The Sidney Lu Mechanical Engineering Building (MEB) completed a major transformation in 2022, including over 40,000 square feet added to instructional and research capabilities. It even got a new piece of public and interactive art.
Leaders from the building and those in the mechanical science & engineering (MechSE) department, along with help from F&S, invested even more to reach WELL Platinum Certification.
To accomplish WELL, the building hit markers that make the space more comfortable, healthy, and sustainable through 10 concepts: Air, Community, Light, Materials, Mind, Movement, Nutrition, Sound, Thermal Comfort, Water.
In “Air,” for example, the building needs to hit certain benchmarks of air quality by keeping out particulates, carbon dioxide, radon, and other pollutants. Smoking is, of course, not allowed on campus, which helps. And even by moving or separating pollution-causing items like cleaning products, printers and copiers, and restrooms from common spaces, indoor air quality can improve.
“It is a more holistic approach to creating not just a ‘green’ building, but a healthy one,” said Joe Villanti, F&S project manager.
This makes MEB unlike any other campus building. In fact, it is literally the first of its kind at the U. of I.
WELL makes available a library of over 500 evidence-based, design, policy and operational strategies that can improve the health and well-being of building users.
- Make the air better to breathe
- Ensure the water is safe to drink
- Mitigate burnout
- Boost sleep and cognitive well-being
- Foster a culture of health
- Select healthier materials
- Advance inclusion and belonging
- Encourage daily movement
- Address the needs of hybrid, remote and in-person workforces
Being WELL
Launched in October 2014 after six years of research and development, WELL is the standard for buildings, interior spaces and communities seeking to implement, validate and measure interventions that support and advance human health and wellness.
WELL was developed by integrating scientific and medical research and literature on environmental health, behavioral factors, health outcomes and demographic risk factors that affect human health with leading practices in design, operations and management. WELL also references existing standards and best practice guidelines set by governmental and professional organizations.