Together we're making a difference for the new era of buildings

As dedicated: energy, environment, health and well-being engineering professionals within the built environment sector, the purpose of PAS 3003 is to help shape the current and future direction of the industry – with a simple, affordable, easy to implement code of practice to address key issues which have been proven to affect the health, productivity and well-being of building occupants – especially as studies indicate buildings have the ability to possess healing properties.

Generally speaking, PAS 3003 is being developed by industry leading experts because of the unintended consequences which have been created by European and domestic legislation (i.e. Energy Performance Certificates, Green Deal, ECO scheme’s) motivated by greenhouse gas reduction targets aimed to substantially improve energy eﬃciency in both new and existing buildings. Together, building and construction are responsible for 39% of all carbon emissions in the world, with operational emissions (from energy used to heat, cool and light buildings) accounting for 28%.

In other words, the pursuit of improving energy eﬃciency and reducing carbon emissions “in silo” has NOT considered intrinsically-linked factors that exist between buildings, human health, well-being and climate change. When designed and operated as they should be, healthier buildings have the ability to minimise energy usage and carbon emissions, have healing properties and importantly, optimise commercial effectiveness.

The unintended consequences include, but not exclusively, overheated and unventilated buildings, unhealthy humidity levels which can lead to an increase in contracting infectious respiratory diseases (i.e. COVID-19) and poor lighting quality which cause headaches, fatigue and loss of concentration. This has led to an increase in operational costs driven by cheapest capital costs and symptoms associated with the sick building syndrome.

Indoor environmental factors cannot be underestimated for people in developed countries who spend around 90% of their entire lives indoors, inside unnatural environments which, knowingly or unknowingly, have the ability to significantly impact our bodily functions – especially susceptible occupants – like the young, the elderly, certain ethnic groups, people in poverty and those who suffer with underlying mental and physical health conditions. (i.e. asthma, allergies, respiratory diseases, severe mental and physical ill health conditions)

For those who work in the supply chain, PAS 3003 is being driven by a need to provide a quality benchmark for the “Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015”.

Initially PAS 3003 will be focusing on the UK market – with a view to develop into a formal British Standard which can then be adopted in Europe and the rest of the world with key partners.

We have reached-out to industry to contribute to the tasks-in-hand. If we’ve missed you and feel your organisation is in a position to contribute to the development of this world-first bsi document, please feel free to get in touch.

Progress to date

In the new era of buildings, we’re pleased that PAS 3003 is acting as an interface between academia, government, public and trading bodies and industry. We are proud to be co-developing PAS 3003 which is outlined for publication Summer 2021.

Due to the restrictions and situation with COVID-19, the first steering group meeting with key partners commences online on the 22nd January 2021.

To give subject matter experts/organisations who are not on the steering group an opportunity to contribute towards the development of the PAS, there are still partnership opportunities to be on the bsi review panel. Additionally. there will be a public consultation around March/April via the bsi website. (exact date will be confirmed closer to the time thorough our newsletter which you can sign-up for below)

A series of webinars are also being organised (between Feb-May) to ensure we continue to take an open, honest and transparent approach in gaining an industry-wide consensus for the outcome of the first publication.

bsi Steering Group Committee Members include:

A special thank you to our sponsors to-date:

For marketing purposes, sponsors will be listed in the foreword of the bsi PAS 3003 document in chronological order.

If you’re interested in being listed in foreword of PAS 3003, there are still opportunities to become a partner and benefit for doing so.

The main benefits include:

Improving brand awareness and credibility with your industry peers and customers
Leverage knowledge to win business and stay one step ahead of your competitors
Shout about your involvement and early adopter opportunities
Adapt your business plan in advance of change

Contact our team for more details.

What is a PAS?

PAS stands for Publicly Available Specification. It is a bsi document developed by leaders in a sector designed to standardise elements of a product, service or process.

A PAS is developed in conjunction with a Code of Practice, designed to set the benchmark for quality within a field.

PAS 3003

This PAS gives recommendations for the measuring, monitoring and reporting of Well-being Environmental Performance (WEP) of the building and the building services. This PAS provides an evaluation and rating system, the aim of which is to enhance “Indoor Environmental Quality” (IEQ), thereby creating healthier buildings and improving the well-being of building occupants; including but not limited to staff, visitors, tenants and customers.

It is applicable to all forms of non-domestic buildings, including existing building stock, renovations and new build developments. It covers good practice approach to the evaluation of the factors set out below:

• Air Quality
• Light Quality
• Thermal Comfort
• Noise/Soundscape

Why PAS 3003?

In recent years, regulatory and commercial pressures have led designers, constructors, building owners/landlords, tenants and maintenance teams to focus on minimising energy costs; not always considering the unintended consequences of, but not exclusively, inadequate ventilation and lighting issues which may compromise occupant mental or physical health and well-being.

With the growing concern over the impact and cost of ill-health and pressures on public services, efforts must be made to improve the quality of building stock to meet the well-being needs of current and future generations.

The building sector requires harmonised standardisation of the health and well-being performance of non-domestic buildings. Therefore, this PAS gives recommendations for measuring, monitoring and reporting of the health and well-being factors influenced by the building and the building services. It includes a multi-layered evaluation system which generates a Well-being & Environmental Performance (WEP) level and identifies areas for improvement.

With factors such as Covid-19 becoming an important aspect of day to day life, management of ventilation systems is just part of the challenge that form part of the PAS.

Be a part of the future

Partner with us and make a difference

Partners will have the opportunity to be nominated to sit on the PAS steering group or review panel and be consulted throughout its development. They will receive a unique insight into the technical specifications and methodology of an industry standard before it is published. They will also be acknowledged in the foreword of the BSI document.

