stated IWBI President and CEO Rachel Hodgdon. “By keeping human well-being at the center, WELL-certified spaces are driving better health outcomes, greater financial returns, and more effective, satisfied teams. The scale is astonishing—our 6-billion-square-foot portfolio nearly rivals the total commercial space of the United Kingdom.”
Since its inception in 2014, thousands of organizations have used WELL as a scientifically validated guide to implement health-focused strategies in their offices, facilities, and communities. A wide range of global corporations are engaging in IWBI’s WELL at scale program to roll out these standards organization-wide. These include major names such as Barclays, Bloomberg, Cisco, Citi, Deloitte, EY, GSK, JLL, Johnson Controls, Lendlease, PwC Italy, SAP, T-Mobile, Uber, and Warner Brothers Discovery, among many others.
“WELL is revolutionizing commercial real estate, touching the lives of millions by ensuring their environments support both physical and mental health in tangible, measurable ways,” said IWBI COO Prateek Khanna. “By tracking metrics like air and water quality, lighting, and comfort, WELL enables spaces that help people truly thrive.”
Today’s employers are increasingly focused on fostering environments that support well-being to boost employee satisfaction and talent retention. Research has shown that WELL-certified buildings outperform their conventional and even green-certified counterparts in numerous ways:
Since early 2020, WELL’s footprint has expanded twelvefold, reflecting a major financial commitment by the real estate sector and beyond to embed health and wellness into workplace strategy. This rapid growth is estimated to represent over $2 trillion in managed assets, underscoring WELL’s value as both a health initiative and a strategic investment.
“This achievement marks a pivotal shift: investing in health is not an expense—it’s a strategic advantage,” stated IWBI President and CEO Rachel Hodgdon. “By keeping human well-being at the center, WELL-certified spaces are driving better health outcomes, greater financial returns, and more effective, satisfied teams. The scale is astonishing—our 6-billion-square-foot portfolio nearly rivals the total commercial space of the United Kingdom.”
Since its inception in 2014, thousands of organizations have used WELL as a scientifically validated guide to implement health-focused strategies in their offices, facilities, and communities. A wide range of global corporations are engaging in IWBI’s WELL at scale program to roll out these standards organization-wide. These include major names such as Barclays, Bloomberg, Cisco, Citi, Deloitte, EY, GSK, JLL, Johnson Controls, Lendlease, PwC Italy, SAP, T-Mobile, Uber, and Warner Brothers Discovery, among many others.
“WELL is revolutionizing commercial real estate, touching the lives of millions by ensuring their environments support both physical and mental health in tangible, measurable ways,” said IWBI COO Prateek Khanna. “By tracking metrics like air and water quality, lighting, and comfort, WELL enables spaces that help people truly thrive.”
Today’s employers are increasingly focused on fostering environments that support well-being to boost employee satisfaction and talent retention. Research has shown that WELL-certified buildings outperform their conventional and even green-certified counterparts in numerous ways:
- A study in Building and Environment reported a 28% rise in overall workplace satisfaction, a 10-point productivity boost, and enhanced well-being among occupants of WELL-certified spaces.
- A 2023 follow-up study found that employees in WELL-certified workplaces were 18% more satisfied with sunlight access, 11% more content with thermal comfort, and 10% more satisfied with air quality and air movement.
- Healthier buildings are also financially attractive, commanding rental premiums of 4.4% to 7.7% per square foot, along with longer leases—evidence of rising demand for health-promoting spaces.
“Companies that invest in the health and performance of their workforce are setting themselves up for long-term success,” Hodgdon added. “Healthy, valued, and engaged employees take fewer sick days, cost less in healthcare, are less likely to leave, and contribute more.”
This major update was announced at IWBI’s second annual Social Sustainability Summit in Amsterdam, which convened industry leaders from across real estate, finance, policy, and corporate sectors to examine the growing importance of social sustainability in business strategy. Sessions focused on themes such as “Driving performance in real estate” and “Investing in health pays back.”
From an investment standpoint, Hodgdon emphasized, “Organizations that care for their workers, their supply chains, and their communities are increasingly seen as lower-risk and more promising investments. Data from WELL implementations is helping institutional investors make smarter, more resilient choices.”
WELL now ranks as the third most widely used certification in the GRESB real estate assessment, accounting for 9% of total certified and rated floor area. Since the close of 2024, it has been included in 12 types of financial instruments—ranging from green and social bonds to sustainability-linked loans—and has been integrated into frameworks and guidance documents across 24 countries on five continents.
Developed over a decade and grounded in the latest scientific insights, WELL offers a roadmap covering ten key domains: Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, Thermal Comfort, Sound, Materials, Mind, and Community. Its offerings include multiple pathways like WELL Certification, the WELL Health-Safety Rating, WELL Performance Rating, WELL Equity Rating, WELL Coworking Rating, WELL Community Standard, and the WELL for residential pilot. Together, these form a holistic, evidence-based system to promote health in buildings and communities.
The global WELL movement is supported by more than 28,000 accredited WELL APs, over 300 WELL Faculty members, and 30+ WELL Enterprise Providers—all working to embed wellness principles into the places people live and work.
Endorsements from IWBI Governance Council Members:
This major update was announced at IWBI’s second annual Social Sustainability Summit in Amsterdam, which convened industry leaders from across real estate, finance, policy, and corporate sectors to examine the growing importance of social sustainability in business strategy. Sessions focused on themes such as “Driving performance in real estate” and “Investing in health pays back.”
From an investment standpoint, Hodgdon emphasized, “Organizations that care for their workers, their supply chains, and their communities are increasingly seen as lower-risk and more promising investments. Data from WELL implementations is helping institutional investors make smarter, more resilient choices.”
WELL now ranks as the third most widely used certification in the GRESB real estate assessment, accounting for 9% of total certified and rated floor area. Since the close of 2024, it has been included in 12 types of financial instruments—ranging from green and social bonds to sustainability-linked loans—and has been integrated into frameworks and guidance documents across 24 countries on five continents.
Developed over a decade and grounded in the latest scientific insights, WELL offers a roadmap covering ten key domains: Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, Thermal Comfort, Sound, Materials, Mind, and Community. Its offerings include multiple pathways like WELL Certification, the WELL Health-Safety Rating, WELL Performance Rating, WELL Equity Rating, WELL Coworking Rating, WELL Community Standard, and the WELL for residential pilot. Together, these form a holistic, evidence-based system to promote health in buildings and communities.
The global WELL movement is supported by more than 28,000 accredited WELL APs, over 300 WELL Faculty members, and 30+ WELL Enterprise Providers—all working to embed wellness principles into the places people live and work.
Endorsements from IWBI Governance Council Members:
- Yasushi Kinoshita of Green Building Japan highlighted that WELL is now the “go-to tool” for companies looking to boost productivity, retain talent, and embed well-being into policy and practice.
- Brendan Owens, former U.S. Department of Defense sustainability chief, noted that WELL allows organizations to optimize buildings through a people-first lens, directly linking workplace comfort with public health.
- Ali Khan, CEO of SHAPE Global, emphasized the deep impact buildings have on daily experience—from temperature and air to lighting and design—and how WELL empowers employees through supportive environments.
- Dr. Tauni Lanier of BDO pointed out that investors increasingly view health-focused companies as more resilient and high-performing, making WELL a key differentiator in evaluating long-term value.
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