What’s Not Feasible
This section explains which features of the WELL Building Standard are not applicable or practical. Features that are not applicable due to building particulars or program offerings nor practical because they are not feasible at this time are included in this category.
Some features specify policy requirements. In general, Phipps policies meet the intent of the feature but not necessarily the particular requirements stated. In these cases, policies are tailored to fit the culture and space of the organization while supporting the intent of the feature.
Recall that the standard includes two categories of features: preconditions, which are required for every project, and optimizations, which are presented as a menu from which project teams may select those that best align with the project’s goals and organizational culture. Projects need not meet all provided features to achieve certification, and projects are capped at meeting 12 features per concept area.
Click the links below to learn more information about each category of this section.
Air | Water | Nourishment | Light | Movement | Thermal Comfort | Sound | Materials | Mind | Community
Air
The Air concept aims to ensure high levels of indoor air quality across a building’s lifetime through strategies that include source elimination or reduction, active and passive building design, and operation strategies and human behavior interventions.
Preconditions
The greenhouse meets or is exploring all preconditions in the air concept.
Optimizations
- Implement demand-controlled ventilation – The HVAC setup in the greenhouse does not have the capacity to respond to measured CO2 levels. To implement this feature, a new HVAC system would need to be installed.
- Implement displacement ventilation – The greenhouse does not have a displacement ventilation system in place. To implement this feature, a new HVAC system would need to be installed.
- Implement advanced air distribution – The HVAC setup in the greenhouse does not permit occupant control of air direction or speed. To implement this feature, a new HVAC system would need to be installed.
- Apply universal design to windows – Universal design principles were not commonly employed when the greenhouse was constructed and windows are not easily operable with one hand. To implement this feature, new windows would need to be installed throughout the building.
- Manage combustion – The HVAC unit is combustion based. To implement this feature, a new HVAC system would need to be installed.
- Implement carbon filtration – The HVAC unit does not have sufficient capacity to support carbon filters. To implement this feature, a new HVAC system would need to be installed.
- Implement ultraviolet air treatment – The HVAC unit does not have sufficient capacity to support ultraviolet filters. To implement this feature, a new HVAC system would need to be installed.
Water
The Water concept covers aspects of the quality, distribution, and control of liquid water in a building. It includes features that address the availability and contaminant thresholds of drinking water through filtration, as well as features targeting the management of water to avoid damage to building materials and environmental conditions.
The greenhouse meets or is exploring all preconditions and optimizations in the water concept.
Nourishment
The Nourishment concept requires the availability of fruits and vegetables and nutritional transparency and encourages the creation of food environments where the healthiest choice is the easiest choice.
Preconditions
The greenhouse meets or is exploring all preconditions in the nourishment concept.
Optimizations
- Implement healthy menu design – This optimization is not applicable. The on-site café is a separate space from the greenhouse.
- Promote healthy portions – This optimization is not applicable. The on-site café is a separate space from the greenhouse.
Light
The Light concept promotes exposure to light and aims to create lighting environments that are optimal for visual, mental, and biological health.
Preconditions
The greenhouse meets or is exploring all preconditions in the light concept.
Optimizations
- Implement enhanced daylight simulation – The greenhouse was not designed to achieve spatial daylight autonomy. Additional lighting features are more appropriate for this space.
Movement
The Movement concept promotes movement, physical activity, and ergonomic space set ups and discourages sedentary behaviors through environmental design strategies, programs, and policies.
Preconditions
- Provide standing support – Active staff are mobile and not located in one designated work station. Office-based employees are not required to stand for 50 percent or more of their working hours.
Optimizations
- Integrate point-of-decision signage – The greenhouse provides a freight elevator for moving large machinery and props between floors.
- Select sites with diverse uses – While centrally located in a public park, the greenhouse is not located within one quarter mile of at least eight existing use types. Use types include food retail (such as a grocery store), community-serving retail (such as a pharmacy or hardware store), services (such as a bank, hair salon, or restaurant), civic and community facilities (such as a community center, post office, or public library), and community anchor uses (such as commercial offices and housing).
- Select sites with access to mass transit – Mass transit is offered in Oakland; however, the bus stops are located beyond the distance required in this feature.
- Select sites with bike friendly streets – While bike lanes do front the conservatory, the protected bicycle network in Pittsburgh is still growing and not as extensive as this feature requires.
- Implement activity programs for students – This feature applies to schools and is not applicable to the greenhouse.
- Promote physical activity – While Phipps provides amenities to encourage physical activity, the incentives offered are not specific to the greenhouse location and differ from the specifications of the certification requirement.
- Promote participation awareness – This feature is not applicable because Phipps does not meet the above requirements for promoting physical activity.
