Two New Rating Routes and a New System Behind Them
What’s Changed
The WELL Building Standard has introduced two new rating routes, one for Base Build and one for buildings in Operation.
It is not just an addition. It changes where projects can enter WELL, how performance is recognised, and how the route to certification is structured.
Two New Entry Points into WELL
At the centre of this shift are two new standalone ratings: the WELL Real Estate Rating and the WELL Operations Rating. Both are now open for enrolment. IWBI positions them as targeted entry points that sit alongside full WELL Certification rather than in place of it, and as a foundation for projects that intend to pursue full certification later.
The distinction between the two is simple but important.
Operations are No Longer Assumed
The WELL Operations Rating focuses on how buildings are actually run. It covers day-to-day performance: building systems maintenance, indoor environmental quality, policies for resilience and readiness, and the tenant experience.
For facilities teams and asset operators, this creates a route to evidence performance as something actively managed, not assumed once a building is handed over.
Why this Matters Now
The ratings formalise a split that already exists in practice. Buildings are designed in one phase and operated in another, often by different teams. Until now, WELL was usually treated as a single end-of-project decision. These new ratings move it upstream: base building decisions and operational performance can be addressed separately, recognition can be earned earlier, and the Ratings give a route into WELL for assets that may never pursue full certification.
A New Version of WELL is Coming
Alongside the new ratings, IWBI has released a first look at the next version of the WELL Standard. The draft is out for public consultation and proposes a structural reset rather than incremental change.
The Structure is Being Rebuilt
The 10 core WELL Concepts remain, alongside Innovation. What changes is everything underneath.
IWBI proposes to reorganise the current structure so that Features become Themes and Feature Parts become Strategies. The scoring system would be recalibrated in step with this. Preconditions would carry points, concept point caps would be removed, and certification thresholds would shift accordingly.
What this Would Mean in Practice
If adopted as drafted, the result is a more consistent system. Requirements line up across both certification and ratings, the routes to earning points become more flexible, and design, construction and operation are treated as parts of one system rather than separate exercises.
What this Means for Projects
The implications are straightforward. WELL is moving earlier into project strategy rather than waiting at the end of the line. Base building and operation are now separate decisions. Developers can demonstrate health and wellbeing at asset level before tenants arrive; operators can evidence performance as something tracked and measured, not implied.
The Bottom Line
Two new ratings, a third route in draft, and a structural rewrite of the underlying standard out for consultation. WELL is becoming a layered system with distinct entry points for design and operation, sitting beneath full Certification. If WELL still sits at the end of your project process, you are already out of step with where IWBI is taking the standard.
Want the detail?
Here are some useful sources.
- IWBI announcement of new ratings: https://resources.wellcertified.com/press-releases/iwbi-expands-well-with-two-new-ratings-to-help-real-estate-leaders-deliver-on-investor-and-tenant-demands/
- Overview of WELL Real Estate and Operations Ratings (Facility Executive): https://facilityexecutive.com/iwbi-launches-two-new-well-ratings/
- First look at the next version of WELL (IWBI): https://resources.wellcertified.com/articles/one-integrated-standard/
- One WELL: a first look at the next version (Building Services Engineering): https://buildingservicesengineering.ie/2026/04/14/one-well-a-first-look-at-the-next-version/
- The Next Version of WELL and Other Takeaways (The Green Engineer): https://www.greenengineer.com/education/the-next-version-of-well-and-other-takeaways-from-iwbis-ny-summit
Define the route early.
If you do not have a clear WELL strategy at the start, you will be trying to fix it at the end.
If you need a clear plan, speak to Eight Versa.
