Living Building Challenge Standard 3.1
Living Building Challenge Standard 3.1
Living Building Challenge Standard 3.1
BUILDING
CHALLENGE SM
3.1
A Visionary Path to a
Regenerative Future
LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE 3.1 SM
LIVING
BUILDING
CHALLENGE
SM
Printed in Canada
NOTIFICATION
Copyright 2016 by International Living Future Institute This particular document may be printed and distributed
in its entirety by any organization for the purposes of
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does not apply to other Living Building Challenge or Living
International Living Building Institute, International Living
Future Challenge documents or other related documents
Future Institute and Cascadia Green Building Council.
unless expressly specified. However it should be noted
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nor elements of this document used out of existing context professionally bound copies of the Standard for purchase
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For information, address: This document may be transmitted in PDF form only
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1501 East Madison Street, Suite 150 organization for the purposes of education or adoption of
Seattle, WA 98122 the Challenge.
THE LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE IS A PHILOSOPHY, CERTIFICATION AND ADVOCACY TOOL FOR
PROJECTS TO MOVE BEYOND MERELY BEING LESS BAD AND TO BECOME TRULY REGENERATIVE.
LIVING BUILDING
CHALLENGE
CODE
GREEN
HIGH
PERFORMANCE
POSITIVE
REGENERATIVE
IMPACTS
NEGATIVE
ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT
SUSTAINABLE
OUR GOAL IS SIMPLE. IN THE successful because it satisfies our left-brain craving for order
and thresholds, and our right-brain intuition that the focus
WORDS OF BUCKMINSTER FULLER needs to be on our relationship with and understanding of the
TO MAKE THE WORLD WORK whole of life.
FOR 100% OF HUMANITY IN THE As such the program is a philosophy first, an advocacy tool
SHORTEST POSSIBLE TIME THROUGH second, and a certification program third. Within the larger
Living Future Challenge framework that covers the creation of
SPONTANEOUS COOPERATION all human artifacts and edifices, the Living Building Challenge
WITHOUT ECOLOGICAL OFFENSE OR focuses on humanitys most abundant creationsits buildings.
THE DISADVANTAGE OF ANYONE.1 It is in essence a unified tool for transformative thought,
allowing us to envision a future that is Socially Just, Culturally
The Living Building Challenge is an attempt to dramatically Rich and Ecologically Restorative.
raise the bar from a paradigm of doing less harm to one in
which we view our role as a steward and co-creator of a true Regardless of the size or location of the project, the Living
Living Future. The Challenge defines the most advanced Building Challenge provides a framework for design,
measure of sustainability in the built environment today and construction and the symbiotic relationship between people
acts to rapidly diminish the gap between current limits and the and all aspects of community. Indeed, Living Building
end-game positive solutions we seek. Challenge is not a merely a noun that defines the character of
a particular solution for development, but is more relevant if
The Challenge aims to transform how we think about every classified as a series of verbscalls for action that describe not
single act of design and construction as an opportunity to only the building of all of humanitys longest-lasting artifacts,
positively impact the greater community of life and the cultural but also the relationships and broader sense of community and
fabric of our human communities. The program has always connectivity that they engender. It is a challenge to immerse
been a bit of a Trojan horsea philosophical worldview cloaked ourselves in such a pursuitand many refer to the ability to do
within the frame of a certification program. The Challenge is so as a paradigm shift.
1 The Living Building Challenge was the 2012 winner of the Buckminster
Fuller Prize, the worlds top award for socially responsible design. continued >>
The Hawaii Preparatory Academy Energy Lab, Kamuela, HI The Hawaii Preparatory Academy Energy Lab, Kamuela, HI
Full certification - Living Building Challenge 1.3 Living Certification - Living Building Challenge 1.3
10
Photo:| Matthew
LivingMillman
Building Challenge/SMCourtesy:
Photography 3.1 Flansburgh Architects Photo: Matthew Millman Photography / Courtesy: Flansburgh Architects
PATHWAYS TO CERTIFICATION
LIVING
BUILDING
CHALLENGE
SM
A project achieves Living While achieving Living The marketplace has characterized net zero energy in many
Certification or Living Certification is the different ways. The Institute has a simple definition:
Building Certification by ultimate goal, meeting the
attaining all Imperatives Imperatives of multiple One hundred percent of the buildings energy needs on a net
assigned to its Typology. Petals is a significant annual basis must be supplied by on-site renewable energy. No
All twenty Imperatives achievement in and of itself. combustion is allowed.
