More Images
In 2017, Shangwen Kennedy, an experienced, Harvard-trained architect and urban designer, wanted to try something new: Creating spaces that would improve the health and well-being of people who use them.

She and her husband bought a small inn in Encinitas, CA, near San Diego, and conducted an extensive renovation of land and property. Shangwen had learned about a new certification program to help building developers and owners establish a toehold in the nascent well-being construction space, akin to the better-known LEEDS standard for environmentalism.

Creating beautiful spaces was no longer enough, and Shangwen saw a challenge: “How do you provide a life-giving space. It requires a different way.”

Now, their Inn at Moonlight Beach has garnered global media attention since it became the World’s First WELL Certified hotel. With its biological enhancements, herb and vegetable gardens, state-of-the-art ventilations and water-purification systems, and relaxed, peaceful atmosphere, this five-suite inn is part of a growing movement to ensure health and well-being in shared spaces.

Buildings large and small, in all kinds of industries around the world, are being built to gain and promote WELL certification. It began before the pandemic, but COVID-19 launched concerns about safety and cleanliness in common environments, and WELL has responded to provide a range of authentication to provide standards and confidence.

Head over to WebMD to read the full story.