WELL, LEED and RESET Air each assess a different dimension of building performance, from occupant wellbeing and environmental impact to the quality of indoor air data collected over time.
Each was built to answer a different question, and once you understand what each one is asking, the differences become clear.
What each one is asking
WELL asks whether the building supports the people in it. Published by the International WELL Building Institute, it spans ten concepts: Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, Thermal Comfort, Sound, Materials, Mind and Community. Air is one of them, not the whole story. Across those concepts are preconditions that must be met and optimisations that earn points. That structure is why WELL rewards breadth: strong performance in one area cannot compensate for ignoring the rest. Levels run from Bronze to Platinum at 40, 50, 60 and 80 points, with certification renewed every three years.
LEED asks what the building costs the world around it. Published by the U.S. Green Building Council, it covers energy, carbon, water, materials, waste, transport and ecological impact, with indoor environmental quality alongside them. LEED v5 is organised around three impact areas: decarbonisation, quality of life, and ecological conservation and restoration. Decarbonisation carries the largest share of the available points, making the direction of the standard clear. Worth knowing: air quality sits within indoor environmental quality rather than standing alone, so LEED Platinum does not, by itself, make the same health-centred or continuous IAQ performance claim as WELL or RESET Air.
RESET Air asks whether the building can prove what its air is doing. RESET is modular, and Air is the operational module covering indoor air quality. It runs on continuous monitoring of PM2.5, CO₂, TVOC, temperature and relative humidity through accredited hardware and software. For commercial interiors, 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 is acceptable performance and 12 µg/m³ is high performance. Results are assessed as daily averages over occupied hours, with the required thresholds maintained for three consecutive months.
How each one proves it
This is where the frameworks separate more sharply than their scopes suggest.
WELL verifies environmental conditions through third-party performance verification, including on-site measurements. For selected features, eligible continuous sensor data can be used instead of conventional performance testing. LEED verifies compliance through documentation and technical review by GBCI.
RESET takes a different approach. Its defining mechanism is continuous measurement. It sets requirements for monitor performance, deployment, installation, calibration, data providers, reporting intervals and performance over time.
One detail gets misread constantly: Grade A and Grade B describe monitor classes, not concentration limits. Eligible Grade A or Grade B equipment can be used in RESET Air projects, although RESET currently offers monitor testing and accreditation only for Grade B devices.
The real subject of RESET is data quality. Any monitor can produce numbers. RESET governs whether those numbers can be trusted, from the device and its placement to the reporting platform and whether the readings hold up across months rather than only on the afternoon of an assessment.
Designed well is not the same as running well
WELL and LEED award certification through defined review and verification processes. WELL requires recertification every three years, while LEED’s ongoing performance and recertification requirements depend on the rating system and programme being used.
RESET Air is continuous by design. It relies on ongoing reporting and performance calculated over time rather than a single assessment result.
Both kinds of claim are worth making. A building can be beautifully designed and poorly operated, or unremarkable on paper and running better than its neighbours. No one of these certifications makes exactly the same claim as the others, and reading one as though it covers everything is one of the most common mistakes in this space.
The right fit depends on the asset, the stakeholders and the kind of evidence they expect to see. The key is not to chase logos. It is to choose the framework that leads to better decisions, better documentation and better spaces for people.
For practical advice, contact MoveAir. Our WELL AP, LEED AP and RESET AP can help you understand how each framework applies to your building and guide you through the process, from early strategy and monitoring to documentation and certification.
