WELL forms Light Concept Advisory to guide lighting for human wellbeing work

Experts that cross top research universities, lighting design firms, and SSL manufacturers are part of the new Light Concept Advisory that will help mold the lighting elements in the second version of the WELL Building standard.

The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) has announced the formation of a solid-state lighting (SSL)-focused advisory panel that it is calling the Light Concept Advisory. The panel of experts will contribute to the formulation of lighting guidelines that will be part of the WELL v2 standard intended to “create lighting environments that are optimal for visual, mental, and biological health.”

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The new group is just one of nine advisories recently launched by WELL as the organization attempts to address all elements of work and living spaces relative to the comfort and health of the occupants. But lighting is one of the most critical elements in WELL. And LED lighting, with the ability to easily tune spectrum, can be a great enabler of human-centric lighting or lighting for health and wellbeing.

The WELL concept is relatively new with the initiative having been launched in 2014. And not many buildings have achieved WELL status to date. We covered one such lighting installation in a New York office space last year. And we also published an article that covered strategies and implementation advice for practitioners seeking WELL recognition for a building.

Now the IWBI is pursuing the second-generation standard with the intent on improvement and inclusion of the latest technology and building practices. The organization said the new panel will consider lessons learned from more than 1000 WELL projects in molding WELL v2. “Engaging this esteemed body of experts advances not just our commitment to measuring and standardizing different aspects of a building’s impact on human health and wellness, but also broadens and deepens our understanding of the role a variable like light can play in helping people thrive,” said IWBI president Rachel Gutter.

Projects like this WELL-certified headquarters of Structure Tone in New York City will benefit from the guidance to come from the new Light Concept Advisory panel in formulating v2 of the WELL Building standard.

The Light Concept Advisory will include upwards of 20 experts. The participants hail from academia, lighting design, and industry. You can view details of all the WELL advisories including the members of the lighting panel on the WELL website.

Human-centric lighting holds great promise for the LED and SSL sectors, and we will be discussing the developing science and technologies being applied at our Lighting for Health and Wellbeing Conference this Wednesday, July 18.

One of our speakers, Dr. Gena Glickman of the University of California at San Diego, is also on the WELL panel. Glickman will present her work on lighting interventions for circadian health at our conference. We will also have a presentation from lighting designer Dawn Hollingsworth on achieving WELL building compliance.