Two Canadian office buildings are pioneering a new building standard that places the health and wellness of its occupants first.

The WELL standard, which is being promoted and administered by the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) and Green Business Certification Inc., is a performance-based system that measures features impacting the health of people working in the buildings. It is based on seven concepts: air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind.

The first firm in the world to gain WELL certification was TD Bank Group, which renovated 25,000 square feet of corporate office space on the 23rd floor at the TD Centre in Toronto. It features more than 60 elements of the standard, including ergonomic office furniture, water filtration, improved lighting and a lounge where work is not allowed. The office's vending machines now offer only nutritious food.

"A growing body of research demonstrates the environments where we live and work have a direct impact on our well-being and it is becoming increasingly important to place people at the heart of design and construction, operations and development decisions," says Paul Scialla, founder of the International WELL Building Institute, which developed the standard.

The standard was "created through seven years of rigorous research and development working with leading physicians, scientists and industry professionals," says the institute in a news release. It says the standard "marries best practices in design and construction with evidence based medical and scientific research."

Commercial real estate firm CRBE recently opened its WELL registered office building near Toronto Pearson International Airport.

"Simply put, what we have created is the workplace of the future," says Mark Renzoni, president and CEO of CRBE Canada.

All of the workstations in the new building are "sit-stand" to encourage employees to move around. CRBE says the internal air in the building is in the top one per cent of all offices globally and the HVAC system automatically pumps in fresh air from outside when increased levels of carbon dioxide are detected.

No employee is more than 25 feet from natural sunlight or views, and the lighting system automatically adjusts to brighten or dim based on the natural sunlight level outside.

The office has "a variety of work styles for its dynamic and multigenerational workforce," says CRBE. Employees have the flexibility to work as individuals or as teams, in either quiet or collaborative environments.

Many new office spaces now include a step up from the old "coffee room" -- this one has the "RISE Café", designed as the focal point of the office where people can come to work or take a break. Clients who visit the office are invited to stay and check their emails or do some work on their own in the café.

Employees can move around the office and work from any workstation, or from any other CRBE office in Canada.

"The average worker spends approximately half their waking hours in an office, so it's a place where employers can have a very real and direct impact on employee wellness," says Ashley O'Neill, vice president of corporate strategy at CRBE Canada. "By being an early mover, not only do we create one of the healthiest office spaces in Canada for our people, we will be in an experienced position to council our clients through the process."

CaGBC says the WELL standard, which includes more than 100 features, "can help create a built environment that improves the nutrition, fitness, mood, sleep patterns and performance of its occupants. Certification allows building owners and employers to know that their space is performing as intended to support human health and wellness."

There are many overlapping features between the WELL standard and the better-known LEED standards, as well as other international green building standards. The WELL standards were designed to work harmoniously with the other previously developed standards.

At least nine more projects in Canada are registered to pursue WELL certification. They include a CRBE office in Vancouver, the Bay Park Centre in Toronto and Oxford's MNP Tower in Vancouver.

Oxford conducted some research in 2014, finding that millennials felt that workplaces should include features relating to personal well-being such as lots of natural light, on-site fitness facilities and proximity to amenities.

"WELL Core and Shell certified buildings address these needs with features such as higher levels of natural light and internal air quality testing, access to stairwells to encourage regular use by tenants, reduced exterior noise intrusion and biophilic design (recognizing the human psychological need to be around nature and incorporating natural elements into the design of indoor environments to enhance relaxation)," says Oxford.

The Bay Park Centre, scheduled for completion in 2019, will offer three million square feet of space in two towers at 81 and 141 Bay St. in Toronto. It will be a candidate for LEED Platinum and WELL certifications.

"Along with access to shared green spaces, the buildings will offer high-efficiency energy and water solutions, highly optimized air filtration and ventilation and over 500 bicycle parking racks," says developer Ivanhoé Cambridge. They will have "an extensive suite of amenities, including the one-acre elevated programmed park -- featuring a series of seasonal events -- connecting the two buildings, a leading-edge fitness facility and a first-class conference centre," the company says.