Home is where health begins, the place we spend most of our lives. It’s where we seek refuge after long days, nurture our families and find comfort in the spaces that hold our most meaningful memories. Our homes are sanctuaries where healing, connection and well-being take root. Yet too often, the places we live are far from focused on protecting and enhancing our health.
But that is changing.
Last year, the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) launched a pilot for WELL for residential, the first global leadership standard dedicated exclusively to health and well-being in our homes. Now, as this pioneering benchmark gets closer to emerging from its pilot phase, a pivotal moment is unfolding. On Thursday, September 18, IWBI and USGBC California will convene the inaugural Healthy Homes Summit in Los Angeles, hosted by Lincoln Property Company at Bank of America Plaza. This one-day event will unite leaders across real estate, design, finance and public health to chart a path toward a revolution in how we think about, and ultimately how we interact with, our homes.
The Importance of Health at Home
Health in our homes has never been more important. The WELL for residential standard provides a science-based framework to enhance indoor air quality, strengthen disaster preparedness and integrate people-first design practices that support the people inside. From ensuring safer air and clean water to designing spaces that reduce stress and foster connection, healthy homes are fast becoming the new cornerstone of global well-being. The summit will highlight how these principles move beyond aspiration to measurable impact, delivering benefits for households and communities alike.
Momentum is building across the residential sector. Developers, builders and homeowners are increasingly rallying around healthy homes and WELL for residential in particular as the benchmark for designing and operating homes that support human health. To date, more than 30,000 locations are using WELL to make their homes healthier, safer and more resilient. With the program soon moving out of pilot, the Healthy Homes Summit is a special gathering, a cathartic moment of alignment, signaling the emergence of a new era where health is a fundamental value in how our homes focus on health all around the world.
An Inaugural Summit to Spark a Healthy Homes Movement
Housing is at the center of today’s most pressing challenges—affordability, climate resilience and delivering on the promise of health for all. The summit’s agenda reflects these intersecting priorities, with panels on financing healthy homes, strategies for making them accessible to all and innovations in technology and materials that make healthier living both possible and scalable. Attendees will also explore powerful case studies demonstrating how developers are responding to cultural and regional health needs while generating strong returns and thriving neighborhoods.
The event will feature remarks from leaders such as IWBI President and CEO Rachel Hodgdon, Ben Stapleton of USGBC California, policy experts from Housing Impact Partners, impact investors from DLP Capital, and changemakers from Shaw, Lutron, Aeroseal and beyond. Sessions will culminate in a special preview of the new Healthy Homes Professional Certificate, developed by ASID and IWBI, designed to equip professionals across industries with strategies to create safer, more nurturing residential spaces.
For anyone invested in the future of housing—whether as a developer, policymaker, health professional, or homeowner—this summit is an essential moment to engage. It’s where the future of our homes is being written, grounded in science and powered by innovation.
To attend the Summit, please register and use code USGBCCA20 for a special rate. After the Summit, please join us at USGBC California’s annual Game Night, offering networking, celebration and fun for attendees (separate registration required).
Posted 9/4/25
About the Author
Among the first to become a WELL Accredited Professional (WELL AP) and having served essential roles on several of the first WELL Certified projects globally, Liz Miles brings extensive knowledge and experience in health and well-being for buildings, organizations and communities. As Vice President of Residential at the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), Liz leads market development efforts for the WELL for residential pilot program. Liz is also a WELL Faculty, LEED Green Associate and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a minor in French from New York University.