are required for Buildings, Petal Certification requires
The Net Zero Energy Building Certification program uses the
sixteen for Renovations, the achievement of at least
structure of the Living Building Challenge 3.1 to document
and seventeen for three of the seven Petals,
compliance and requires four of the Imperatives to be achieved: 01,
Landscape + Infrastructure one of which must be the
Limits to Growth, 06, Net Positive Energy (reduced to one hundred
projects. Water, Energy, or Materials
percent), 19, Beauty + Spirit, and 20, Inspiration + Education.
Petal.
The requirement for Imperative 06, Net Positive Energy, is reduced
Imperatives 01, Limits to
to one hundred percent and does not require storage for resilience.
Growth, and 20, Inspiration
One hundred and five percent energy production and storage for
+ Education, are also
resilience are required for Petal Certifications targeting I-06 Net
required.
Positive Energy, and for all Living Building Certifications.
SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL
June Key Delta Community Center Living Learning Center at Tyson
Portland, OR Research Center, Eureka, MO M ULTI-FAMILYMARKET RATE OR AFFORDABLE
Photo: ILFI/Jay Kosa Photo: Joe Angeles
INSTITUTIONALGOVERNMENT, EDUCATIONAL,
RESEARCH OR RELIGIOUS
Living Building Challenge Projects can be built in any climate Because the Challenge is performance-based, the guiding
zone anywhere in the worldas evidenced by the unique array of principles and performance metrics apply regardless of where in
projects currently underway in many countries around the globe. the world the project is locatedwhat changes is the specific mix
of strategies and technologiesleaving it up to the genius of the
This map shows a snapshot of project locations as of April 2016. design team to choose the most appropriate design response.
425 16
NO. OF SQ. FT.
PROJECTS (MILLIONS)
LBC PROJECTS
14.1
ORGANIZATIONAL MILLION
INTEREST
375
14
LBC SQ FT
PRESENCE OF
1-2 3-5 6-10 11-14 15-19 20 -24 AMBASSADOR NETWORK 331
LBC
PROJECTS
325
12
275
10
225
8
175
125
75
25
UPDATED 5-6-16
THE LIVING TRANSECTS
L5 L6
Please note that some projects may then scale from the
Living Building Challenge program to the Living Community
ChallengeSM program, which are designed to work together.
Imperative Solutions beyond The 20 Imperatives of the Living Building Challenge: Follow down the
omitted from project footprint
Typology are permissible column associated with each Typology to see which Imperatives apply.
LANDSCAPE +
BUILDINGS RENOVATIONS
INFRASTRUCTURE
The continued spread of sprawl development and the vastly increasing number of global
megapolises threatens the few wild places that remain. The decentralized nature of our
communities impedes our capacity to feed ourselves in a sustainable way and also increases
transportation impacts and pollution. The overly dense urban centers in turn crowd out
healthy natural systems, isolating culture from a sense of place. As prime land for construction
diminishes, more development tends to occur in sensitive areas that are easily harmed or
destroyed. Invasive species threaten ecosystems, which are already weakened by the constant
pressure of existing human developments. Automobiles, often used as single-occupancy
vehicles, have become integral to our communities when we should depend on people power
walking and bicyclingas the primary mode of travel, and supplement it with shared transit.
Human behavior and attitudes are the most significant barriers to transforming our
surroundings. There is a frontier mentality that seems to encourage people to keep pursuing
the next open territory and to value the untouched site more than the secondhand site.