Be a pioneer: help draft the #1 Code of Practice for Healthier Buildings
Be a leader: working at the cutting edge of socio-economic and cultural change
Expand and grow: leverage knowledge to win business and stay in front of your competitors
Improve your brand: shout about your involvement and early adopter opportunities
Show you care: leaving a positive legacy for current and future generations
Innovate: adapt your business plan in advance of change and financially benefit for doing so

For additional information on “What is a PAS” and “What can a PAS do”, visit the bsi website

What our partners have to say

Peter Thorns

LIA Representative

"The Lighting Industry Association (LIA) is the largest trade association in Europe dedicated to serving the lighting industry and its supply chain. It has an established reputation for working within standards bodies and with Government organisations to develop the quality, safety and performance of the UK Lighting Industry and UK lighting practice. Recent years have seen incredible changes in lighting, how it is created and used, with scientific discoveries highlighting the link between lighting, health and wellbeing. The LIA is therefore excited to be involved in the development of PAS 3003, with its emphasis on indoor environmental quality and the wellbeing of building occupants. "

Ken Morris CIBSE

Area Sales Manager

"Schiedel Metaloterm is the leading flue and Chimney Manufacturer in the UK and a world-wide brand. We strongly believe in providing innovative and tailor-made solutions for customers that are future-proof and energy efficient. Our recent level 5 certification mark from the “Clear Skies” organisation shows our commitment to improving the health and well-being of our clients. The PAS3003 sits in-line with our ethos and we are excited to be part of the development process and are grateful to be included in the code of practice."

Prof. Graham Hughes

Network Representative

"“The Low Energy Ventilation Network is a multidisciplinary group of academic researchers and industry experts seeking to define the research agenda required to support future approaches to building ventilation. The overriding goal of our Network is to enhance the health and wellbeing of building occupants; our agenda recognises the importance – and technical challenge – of improving thermal comfort and indoor environment quality, whilst consuming less energy. Our Network is therefore excited to combine cutting-edge research findings with their application by contributing to the development of this code of practice.”"

Stephanie Taylor, MD, MArch, FRSPH(UK) ASHRAE

Co-founder Building4Health Inc

"“Above All, Cause No Harm”: A Building’s Pledge The COVID-19 pandemic has heralded a new day for buildings. Before March 2020, the design and management of the indoor environment prioritized low energy consumption and high real estate values. Suddenly this has shifted! The uncertainties around infectious disease transmission, mortality rates and our own immune systems have resulted in fear and confusion. On the brighter side, professionals in clinical medicine, microbiology and building design and management are now beginning to communicate. A remaining question is how to design and manage buildings to not only decrease the threat of microbial pathogens such as COVID-19, but to also optimize the health and productivity of human occupants in all times. The forward thinking, proposed PAS 3003 is essential to guide medical and building professionals in the creation of best practices for occupant heath. I fully support these efforts and am honored to be included in the committee."

Shahid Khan

Technical Manager

"The ECA are happy to actively support the creation of PAS 3003. A specification that introduces the idea of measuring the impacts on health and well-being performance of any size non-domestic buildings. Shahid Khan, Technical Manager for the ECA remarked, that the ECA’s involvement with the PAS shows their drive towards being a leading organisation with the wider built environment sector by embracing new avenues of work for their members. It clearly demonstrates a commitment towards improving the mental and physical health and well-being of occupants due to issues such as inadequate ventilation or poor levels of lighting. He went on to say that the PAS document is aimed at the majority of members within this space, as a straightforward easy to understand and implement framework to adopt and measure the impacts of both new and existing building stock on the health and well-being of users. The matrices within the PAS align with current thinking and in some cases can be shown to be leading other building performance standards with the input of very influential stakeholders. "

Craig Booth

Heath & Well-being Group Member

"The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) is delighted to be collaborating with many industry partners and policy makers on the delivery of this much needed standard. BESA members have a huge responsibility for the health and wellbeing of building occupants because many of them deliver indoor air quality improvements alongside other measures designed to create safe and comfortable indoor spaces. The Association takes its commitment to this work extremely seriously and has seen even greater focus on this area during the current Covid-19 crisis. While health and wellbeing has always been a key consideration, there has also been considerable confusion about what measures to take and what levels to aim for as it is a very complex area. Therefore, the creation of a comprehensive and detailed PAS is extremely welcome - particularly as it will be the result of a concerted collaborative effort - and BESA is grateful for the opportunity to contribute."

Claire Smith

Workforce Programme Manager

"Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) strategic objective is to lead, develop and embed a range of actions to support workplace wellbeing and colleague experience.  HEIW’s commitment is to make both HEIW and the wider NHS Wales, an exemplar employer in its support for wellbeing at work and is building on work already underway in the NHS. HEIW as in improvement Organisation is excited to be part of this developing area of work."

Dr Andy Dengel CChem MRSC

Director, BRE Environment

"BRE is engaged in a wide range of testing, assessment, advisory and research work into the quality of indoor environments in non-domestic buildings - be they offices, retail spaces, educational establishments, healthcare settings or other. This work may be conducted on behalf of manufacturers, developers, building owners, facilities managers or building users, or as part of research consortia.  During the course of such projects we have become cognoscente of the crucial importance of good IEQ for the health and wellbeing of building occupants, but often we come up against inconsistency or lack of appropriate benchmarks and standards for good IEQ. BRE therefore welcomes the proposed PAS 3003, and its associated Code of Practice, as invaluable tools with which to measure, monitor and evaluate the various factors crucial to quality indoor environments."

PAS 3003: Code of Practice

Protecting the health and wellbeing of building occupants

Together we're making a difference for the new era of buildings

Progress to date