- Provide self-monitoring tools – The provision of self-monitoring tools for all staff is cost-prohibitive at this time.
Thermal Comfort
The Thermal Comfort concept aims to promote human productivity and ensure a maximum level of thermal comfort among all building users through improved HVAC system design and control and by meeting individual thermal preferences.
Preconditions
The greenhouse meets or is exploring all preconditions in the thermal comfort concept.
Optimizations
- Promote free address – While many active horticulture employees are mobile throughout the day, this is to accommodate defined job duties, rather than as part of a free address policy. For office-based staff, work stations are assigned to specific staff.
- Facilitate thermal adaptation – While Phipps values the thermal comfort of employees and has measures in place to evaluate and respond to variances in thermal comfort, this feature requires the provision of blankets for staff use, which is not something currently provided.
- Implement radiant systems – The greenhouse does not include any radiant system in the head house. A complete building renovation would be required to implement this feature.
- Implement dedicated outdoor air systems – The greenhouse does not provide a dedicated outdoor air system. A complete building renovation would be required to implement this feature.
Sound
The Sound concept aims to bolster occupant health and well-being through the identification and mitigation of acoustical comfort parameters that shape occupant experiences in the built environment.
The greenhouse meets or is exploring all preconditions and optimizations in the sound concept.
Materials
The Materials concept aims to reduce human and environmental exposure to hazardous building material ingredients through the restriction or elimination of compounds or products known to be toxic and the promotion of safer replacements.
Preconditions
The greenhouse meets or is exploring all preconditions in the materials concept.
Optimizations
- Manage hazardous materials – The greenhouse was constructed after laws banning or restricting asbestos and lead. These hazards are not present in the greenhouse and this feature is not applicable.
- Implement site assessment and clean up – The portion of Schenley Park where the greenhouse is sited was not used for any industrial activities including hazardous waste storage, fuel station, manufacturing plant, dry cleaners, or automotive repair. This feature is not applicable.
Mind
The Mind concept promotes mental health through policy, program and design strategies that seek to address the diverse factors that influence cognitive and emotional well-being.
Preconditions
The greenhouse meets or is exploring all preconditions in the mind concept.
Optimizations
- Provide micro- and macro-breaks – Phipps does provide designated time to break for a meal and encourages small breaks away from workstations throughout the day; however, this feature requires more vacation days than Phipps currently provides.
- Assess work environment – Staff are permitted to wear headphones and manage their own calendars to support their own needs for focus. Formal workplace policies regarding quiet hours are not in place.
- Provide workplace sleep support – Phipps does not permit naps during the work day.
- Provide non-workplace sleep support – Job responsibilities may necessitate working outside of designated shifts.
- Provide business travel support – While business travel is limited, specific trips may not meet all listed requirements. Required business travel balances organizational needs with demands made of staff.
Community
The Community concept aims to support access to essential healthcare, workplace health promotion and accommodations for new parents while establishing an inclusive, integrated community through social equity, civic engagement and accessible design.
Preconditions
The greenhouse meets or is exploring all preconditions in the community concept.
Optimizations
- Select enhanced survey – Phipps has elected to survey staff four times per year to understand seasonal shifts in employee satisfaction. The survey options provided are cost prohibitive to implement with such frequency. Phipps has instead developed a comprehensive employee occupancy survey with the Research and Science Education department.
- Offer on-demand health services – Health services are not located within one half mile of the greenhouse.
- Offer new parent leave – Phipps offers two weeks of parental leave to full time staff following the 60-day introductory period, which varies from the specified requirements of this feature.
- Promote workplace support – While Phipps works with individual employees who are returning from leave, we do not offer the specific programs required by this feature.
- Offer workplace breastfeeding support – While a designated lactation space is available for staff use in the Center for Sustainable Landscapes, Phipps encourages lactating staff to provide their own equipment.
- Promote breastfeeding education and support – Phipps encourages breastfeeding staff to seek support from a medical professional.
- Offer childcare support – Full time staff may use sick time for family care obligations caused by a physical or mental health condition, or if care for a dependent family member is necessitated by the closure or delayed start of a care facility or school because of severe weather conditions; however, an on-site childcare center or program is not provided.
- Offer eldercare support – Phipps provides resources for eldercare through the Employee Assistance Program, but we do not currently meet some of the other requirements specified by this feature.
- Promote equity program participation – Phipps does not currently participate in the specific equity programs listed in this feature, but addresses equity in other ways.
- Provide family bathrooms – The greenhouse is a behind-the-scenes facility to support the conservatory. The utility of family bathrooms in this type of space is low.
- Provide community space – The greenhouse is a behind-the-scenes facility to support the conservatory. Community spaces are more appropriately sited elsewhere on campus.