SCALE JUMPING PERMITTED Humanity is territorial by nature, and we tend to view our impacts through a narrow lens. It is
FOR URBAN AGRICULTURE not unusual for us to encourage unhealthy solutions, so long as they are not in my backyard
(IMPERATIVE 02) and allow us the social stature to keep up with the Joneses. We must erase the taboo
AND HABITAT EXCHANGE associated with certain forms of transit and abandoned industrial and commercial facilities,
(IMPERATIVE 03) and we must once again give our regard to the many others that cohabit the earth with us.
01
Virgin prairie: maintain at least 30 meters of separation.
On prime farmland.
IMPERATIVE
Within the 100-year flood plain.
Project teams must document site conditions prior to the start of work and identify
the projects reference habitat(s).8 On-site landscape must be designed so that
as it matures and evolves, it emulates the functionality of the reference habitat with
regard to density, biodiversity, plant succession, water use, and nutrient needs. It
shall also provide wildlife and avian habitat appropriate to the projects Transect
through the use of native and naturalized plants and topsoil.9
6 Sites that qualify must have been altered from a greenfield prior to December 31, 2007.
7 Refer to the Place Petal Handbook for clarifications and exceptions. There are cases when
building on a greenfield or a sensitive ecological habitat is allowed based on project type,
Transect or other conditions.
8 Project Teams can use the WWF Wildfinder tool and/or other research tool(s) to identify the
projects reference habitat(s).
9 As an alternative compliance path, projects can evaluate the reference habitats Ecological
Performance Standards and develop a plan to for the project and site to meet or exceed the
ecological performance of the reference habitat.
02
Project F.A.R. Minimum Percentage Required
<.09 50%
2.0 <
2.99 2%
>3.0 1%
10 Refer to the Place Petal Handbook for clarifications such as acceptable urban agriculture
practices and area calculation information as well as exceptions by Transect.
HABITAT
EXCHANGE
IMPERATIVE
03
For each hectare of development, an equal
amount of land away from the project site
must be set aside in perpetuity through the
Institutes Living Future Habitat Exchange
Program11 or an approved Land Trust
organization.12 The minimum offset amount
is 0.4 hectare.
04
Consideration and enhancement of pedestrian routes, including weather
protection on street frontages.
IMPERATIVE
Promotion of the use of stairs over elevators through interior layout and quality of
stairways.
Showers and changing facilities that can be accessed by all occupants of the
building.
13 Bike storage is recommended for 15% of occupants; teams should consider the occupancy type
and location of the project.
Currently, such practices are often illegal due to health, land use and building
code regulations (or because of the undemocratic ownership of water rights) that
arose precisely because people were not properly safeguarding the quality of their
water. Therefore, reaching the ideal for water use means challenging outdated
attitudes and technology with decentralized site- or district-level solutions that are
appropriately scaled, elegant, and efficient.
All stormwater and water discharge, including grey and black water, must
be treated onsite and managed either through reuse, a closed loop system,
or infiltration. Excess stormwater can be released onto adjacent sites under
05
certain conditions.
IMPERATIVE
14 Refer to the v3.1 Water Petal Handbook for clarifications and exceptions, such as allowances
for a municipal potable water use connection if required by local heath regulations.
Although there has been considerable progress made to advance renewable energy
technologies, there is still a need for a greater efficiency from these systems and for
new, cleaner ways to store the energy they generate. These needs, together with the
current cost of the systems available, are the major limitations to reaching our goals.
NET POSITIVE
ENERGY
IMPERATIVE
06
One hundred and five percent of the
projects energy needs must be supplied
by on-site renewable energy on a net
annual basis, without the use of on-site
combustion.15 Projects must provide on-
site energy storage for resiliency.16
HAPPINESS environmental conditions that must be present to create robust, healthy spaces,
rather than to address all of the potential ways that an interior environment could
be compromised.
