Multi-disciplinary practice Cundall is hoping that its office near St Paul’s will become the first in Europe accredited with a new international standard, which shows that the environment has been developed with the health and well-being of the occupants in mind.
Cundall’s new London office, on the ground floor of One Carter Lane, will be put through its paces next month by inspectors from the WELL Institute, which has devised the new WELL Building Standard.
WELL is a performance-based system for measuring, certifying, and monitoring features of the built environment that impact human health and well-being, through air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind. The concept is claimed to be grounded in medical research which shows that healthier buildings help improve the nutrition, fitness, mood, sleep patterns and performance of staff.
The 15,400 sq ft office, designed by Studio Ben Allen, features green walls which are fitted with plenums to pull air from the office space through the plants to help improve air quality. Natural materials are used throughout to avoid volatile organic compounds.
In recent years well-being has been playing an ever more important role in the design and procurement of workplaces and conforming to the standard is set to become a growing trend amongst occupiers.
At the moment only a handful of buildings in the world have the WELL accreditation.
