The latest trend is "housing that is good for your heart and health." What is "WELL certification" that attracts attention all over the world for Korona-ka?
Next to housing performance and the environment is a "health and mind" friendly home. What is WELL certification?
Eiichi Sawada of Shimizu Corporation, who is the chief examiner of the WELL working group at "Green Building Japan (GBJ)" (established in 2013), which is making efforts to popularize LEED certification and WELL certification that evaluate energy saving and environmental consideration in Japan. I talked to Mr.
We provide workshops and seminars including WELL certification to those involved in architecture and real estate who are highly interested in creating a sustainable living environment (photo provided by GBJ).
"Now, the word well-being is attracting attention. The idea is to improve physical, mental and social health and happiness. In Japan, mainly the work environment and There is a move to improve this well-being for public buildings, and in fact, the number of inquiries to GBJ is increasing compared to LEED certification. "(Mr. Sawada)
For example, Keihan Holdings' GOOD NATURE HOTEL KYOTO, which acquired WELL certification (v1) in August last year, has adopted an "air-conditioning system" that creates a clean and secure space, and is working on improving the hand-washing environment and disinfecting and cleaning. Was highly evaluated. In addition, spaces that make you feel green and nature are placed in the lobby and guest rooms. In addition, a "good sleep lighting system" has been introduced to enable a comfortable sleep and awakening.
WELL certification is a "performance evaluation system for the environment and operation of buildings and residential areas that focuses on people's health and comfort of life" based on such well-being. By objectively evaluating the building, the real estate value can be quantified and it can be compared with international evaluation standards.
(Image courtesy / GBJ)
From v1 in 2014 to v2 pilot from 2018, the number of concepts has become 10 items (image provided / GBJ). Currently, registration is possible with four types: v2, WELL Community, WELL Portfolio, and WELL Health-Safety Rating (HSR).Also this year, the WELL Homes Advisory for housing has just launched.
According to Mr. Sawada, "Since it was born in the United States in 2014, the evaluation criteria have been updated steadily, and now there are 10 items:" air, water, nutrition, light, exercise, thermal comfort, sound, materials, heart, community ". It should be noted that WELL certification is not only about the equipment of the building, but also how to operate the building and what kind of program to introduce, which is an important point of evaluation when obtaining certification. In addition, the number of certifications obtained worldwide has increased from 635 in 2017 to 25,253 in June 2021, indicating that the degree of attention is increasing. So what are the benefits of living in a WELL-certified building? With this certification, modern people, who are said to live 90% of their lives indoors, set a standard for living in good health, making them physically and mentally healthy and prosperous. I am trying to create an environment where I can live. For example, if the air quality of the building is good, the risk of bronchitis and asthma is reduced. Currently in Japan, most of the buildings that have introduced WELL certification are office buildings, and it seems that full-scale introduction to homes is about to begin. Under such circumstances, it is said that rental condominiums using existing buildings that have acquired WELL certification, which is the world's first in the Netherlands, will appear in 2018.
"At first, I was laughed at,'A healthy building? Will you make it at the gym?'"
The property is the condominium "Aan de Rijn" in Arnhem, the Netherlands.
As the name suggests, a complex condominium with two 7-story and 9-story buildings along the Rhine (photo courtesy of Vesteda)
The property owner is Vesteda, a Dutch real estate management company. Stefan de Bee, the head of sustainability there, said:
"Actually, when Vesteda became the owner, there was no demand for" healthy buildings "from existing residents, but we should be" sustainable "and" bring happiness ". Based on that belief, we decided to improve this property as well. Then we have to get the existing residents to understand it. So we have a place to learn and at the same time we have a place to learn. I came up with the idea of "acquiring WELL certification" as a means of raising awareness among the residents. "
At that time, 94 apartments were already almost full. The first thing I did after deciding to acquire it was to communicate with the residents.
"When I told a resident,'I'm getting the first certification to measure the health of a building in a Dutch condominium,' I said,'Are you planning to make one at the gym?' "I was asked," laughs De Bee.
The entrance on the 1st floor of the condominium, commonly known as the "green entrance" © (Photo courtesy of Vesteda)
There are also voices against "no smoking" in the living space ... How did you get the understanding of the residents?
By having the residents actively participate in the remodeling to obtain the certification, he said, "I was able to gain understanding by shortening the distance, such as increasing the frequency of communication." For example, when renovating the entrance, we asked the residents to choose the design.
