6.1 Active Buildings and Communities (V01) & Circulation Network (V03)

6.1 Active Buildings and Communities (V01) & Circulation Network (V03)

Core Exam Takeaway: V01 Active Buildings and Communities is a precondition with a single requirement: achieve at least one point in V03, V04, V05 or V08. It adds no independent criteria of its own. V03 Circulation Network (3 pt / WELL Core 6 pt) then pays 1 point each for aesthetic design, point-of-decision signage and stair visibility. Movement carries 7 scored exam questions, and the concept has 2 preconditions (V01, V02) and 8 optimizations (V03–V10), plus the non-assessable beta feature V11 Ergonomics Programming.

Why WELL treats movement as a design problem

Physical inactivity and prolonged sitting are independent risk factors — a person can exercise daily and still accrue harm from eight sedentary hours. WELL therefore attacks the problem on four fronts, and the four map onto V01's four qualifying features:

1. Make the building itself require movement → V03 Circulation Network
2. Make active commuting practical → V04 Facilities for Active Occupants
3. Put the building where walking works → V05 Site Planning and Selection
4. Provide places and equipment to be active → V08 Physical Activity Spaces and Equipment

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Feature V01: Active Buildings and Communities — Precondition

Intent: facilitate all types of movement, including physical activity and exercise, and reduce sedentary behavior through the intentional design of built spaces.

V01 Part 1 — Design Active Buildings and Communities

The project achieves at least one point in one of the following features:

• (a) V03: Circulation Network
• (b) V04: Facilities for Active Occupants
• (c) V05: Site Planning and Selection
• (d) V08: Physical Activity Spaces and Equipment

WELL Core guidance: see applicability for the chosen optimization.

[!IMPORTANT] This is the clearest example in WELL v2 of a precondition that delegates to optimizations. It has three consequences worth internalizing. First, every project must earn at least one Movement optimization point — the concept cannot be scored at zero. Second, the same point counts twice: once toward the precondition and once toward the project's score. Third, V02 Ergonomic Workstation Design is not on the list, so a project cannot satisfy V01 through ergonomics alone. Compare L01 Option 4, which delegates to L03 in the same way.

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Feature V03: Circulation Network — Optimization (3 pt / WELL Core 6 pt)

Intent: encourage stair use through aesthetic design, signage and visibility of staircases.

All three parts share the same gating condition: at least one staircase is open to regular occupants and services all floors of the project.

V03 Part 1 — Design Aesthetic Staircases (1 pt / Core 2 pt)

The qualifying staircase is aesthetically designed through the inclusion of at least two of the following on each floor:

• (a) Music
• (b) Artwork
• (c) Light levels of at least 215 lux (20 fc) when in use
• (d) Windows or skylights that provide access to daylight
• (e) Natural design elements (plants, water features, images of nature)
• (f) Gamification

V03 Part 2 — Integrate Point-of-Decision Signage (1 pt / Core 2 pt)

• (a) Point-of-decision signage is present at all three of the following locations:
  1. Near the main building entrance or the reception desk
  2. At elevator or escalator banks on each floor
  3. At the base of stairs and stairwell re-entry points on each floor
• (b) If stairs are not visible from signage locations, wayfinding signage is used to guide occupants to the stairs.

V03 Part 3 — Promote Visible Stairs (1 pt / Core 2 pt)

The qualifying staircase is located physically and/or visibly before elevators/escalators, as measured from the main point of entry to the building.

Interiors allowance (all three parts): interiors projects may count base building stairs that connect the project to the ground floor or lobby toward feature requirements, even if those stairs are outside the project boundary. For Part 2, interiors projects must implement point-of-decision signage at all locations on the project's floor and on the ground floor.

WELL Core guidance: whole building.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|             V03: THREE INDEPENDENT POINTS, ONE STAIRCASE                    |
|                                                                             |
|   PART 1  MAKE IT PLEASANT   >= 2 of 6 elements on EACH floor:               |
|                              music | artwork | >=215 lux (20 fc) in use |    |
|                              daylight | natural elements | gamification      |
|                                                                             |
|   PART 2  MAKE IT KNOWN      point-of-decision signage at 3 locations:       |
|                              main entrance/reception | elevator or escalator |
|                              banks EACH FLOOR | stair base + re-entry points |
|                              EACH FLOOR  (+ wayfinding if stairs not visible)|
|                                                                             |
|   PART 3  MAKE IT FIRST      stair encountered physically and/or visibly     |
|                              BEFORE the elevator, measured from the main     |
|                              point of entry                                  |
|                                                                             |
|   All three require: one staircase, OPEN to regular occupants,               |
|   SERVICING ALL FLOORS of the project.                                       |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[!TIP] 215 lux (20 fc) "when in use" is the only numeric threshold in V03, and the qualifier matters: an occupancy-sensed stairwell may sit dark and still comply, provided it reaches 215 lux once someone enters. Note this is higher than L02's 110 lux (10 fc) floor-level minimum for transition spaces — WELL wants stairs brighter than a code-minimum stairwell, because gloom is the single biggest deterrent to stair use.

[!TIP] Gamification — interactive projections, step counters, piano stairs — is a listed element, which surprises candidates. So is music. Neither requires construction, so a project with a code-compliant fire stair can often earn Part 1 with a speaker and a curated set of prints.

[!IMPORTANT] "Physically and/or visibly before elevators" is Part 3's whole test, and it is measured from the main point of entry. A stair tucked behind the elevator core fails even if it is beautiful and well signposted. This is why Part 3 is the hardest of the three to retrofit and the easiest to secure in a new design.

How V01 and V03 interact in practice

Because V01 accepts a single point from V03, the cheapest compliant path for many existing buildings is V03 Part 1 or Part 2: add music and artwork to an existing accessible stair, or install the three signage sets. That one point satisfies the precondition and starts the concept's point tally — which matters because, for WELL Certification, Silver requires at least 1 point in every concept, Gold 2 and Platinum 3. Movement's concept minimum is therefore effectively pre-satisfied by V01's structure at the Silver level.