Kirksey announces one of the country's first WELL Accredited Professionals

04/14/2016 | Kirksey

Kirksey announces one of the country's first WELL Accredited Professionals

Kirksey Architecture is proud to announce that Colley Hodges, AIA and LEED AP, is the firm’s first WELL Accredited Professional and one of the first in the country to be awarded the credential through the Green Business Certification, Inc. (GBCI).

WELL is a performance-based standard focused on features of the built environment that impact human health and well-being. The WELL Building Standard consists of designing toward, measuring, and monitoring performance thresholds in seven categories of wellness: air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind.

Becoming a WELL Accredited Professional involves passing the WELL AP exam and “signifies extensive knowledge of human health and wellness in the built environment,” according to the GBCI. Candidates must be well-versed in the WELL Building Standard v1, the WELL Certification Guidebook, and other resources.

“It was a detail-oriented exam. I had a decent base of knowledge going into studying because I have been working on this topic at Kirksey for some time, but there was still a lot of material to cover” said Hodges. “Work and family makes it tough to find time to study, but I knew this would be an important step for our firm.”

Hodges’ interest in becoming a WELL AP was no surprise, given that Kirksey has been dedicated to healthy building since the firm was founded. Kirksey’s EcoServices team has always been at the forefront of major trends in sustainable design, having established the Houston chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council and is responsible for a number of LEED firsts, including Houston’s first LEED Certified building.

Hopes are high that with a WELL AP on staff, Kirksey will soon have its first WELL certified project. According to the International Well Building Institute, there are currently five projects pursuing WELL in Texas, only one of which is in Houston.

"Colley's achievement is a key milestone in our development of health and wellness expertise," said Julie Hendricks, AIA and LEED AP, vice president and director of Kirksey’s EcoServices team. “It has the potential to open some doors in this growing trend in sustainable design and architecture in general.”