Building certification

WELL® BUILDING CERTIFICATION

The WELL certification system is the first to focus on the healthy indoor environment of buildings; it was established based on the realization that a healthy indoor environment significantly reduces employee costs and increases their productivity. Building a healthy indoor environment is becoming a clear competitive advantage.

Developed by experts and scientists, the WELL certification system is a comprehensive view of healthy indoor environments in buildings and their impact on humans. We are now starting to see the first projects of WELL-certified buildings in the Czech Republic. WELL is an international certification system that complements the LEED and BREEAM certification systems, aimed at the long-term sustainability of buildings. WELL is compatible with these systems, complementing them. It is the result of a new form of permanent sustainability, which, in addition to minimising the impact of buildings on the environment, also addresses the impact of buildings on people – their health and comfort. We spend 90% of our time in buildings, so they have a major effect on us.

WELL certification prioritises the health and satisfaction of building users. The scoring of the indoor environment of buildings, based on medical research, is focused on 7 complex aspects. WELL complements LEED and BREEAM certification, which are primarily aimed at the sustainability of buildings but don’t address their users. A quality indoor environment improves employee productivity and health.

The WELL certificate is a prestigious innovation in the field of green building certification, providing convincing documentary proof of a healthy indoor environment.

BUILDING CERTIFICATION ACCORDING TO THE BREEAM® STANDARD

Green building certification (BREEAM/LEED)

Sustainable development is a current trend in the construction industry. Requirements for modern buildings do not just concern energy efficiency, they also include social and environmental aspects. Everything that has an impact on the building users and the surrounding area is important, which is why the materials used and demolition hazards are carefully considered. A simple way to prove that a building meets these modern standards is a certificate, the most common of which are BREEAM and LEED.

The BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) certificate is a standard of best practice in building design with an emphasis on sustainable construction. It is the oldest and currently the most widespread certification in the field of energy-efficient and sustainable buildings. BREEAM evaluates the building’s specification, design, construction and use. BREEAM uses recognized performance measures that are based on established criteria.

BUILDING CERTIFICATION ACCORDING TO THE LEED® STANDARD

The LEED  (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certificate is an internationally recognized standard in the field of design and construction of environmentally friendly and sustainable buildings. It is an internationally recognized quality mark that helps building owners and operators identify and implement practical and measurable designs, structures, operation and management of so-called green buildings.

The LEED certificate, and its offshoots such as LEED EB:OM, was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). It allows independent verification that a building, or complex of buildings, has been designed and built using procedures and strategies aimed at meeting strict requirements in the basic areas of a healthy environment, namely sustainable construction, water savings, energy efficiency, suitable materials and quality of the indoor environment.

BUILDING CERTIFICATION SBTOOLCZ®

SBToolCZ is a national system for evaluating the complex quality of buildings, assessing the properties of the building and its surroundings in relation to sustainable development. This scheme can currently be used for the certification of residential and administrative buildings at the design stage and the commencement of their operation.

The SBToolCZ system helps ensure environmentally friendly buildings, provides a healthy and quality environment, and last but not least, makes their operation economically efficient. The methodology includes a set of criteria scored according to the characteristics of the building and its surrounding area, after which the building receives one of four certificates (basic, bronze, silver and gold) based on its overall score. SBToolCZ provides a tool for the design phase that points out the possibilities for improving the building in the monitored parameters in the field of sustainable construction.