undall seized the opportunity to pursue WELL for the fit-out of its new 15,400ft2 Cat A London office, which became WELL Certified at the Gold level, creating a practical expression of the company’s long-standing focus on sustainability and wellbeing. This achievement was made possible by the close collaboration between Cundall and its architects, Studio Ben Allen, working through the details of this relatively new standard and applying its features in a short design period. Key suppliers for products that could contribute towards satisfying the features of WELL, such as recycled Bolon flooring and Baux acoustic panels, were identified and very supportive in providing the levels of information required for the standard.
The new office has proved itself a unique, real-world platform on which to demonstrate how applying a selection of carefully thought-out features can create a healthy, efficient and future-proof space that puts the wellbeing of the occupants at the heart of the design.
WELL is a performance-based certification system that marries good practices in design and construction with evidence-based medical and scientific research. Cundall’s London office earned the distinction based on seven categories of building performance – air, water, light, nourishment, fitness, comfort and mind. Having split the office environment into these seven areas, WELL looks at how they can affect systems in the human body such as cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, immune, muscular, nervous, respiratory and skeletal. Some links are obvious. Improving air quality will improve respiratory health. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have an exceptionally negative impact on the human body. So the designers specified low or zero VOC paint, adhesives, chipboard and Bolon floorcovering, as well as taking low VOC criteria through into day-to-day cleaning and maintenance supplies. Air quality was also affected by toxic chemicals given off by furnishings and furniture. Cundall used solid oak cupboard doors and desk edging, solid Douglas fir and antimicrobial metal fittings, such as a stunning brass cafe counter.
Cundall fitted a dynamic, demand-controlled ventilation system, but also used less standard methods of improving the air quality by installing an active green wall. Fans in the plenum behind the planting pull air from the office space through the plants’ roots to filter and clean the air. The plants’ roots, not the leaves, clean the air, with microbes breaking down particulates. Whilst not a new idea, Cundall is taking the opportunity to test how its bespoke walls perform in a real-world application.
Poor lighting design will disrupt the body’s natural circadian rhythms including hormone levels and the sleep-wake cycle. One Carter Lane combines both the careful layout of the office to maximise the use of natural daylight with light level sensors to provide proper levels of light for staff to see clearly, as well as promoting comfort and alertness. The lighting is on dimmer switches which start to reduce artificial lighting at 300 lux (the level considered sufficient for most tasks) and switches off the fittings at 600 lux. This daylight dimming system has been applied to the first rows of fittings, but ultimately up to 30-40% of the lights on the floorplate could be dimmable. In addition, the recycled plastic carpeting by Bolon is extremely easy to clean, allowing Cundall to use a much lighter colour, one that reflects 20-30% more daylight into the office space.
Other links between a workspace and a person’s health are less obvious. Biophilia – the idea that humans have an affinity towards the natural world – is an area where Cundall has applied its own innovative research. In addition to its bespoke green wall, Cundall has added a beautiful planted trellis in the cafe area, a moss wall in a sunny south-facing meeting room and space throughout the office for individual potted plants. These connections with living systems address a deep psychological need, and have been shown to positively impact mood, sleep, stress levels and psychosocial status.
Says Alan Fogarty, Sustainability Partner at Cundall: “Many businesses are seeing WELL as providing a means of demonstrating the quality of office space to attract and retain good staff. At Cundall, we have taken the refurbishment of our own London office and used it as an exemplar project, not only for ourselves, but also for our clients and collaborators. We’ve created a living, working example of how the WELL Building Standard can be applied, without breaking the bank. Our figures show a total uplift in the project costs of £200 per head, which we are sure we can reduce. We have put in place measures to see exactly how the WELL building elements will improve staff welfare against our old office. However, anecdotal feedback from our staff has confirmed the new office as a great hit.”
Measurement is a key element in WELL, so Cundall designed a bespoke monitoring system to ease the process. Small desktop measuring devices, IEQubes, link via a mesh sensor network to provide real-time information on local air quality, including VOCs, CO2 and particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), as well as temperature, humidity and lux levels.
Some required preconditions or recommended optimisations of WELL were incorporated into the planning of the building, for example, changing facilities, showers and cycle racks to facilitate activities like cycling to work. Others are more concerned with day-to-day office life and activities, like weekly yoga classes and access to free fresh fruit and vegetables. The codirection of the wider aspects of health and wellbeing has spurred Cundall to achieve the International Living Future Institute’s JUST label for the business, to demonstrate the transparency of equality in the practice. Having been achieved in its Australian operation, this is now being rolled out in all parts of Cundall.
WELL is designed to work harmoniously with other green building certifications, and achieving WELL Certification does not preclude a building from gaining additional sustainability credentials. One Carter Lane has achieved BREEAM and SKA ratings, ‘Excellent’ and Gold respectively.
Alan continues: “The acceptance of sustainability, the ‘wellbeing’ of the planet and the environment, as an integral part of most developments has been a long fight. WELL Building Standard takes a slightly different view – putting people’s wellbeing at the heart of the building. One thing our design at One Carter Lane has shown quite clearly is that, although the two ideas need to be addressed together, the two are not always completely compatible. It is exciting to be able to use our knowledge and expertise in the discussions on how best to combine the wellbeing of the person and the wellbeing of the planet in a single design. There is no point having a healthy internal environment, if the external is neglected.”
Tomas Neeson, Cundall’s Managing Partner, comments: “We see achieving WELL Certification as the latest step in our commitment to sustainable best practice, spearheaded by becoming the first consultants in the world to gain One Planet Company status. We are aiming to have WELL Accredited Professionals (WELL AP) in all our offices so we can use our own ‘hands on’ experience to support other organisations wanting to achieve WELL Certification.”
