Services
WELL Building Consulting
We help you integrate health-focused strategies into your building projects and achieve WELL certification
Salas O’Brien’s WELL Accredited Professionals partner with project teams to align design intent, operational practices, and performance metrics with WELL requirements. Our consulting expertise has earned us the distinction of WELL Enterprise Providers. Whether your goal is certification or simply creating a healthier space, we bring a practical, collaborative approach to applying WELL strategies that make a real impact.
The ROI of healthy buildings
Healthy buildings deliver measurable returns by enhancing productivity, reducing turnover, and lowering healthcare costs. Research by IBWI, shows they can generate up to $3,395 in annual profit per employee and $18.56 per square foot, with 10-year net present values exceeding $23,000 per employee. Beyond direct cost savings, they drive higher rents, longer lease terms, and stronger talent attraction, positioning companies to outperform financially. In short, investing in the health and well-being of people through the places they work isn’t just good for culture—it’s a proven business strategy with compounding ROI.
WELL Building Consulting Projects
WELL Performance Testing is a key differentiator toward reaching your performance goals
Every WELL project is verified through on-site testing, which takes place post-occupancy.
Salas O’Brien is a verified WELL Performance Testing Provider for WELL certifications as endorsed by IWBI. We work directly with reviewers at GBCI to provide test results for your project during the WELL certification process. Our WELL Performance Testing Agents are also available to perform on-site pre-testing services to see if your building is performing as designed prior to WELL Performance Testing.
Our WELL PVT agents conduct various tests related to air, water, light, thermal comfort, and acoustic measurements within the project boundary to check compliance.
- Air quality. Pollutants generated indoors can lead to a variety of symptoms and health conditions. Indoor air quality can be degraded by outdoor sources and off-gassing from building materials, indoor combustion sources, and water leaks. Through indoor air quality testing, we identify potential contaminants with the goal of helping projects achieve clean, healthy indoor environments.
- Water quality. Organic, chemical, and pesticide contaminants that are naturally occurring or inadvertently introduced into the water can pose serious health threats. Our agents review local water quality data and compare municipal water quality levels to the WELL requirements.
- Light. In addition to facilitating vision, light influences the human body in non-visual ways. Humans and animals have internal clocks that synchronize physiological functions on roughly a 24-hour cycle called the circadian rhythm. WELL guidelines minimize disruption to the body’s circadian system, enhance productivity, support good sleep quality, and provide appropriate visual acuity. We will test electric light levels without the influence of daylighting.
- Thermal Comfort. Aims to promote human productivity through maximum thermal comfort among all building users through improved HVAC system design and control, and by meeting individual thermal preferences. Our agents review the existing systems and data to verify optimal comfort that meets the WELL feature guidelines.
- Acoustics. The acoustical comfort of a space is affected by the human response to mechanical vibrations. Overexposure to these different types of noises causes strain on occupants that can lead to speech intelligibility or aural comprehension and a person’s ability to retain information and complete tasks. Our testing agents utilize tools to mimic sounds within spaces to test for these types of vibrations to determine how the design translates to performance for acoustical comfort.
Let us help you achieve your WELL Certification goals.
What we offer
Salas O’Brien’s in-house experts are equipped to guide you through every step of the WELL Building certification process.
Owner's Project Requirements (OPR) development
Salas O’Brien works with your team to clearly define project goals, performance criteria, and sustainability priorities at the outset. This documented framework guides design and construction decisions, supports LEED certification, and helps align all stakeholders around your vision from day one.
WELL pre-certification strategy and gap analysis
Salas O’Brien’s WELL Consultants first evaluate any schematic design documentation and policy documentation to develop the best strategy toward achieving WELL certification. The features included in the overall WELL objectives for any project are based on our client’s budget and goals, workplace culture, project type, and the certification level being pursued. Our goal is to add value to space design, behavior modification, and organizational process; we are not point-driven unless points are your goal. We meet with multiple stakeholders throughout the process to aid our clients through the entire certification process, acting as one cohesive team.
WELL certification management and documentation
Salas O’Brien knows exactly what documentation is necessary to demonstrate compliance through our many years of experience as third-party verifiers. Our knowledge allows us to weed out unnecessary items and oversee administration to save you valuable time and money. Furthermore, WELL is a performance-based rating system that requires recertification. We are not just here to help you strategize; we go above and beyond to facilitate on-site testing and recertification. The entire team will need to work as an integrated system for this certification engaging with us as consultants allows us to do the heavy-lifting while removing that burden from the rest of the team.
Policy and operations consulting
Salas O’Brien guides the creation of policies and operational strategies that support WELL certification and long-term wellness goals. Beyond working with the project team, we collaborate with C-suite leaders and HR departments to integrate wellness practices into organizational culture and day-to-day operations.
WELL Performance Testing
Salas O’Brien specializes in WELL Performance Testing as an approved Performance Testing Provider, so that buildings meet performance verification requirements through rigorous assessment.
WELL at Scale
For organizations managing multiple properties, our WELL at Scale services simplify portfolio-wide implementation with cost-effective solutions. Whether you’re pursuing certification for a single space or an entire portfolio, we make the process seamless and achievable. Learn more.
Integration with LEED, ESG, and other sustainability goals
WELL doesn’t have to stand alone. We help you align WELL strategies with broader sustainability and ESG efforts to create buildings that support your broader goals.