Complete details about performance testing can be found in the WELL Performance Verification Guidebook. Project owners should review this guidebook in its entirety while planning for their on-site test. Below, we have included a brief summary, including high-level guidance around requirements and project timelines for WELL Core projects.

Minimum criteria

Certain conditions must be met before a WELL Core project can conduct performance testing:

• Documentation review must be complete unless the project has requested and been approved to pursue concurrent review.
• The construction of the base building should be complete. Interiors do not have to be complete, but active construction of interiors will likely have a negative impact on results.

Testing scope and sampling area

Performance tests span several environmental factors and will depend on the features pursued by the project. The WELL Core Guidance note under each feature will explain where the performance test will be conducted in a WELL Core project.

At least 2.5% of the total building floor area must be available for performance testing. The available testing area must include all common areas and spaces directly under the control of the building management team. Sampling points must be representative of occupiable areas, with a preference for regularly occupied areas.

If there are no common areas and spaces under owner control, or if they comprise less than 2.5% of total building floor area, the project must supplement with tenant spaces to reach this threshold. Testing in leased spaces in these cases can take place before or after tenant occupancy.

• Building floor area is typically considered the square footage of the area included within the surrounding exterior walls of a building, including each floor of a multiple story building but not including areas like carports or garages. Therefore "non-occupiable spaces" (e.g., technical rooms) would typically be considered part of the building floor area, and should be included.

Some performance-based optimizations explicitly state that they require testing in tenant spaces. If pursuing these optimizations, plan accordingly. The project owner is responsible for identifying and communicating to the WELL Performance Testing Agent the particular spaces available for testing. These locations do not need to be in addition to the number of locations required for testing.

Timing for performance testing in a WELL Core project

To conduct WELL Core performance testing, the base building construction needs to be completed, the fit-out of tenant spaces does not need to be completed. On-site testing is not recommended while tenant construction is happening due to a variety of factors that could impact testing results (particularly with regards to air quality). It would be optimal for testing to occur during a window when WELL Core construction is completed and before tenant fit-out construction begins. Alternatively, the WELL Core space can be tested after all tenant fit-out construction is complete. In this case, it is recommended for projects to consider minimizing the effects the tenant fit-out has on the base building areas.  Registered projects can contact our WELL coaching team via the Support tab of their project account to discuss on-site testing timing and strategy.