Rachel Gutter, President of the International WELL Building Institute, on how the IWBI is leading the global movement to transform our buildings, communities and organizations in ways that help people thrive. Rachel shares, “WELL is a certification that we offer for buildings, communities, and now through our Portfolio program for organizations. It is focused on all of the different ways those places and spaces can enhance our comfort, drive improved choices for our health and well being, and generally enhance our experience whether it's working, sleeping, playing or healing.” This and more on the changing face of health and wellness and the built environment post-COVID from the President of the IWBI on part 1 of today’s episode.
The International WELL Building Institute is a public benefit corporation with a mission to improve human health and well-being through the built environment. The WELL v2 pilot is the latest version of its popular WELL Building Standard (WELL), and the WELL Community Standard pilot is a district scale rating system that sets a new global benchmark for healthy communities. WELL is focused exclusively on the ways that buildings and communities, and everything in them, can improve our comfort, drive better choices, and generally enhance, not compromise, our health and wellness. IWBI mobilizes the wellness community through management of the WELL AP credential, the pursuit of applicable research, the development of educational resources, and advocacy for policies that promote health and wellness everywhere. IWBI is a participant of the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate citizenship initiative, and helps companies advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the use of WELL. More information on WELL can be found by visiting: https://www.wellcertified.com/ and http://placesmatter.com.
In Part 1 of Cheryl’s conversation with Rachel Gutter, you will learn:
How Rachel views connection and resiliency as growing strong in this global pandemic. What is the IWBI and how did Rachel Gutter arrive there as its president in 2018? Specific ways the IWBI is leading the global movement to transform our buildings, communities and organizations in ways that help people thrive. The mobilization of a global community of wellness professionals through the IWBI’s WELL AP Credential with more than 5,000 WELL APs. What exactly is a WELL Building Standard? What is WELL v2 and why was it not voted out of pilot the day before COVID-19 struck in the US? What is WELL Portfolio and how can it benefit healthcare organizations? Why the IWBI is donating 20% of their 2020 WELL AP registration fees to Doctors Without Borders as a way to support first responders everywhere.This program is brought to you by Porcelanosa who extend their heartfelt appreciation for your support of this podcast. Stay safe and be well. To learn more about Porcelanosa, visit http://porcelanosa.com.
Thank you to our industry partner, The Center for Health Design. To learn more about CHD’s new program MakingRoom, Connecting hotels and hospitals with urgent needs for space, please visit, https://www.healthdesign.org/makingroom.
Additional support for this podcast comes from our industry partners:
The American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers The Nursing Institute for Healthcare DesignLearn more about how to become a Certified Healthcare Interior Designer® by visiting the American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers at: https://aahid.org/.
Connect to a community interested in supporting clinician involvement in design and construction of the built environment by visiting The Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design at https://www.nursingihd.com/
