To achieve WELL Certification, projects must pass on-site performance testing, called performance verification (PV). As a part of PV, a WELL Performance Testing Agent will come to the project site to conduct a number of tests related to air, water, light, thermal comfort and sound parameters.

What is pre-testing?

Pre-testing is the practice of conducting testing within the project space in advance of PV to get an early indication of whether WELL Building Standard (WELL) requirements are met. These tests are optional. Tests are scheduled and paid for by the project team. Many teams do not conduct pre-testing and have successful performance verification testing.

Benefits of pre-testing

1. Pre-testing can give project teams an early indication of whether a project meets WELL requirements, as well as areas that may still require intervention or remediation to meet WELL requirements.
2. If necessary, projects have the opportunity to test different solutions and efficacy.
3. If pre-testing indicates an issue, it's easier to remedy earlier in the certification process.
4. Pre-testing can be particularly useful in understanding the baseline conditions of existing spaces.
5. Pre-testing can reduce the chances of needing to submit an appeal.

Pre-testing best practices

Determine which WELL features in the project’s scorecard will require testing. Project teams can prioritize pre-testing for preconditions to reduce the number of tests.

Guidance by concept

• Check local outdoor air quality data. If this data indicates that outdoor air quality is very good and internal air quality has been considered carefully (e.g., low VOC internal fit-out materials have been used, filters have been replaced, cooking will not take place in the space and the building has been cleaned with non-toxic cleaning materials) the team may not need to test for these specific contaminants and these tests may be considered for removal from the pre-testing list. An air pre-test may only include one to two potential contaminants that the project team is not certain will be in compliance. Here are examples of instances where a project team may want to conduct pre-testing for air:

  • The project is located next to a source of air pollutants (e.g., a highway) and it is unclear how the project's location affects the indoor air quality.
  • The project is located in an area with high levels of outdoor air pollutants.
  • The project team has implemented a number of air purification strategies and wants to see if they are effective in meeting WELL requirements, or if additional/more robust strategies are required for consideration.
  • The project is an interior fit-out project that recently moved into a newly renovated existing building where it is unclear if base-building materials are still significantly off-gassing.
  • The project has newly installed materials that have the potential to off-gas VOCs.
  • An existing project with an existing ventilation system where the team is determining if ductwork cleaning and filter replacement may be required to meet WELL requirements.
  • A project is located in an area where levels of outdoor air pollutants exceed the WELL thresholds (especially if it is a naturally ventilated project).
  • Printers are present within the occupied floor area which can influence ozone measurements.
  • The project is a WELL v1 project and is located in a high radon risk area.

• Check local water quality data and compare levels of municipal water quality to WELL requirements. Pre-testing is recommended in the following instances:

  • The municipal water quality testing levels significantly differ from the WELL thresholds.
  • There are water contaminants that are not tested by the municipality.
  • There are old pipes delivering water that could influence the water quality on-site.
  • There are industrial or agricultural sites close to the project that could influence the water quality delivered to the project.

• Consider existing lighting conditions in the space in the following situations:

  • The project has existing lighting and cannot get information on the lighting fixtures (e.g., CRI, lux levels, information to calculate EML).
  • The project is not certain if the light features can be achieved without task lighting and would like to test different lighting options.

• Consider existing acoustical conditions in the space. If an acoustical consultant verifies that certain areas meet WELL requirements as-is, due to existing design characteristics, it may not be necessary to conduct pre-testing. Other types of spaces where project teams have less or no acoustical control in the design and construction phases may benefit from pre-testing (e.g., a conference room in an existing building).

• Consider existing thermal comfort conditions in the space. If there is continuous monitoring in a space collecting data at regular intervals, pre-testing is likely not needed if the data shows compliance with WELL feature requirements. Below are examples of when pre-testing for thermal comfort conditions may be useful:

  • The project is using existing systems and it is unclear what the relative humidity levels are, especially in areas next to spaces with high humidity (e.g., shower rooms, pool areas, etc.).
  • The project is located in a humid climate and is unclear how this is impacting humidity levels within the project.
  • The project is an existing space that has not undergone envelope commissioning or blower air door testing, and it is unclear if there are leaks in the envelope that could affect thermal comfort conditions such as temperature and humidity levels.
  • The project has large glazed areas and/or walls with no, or minimal, insulation levels that could affect radiant temperature levels.

  Determine the optimal time for each pre-test

  Make sure that results of each test can be received in time to reasonably implement a solution. For example, if water pre-tests come back with very high chlorine levels, ideally those results are received at a point in the timeline where it is still possible to implement a solution such as adding a central filtration system or point-of-use filtration.

Select a testing agent 

Select a testing agent that can perform verification according to the WELL Performance Verification Guidebook. If the project is pursuing WELL Certification under WELL v2, note that the same individual WELL Performance Testing Agent cannot be used for PV testing if they provided pre-testing services that include consulting as this is deemed a conflict of interest. Consulting, in this case, is considered guidance on how to remediate any gaps in WELL compliance that were indicated in testing results. If the individual is strictly providing pre-testing data results, they can be selected as the WELL Performance Testing Agent for the project.

Conduct pre-testing

When pre-testing, please note that meticulously following the guidance in the WELL Performance Verification Guidebook will yield results similar to the results that are received later during WELL PV, specifically:

• Occupants should conduct business as usual during pre-testing as the testing requirements are that the space should be at typical occupancy during PV. Note that some tests will be taken after hours (e.g. sound and light) due to the nature of the testing. 
• It is important to follow equipment specifications. Different types of equipment will have different accuracy tolerances and may produce results that differ from the future PV testing results. The Performance Testing Agent is responsible for ensuring that all of the equipment used for PV does meet the requirements as stated in the PVGB. The Agent is required to submit the calibration certificates for all of the equipment used on site.
• Sampling location requirements are detailed in the WELL Performance Verification Guidebook and should be followed to ensure that pre-testing occurs in similar locations and conditions as future WELL PV. However, the project team can choose to justify the number of testing points required by the WELL Performance Verification Guidebook to reduce pre-testing costs.
• Certain features require specific methods for analyzing data, which should be followed precisely during pre-testing to ensure that pre-testing results are calculated by the WELL Performance Testing Agent using the same methods during WELL PV.

If pre-testing is carried out by an approved Performance Testing Agent who is not consulting on the WELL project, pre-testing results may be used for performance testing review as long as: 

• There have been no significant changes to the project fit out or boundary after pre-testing was conducted.
• Tests were conducted less than 12 months prior to review submission.
• The results pass.

Interpret the results

If there are any pre-tests that indicate a gap between project performance and WELL requirements, implement a plan to close the gap. Consider redoing tests that did not pass in the first round of pre-testing to ensure that implemented solutions result in anticipated outcomes during WELL Performance Verification.