Fitwel vs WELL vs WELL Health-Safety: Deciding which certification process is right for your building
Written by Karen Molina,
WELL AP, Fitwel Ambassador
If you are exploring ways to demonstrate your building’s commitment to health and well-being, the Fitwel Standard and the WELL Building Standard are two of the best-known standards available. Both programs are wellness-focused and offer great marketing if you are trying to get people back in the office. Deciding which certification fits your project best will depend on your budget, timeline, flexibility, and desired level of involvement.
The Fitwel Standard
If you’re looking for a flexible, cost-effective approach to achieve recognition in the healthy building industry, Fitwel may be great option for you. Concept areas focus heavily on building connectivity, opportunities for physical fitness, enhancing communal spaces, climate resilience, and emergency preparedness.
Unlike the WELL Certification process, Fitwel does not have any preconditions that are required, providing project teams with multiple pathway options to demonstrate that you’re meeting the intent. This flexibility makes it a great fit for existing buildings working with tighter budgets or older interiors. Most notably, Fitwel offers a quick certification timeline, making it more appealing to teams working under a deadline.
In 2024, Fitwel launched its newest Standard version, v3, which incorporates the latest public health research and expands the Standard’s applicability to more project types, further enhancing its scalability.
Buildings with certain physical constraints and a lack of amenities onsite or within walking distance, will find it difficult to achieve a rating above 1-star. On the other hand, buildings in dense, urban areas that are walkable with plenty of amenities for occupants, tend to score well.
The WELL Building Standard
When it comes to healthy building certifications, WELL is the gold standard as it is the most prestigious and rigorous program available. The WELL Standard looks at 10 key concept areas, with particular focus on air quality, water quality, lighting, and acoustical performance. What sets the WELL program apart is its third-party verification process, where underperforming buildings are required to undergo remediation and re-testing.
While WELL is available for both new construction and existing building, through our experience, new and recently constructed buildings tend to outperform their older counterparts by hitting strong performance numbers for testing.
Designing buildings with WELL Standard principles in mind from the start tends to lead to better performance verification testing outcomes.
Unlike Fitwel, which periodically introduces updated versions of its Standard, WELL has historically taken a more continuous approach by incorporating changes through addenda, amendments, and updates to individual Feature requirements. This allows WELL to incorporate emerging research and industry practices between major Standard revisions.
Pursuing WELL certification is a great option for project teams that want to pursue a high level of recognition and have the budget and timeline required for the thorough process.
WELL Health-Safety
The WELL Health-Safety Rating is the most widely recognized sub-rating that WELL offers. It was created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing primarily on operational policies that support occupant health, buildings safety, and emergency preparedness. Although we have begun to move away from many COVID-19 regulations and guidelines, the Rating serves as a method to prepare your building for future adverse or emergency situations. WELL Health-Safety requires annual renewals to review and update operational policies and third-party certification fees drop from the initial fee of $5,000 down to $3,750 for each renewal year. Note that projects pursuing certification for more than one location receive discounted portfolio pricing.
| Fitwel | WELL | WELL Health-Safety | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project Timeline | ~ 4-6 months | ~ 12 months | ~2-3 months |
| Third-Party Registration Fee | $500 | $3,000 | NA |
| Third-Party Certification Fee | $0.004 – 0.3/sq ft | $0.16/sq ft | $5,000 |
| Project Management Fees | $$ | $$$$ | $ |
| Tiers | 1-star, 2-star, 3-star | Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum | Pass/Fail |
| Preconditions | None | 24 required | None |
| Certification Expiration | 3 years | 3 years | 1 year |
| Annual Reporting | NA | Required | Required |
| Standard Options | 7 standards for different building types | 1 standard for all building types *Caveats for schools and multifamily | 1 standard for all building types |
Alternative Ratings/Changes
Both programs have, at one point, offered light sub-ratings as alternatives to full certification, although WELL currently provides more options.
- Fitwel: The former Viral Response Module has been retired but was created in response to COVID-19. At this time, Fitwel does not currently offer standalone sub-ratings. Properties interested in Fitwel must pursue the full certification process, a detailed documentation effort.
- WELL: Offers several standalone ratings, including the
- WELL Health-Safety Rating: resilience, preparedness, protocols
- WELL Performance Rating: benchmark, monitor, improve
- WELL Equity Rating: people, DEI, accessibility,
- WELL Real Estate Rating: resilience, infrastructure, assets
- WELL Operations Rating: maintenance, systems, engagement
- What project teams can expect: Requirements for WELL ratings vary but generally involve reviewing existing policies and operations, gathering documentation, and coordinating with property management and relevant vendors to address gaps. Cost and time commitment depend on the rating being pursued and existing policies. Project teams should budget up to 3 months of their time from project kickoff to Rating achievement.
Questions to ask yourself
- Is my project new construction or an existing building?
- Am I concerned about meeting the thresholds required for onsite testing – air quality, water quality, acoustics, lighting, etc.?
- Are costs a significant factor?
- What is my desired timeline for certification?
- How important is level of achievement to my organization/ stakeholders?
Note that all three of the certifications discussed contribute to GRESB, however, it is our understanding that GRESB is currently evaluating their certifications scheme list. Under the current GRESB standard, Fitwel v3 offers Full Points, WELL Certification offers Full Points, WELL Health-Safety offers Partial+. Our team is staying up to date on GRESB updates, yet we cannot speak to how Fitwel or WELL will be weighted based on future changes.
Choosing between Fitwel, WELL, and WELL sub-ratings will depend on your building’s design stage, budget, and goals. Existing buildings with a lower budget and shorter desired timeline to certification may find success in pursuing the Fitwel certification or WELL Ratings, while new construction buildings and teams interested in a rigorous performance verification process should pursue WELL certification. For project teams that are interested in gaining a better understand of the intent of WELL and documentation processes, pursuing a sub-rating would be an excellent option. At the intersection of Fitwel and WELL is a commitment to creating buildings that exist to serve the people that use them, creating more desirable spaces to work.