WHAT IS USGBC LEED?
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is an independent third-party green building rating system and certification program. LEED was originally launched by the U.S. Green Building Council (US GBC) in 1998, and today it is the most widely accepted green building rating system. It combines the latest scientific research and practical knowledge to provide an overall framework and specific tools on how to develop highly efficient sustainable buildings and neighborhoods. LEED is available for all building types including residential, as well as commercial, and for all phases of the building process including new construction, interiors, operations and maintenance and core and shell.
WHAT IS IWBI WELL?
WELL is a building standard focusing on human health and wellness and was originally launched by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) in 2014. WELL was developed by integrating scientific and medical research on environmental health, behavioral factors, and demographic risk factors that affect health with leading practices in building design, construction, and operation. It is an independent third-party certification program administered through IWBI in collaboration with Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI). Today WELL is the leading tool for advancing health and well-being in buildings.
WHAT IS WEFAS?
W – WATER
W-1 WATER FILTRATION
W-2 HOT WATER
W-3 COLD WATER
W-4 WATER AS AN ART FORM
E – EARTH
E-1 EARTH AS BIOMASS
E-2 EARTH AS BIOMASS
E-3 RADON MITIGATION
E-4 EARTH AS AN ART FORM
F – FIRE
F-1 LIGHTING
F-2 RED LIGHT THERAPY
F-3 FOOD PROCESSING
F-4 FIRE AS AN ART FORM
A – AIR
A-1 AIR FILTRATION
A-2 AIR HEATING AND COOLING
A-3 FOOD STORAGE
A-4 OTHER STORAGE
A-5 AIR AS AN ART FORM
S – SPACE
S-1 SPACE FOR MEDITATION
S-2 SPACE FOR PUBLIC GATHERING
S-3 SPACE FLEXIBILITY
S-4 SPECE AS AN ART FORM
WEFAS, the inspiration behind the name of the firm, is an alternative independent building rating system focusing on health and longevity and the impact a building’s environment can have on people’s well-being. It is based on a theory of aging first introduced by Aubrey de Grey in his book Ending Aging in 2007 and later described by Carlos López-Otín et. al. in the scientific paper “The Hallmarks of Aging” published in Cell Magazine in 2013. Sandra Kaufmann finally organized and quantified this approach into a rating system called the Kaufmann Index and described her approach in her book Why We Age and How To Stop It. The Kaufmann Protocol. The book mostly focuses on vitamins and supplements, but the Protocol itself can be applied to many other aspects of our lives. WEFAS is employing the Kaufmann Protocol to investigate the effect that the architectural environment can have on the health and longevity of its occupants.
WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE?
To explain the difference between the widely accepted IWBI WELL building standard and WEFAS, we can compare them to a food pyramid, where IWBI WELL is a traditional FDA approved diet, WEFAS is an equivalent of a proprietary dieting theory such as Bulletproof or Paleo. WEFAS Architecture is set to investigate the latest scientific research in the field of anti-aging as it can be applied to building environments and analyze them according to the Kaufmann Protocol.