The most difficult item was the "air" item in the evaluation criteria. In order for all buildings to be WELL certified, it is necessary to thoroughly "non-smoking" not only in common areas but also in living spaces. In the Netherlands, there were no rental housing buildings that couldn't smoke, and of course many people initially opposed it.
However, he said that he was able to gradually increase the number of supporters because he repeatedly appealed for "the importance of clean air" and this condition was not applied to the residents who had already moved in. (However, smoking cessation is recommended for existing residents, although it is not prohibited)
"Ann de Rhein" has two types of rooms, 85 sqm / 100 sqm, 2LDK or 3LDK. Rent is around 950 euros (120,000 yen) a month (photo courtesy of Vesteda)
By the way, in this property, drinking water filtered by a special purification device can be drunk from the faucet (photo courtesy of Vesteda).
By following the same legal process as "no pets" to new residents, we will tell them that it is a "non-smoking" building when they move in so that they can get an understanding in advance. Furthermore, with the cooperation of the local government, the area within a radius of 20 m from the building was designated as a "non-smoking area", and the surrounding environmental standards were set.
In addition, a ventilation system with a fine particle filter (with a heat recovery function) is installed throughout the building, and whether to open windows or use an air conditioner according to the condition of the outside air (air pollution degree) of the day. The advice can be checked through the tablet installed at the entrance and the apps of each inhabitant.
What happened to the repair costs for WELL certification?
Of course, it must have cost money, such as reforming to clear the strict WELL certification items. How did it come about?
"We bear the cost of repairing WELL certification as an investment to increase the value of the property, but the management cost after the introduction of WELL certification is only a few euros per house per year. The management cost itself will increase. However, it is only for the cleaning cost. For other maintenance-related costs, we have created a mechanism to reduce the operating cost to zero with only the initial investment. "(Mr. De Bee)
The way to do this is to get many suppliers to agree with Vesteda's ideas, get discounts on implementation costs, and get help with partnership agreements.
For example, one of the issues of cleaning the facility was watering the plants in the condominium. To prevent the plants from dying, we installed a tank that can store one month's worth of water with the support of our partner companies. Water is put into the tank only once a month, and the required amount is automatically determined and water is supplied. Therefore, the cleaning staff does not need to do any additional work, and almost no operating costs are added.
Plants at the entrance that were worried about regular watering (Photo courtesy of Vesteda)
In addition, the above-mentioned "ventilation system" requires filter replacement once every six months, but instead of negotiating with the manufacturer and having them provide filters on a regular basis, we will measure the effect and provide feedback on the data. bottom.
Partner companies are also willing to participate in the project because they can promote the goodness of the product by participating in the innovative project and get feedback from customers.
Even with the cooperation of partner companies, was it worth the series of investments in the three years since the start?
In response to that question, De Bee says, "It's definitely YES. You can see how good it is when you actually live in it."
However, whether or not WELL certification has been obtained is not linked to the property value, and cannot be used as a positive factor when setting rent. However, the evaluation from the residents of "Ann de Rhein" is excellent. “I think WELL-certified properties will be even more valuable in the future,” De Bee said.
From left: Ronald Paping (City Council member of Arnhem), Vesteda CEO Gertoyan van der Van, Dick Vink (BBI), Ann-Marie Aguilar (IWBI), Alexandra Boot ( BBI) (Photo courtesy of Vesteda)
According to Mr. Sawada of GBJ, it will take a little longer for the full-scale introduction of WELL certification in Japan.
"The materials must be written in English and the examination documents must be prepared in English. The high hurdles of these languages and the method of amortizing operating costs to maintain WELL certification are becoming widespread in Japan. It's an issue. "(Mr. Sawada)
At present, the only buildings in Japan that have obtained WELL certification are offices and dormitories, and there are no general housing. On the other hand, the domestic certification system "CASBEE" is also establishing standards aimed at sustainability and health.
In the case of rental condominiums in the Netherlands, not only were many companies actively participating in sustainable housing, but local governments and governments were also cooperative. Also, is there a possibility that the idea that the rental owner will "actively contribute to improving the living environment and vitality of the tenant" will sprout in Japan in the future? I would like to pay attention to the future penetration in Japan only for those that require a lot of related cooperation.
● Interview cooperation ・ General Incorporated Association Green Building Japan (GBJ) ・ Vesteda