Certification of Buildings

Sustainability certification of buildings indicate the footprint of the building and its operation on the environment. All the major certification methods – BREAM (UK) and LEED (US) – recognize different levels of certificates depending on the actual environmental impact. For example, LEED Platinum certified buildings may, in some cases, require 20% less energy to operate.

Critics of BREEAM or LEED certifications sometimes argue that both Anglo-American certifications address the quality of buildings from the perspective of the investor rather than the end user, and may prefer WELL certification. The first buildings in the Czech Republic were WELL-certified in 2019; the first to hold this certificate was the Visionary Office Complex in Prague-Holešovice.

WELL certification rates buildings on 10 workplace quality criteria: air quality, water quality, acoustics, etc. WELL-certified buildings positively contribute to the health and well-being of employees.