CREATING ENVIRONMENTS THAT
OPTIMIZE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL
Many developments provide substandard conditions for health and productivity,
HEALTH AND WELL BEING
and human potential is greatly diminished in these places. By focusing attention
on the major pathways of health, we create environments designed to optimize
our well-being.
CIVILIZED
ENVIRONMENT
IMPERATIVE
07
Every regularly occupied space must
have operable windows that provide
access to fresh air and daylight.17
INTERIOR Compliance with the current version of ASHRAE 62, or international equivalent.
Results from an Indoor Air Quality test before, and nine months after,
occupancy.18
08
Compliance with the CDPH Standard Method v1.1-2010 (or international
equivalent) for all interior building products that have the potential to emit
IMPERATIVE volatile organic compounds (VOCs).19
An outline of a cleaning protocol that uses cleaning products that comply with
the EPA Design for the Environment label (or international equivalent). 21
18 Testing protocols must be consistent with the United States Environmental Protection Agency
Compendium of Methods for the Determination, or international equivalent. Refer to the v3.1
Health + Happiness Petal Handbook for the required Air Quality Conditions.
19 California Department of Public Health. Products not regulated by CDPH do not need to comply.
20 Refer to the v3.1 Health + Happiness Petal Handbook for the specifics of approved entry strategies,
including vestibule requirements.
21 www.epa.gov/dfe.
09
patterns through Natural Patterns and Processes and Evolved Human-Nature
Relationships.
IMPERATIVE How the project will be uniquely connected to the place, climate, and culture
through Place-Based Relationships.
The plan must contain methods for tracking biophilia at each design phase. The plan
should include historical, cultural, ecological, and climatic studies that thoroughly
examine the site and context for the project.
22 Each of the biophilic design elements is outlined on table 1-1, p. 15 of Biophilic Design: The Theory,
Science, and Practice of Bringing Buildings to Life by Stephen R. Kellert, Judith H. Heerwagen,
and Martin L. Mador.
There are significant limitations to achieving the ideal for the materials realm. Product
specification and purchase has far-reaching impacts, and although consumers are starting to
weigh these in parallel with other more conventional attributes such as aesthetics, function
and cost, the biggest shortcoming is due to the market itself. While there are a huge number
of green products for sale, there is also a shortage of good, publicly available data that
backs up manufacturer claims and provides consumers with the ability to make conscious,
informed choices. Transparency is vital; as a global community, the only way we can transform
into a truly sustainable society is through open communication and honest information
sharing, yet many manufacturers are wary of sharing trade secrets that afford them a
competitive advantage, and make proprietary claims about specific product contents.
Declare, the Institutes ingredients label for building products, is a publicly accessible label
and online database with an official connection to the Materials Petal. Not only does Declare
contribute to the overt methodology for removing a temporary exception, it also provides a
forum for sharing the information compiled by a project team as part of their documentation
requirements for certification.
SCALE JUMPING PERMITTED
FOR EMBODIED CARBON declareproducts.com
FOOTPRINT (IMPERATIVE 11)
The project cannot contain any of the following Red List materials or chemicals:23
Alkylphenols
Asbestos
Bisphenol A (BPA)
10
Cadmium
Chlorinated Polyethylene and Chlorosulfonated Polyethylene
IMPERATIVE Chlorobenzenes
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)
Chloroprene (Neoprene)
Chromium VI
Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride (CPVC)
Formaldehyde (added)
Halogenated Flame Retardants (HFRs)
Lead (added)
Mercury
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
Perfluorinated Compounds (PFCs)
Phthalates
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
Polyvinylidene Chloride (PVDC)
Short Chain Chlorinated Paraffins
Wood treatments containing Creosote, Arsenic or Pentachlorophenol
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in wet-applied products 24
23 A link to the list of CAS registry numbers that correspond with each Red List item is available in
the v3.1 Materials Petal Handbook.
24 Wet-applied products (coatings, adhesives, sealants) must not exceed specific VOC levels. Refer
to the v3.1 Materials Petal Handbook for details.
EMBODIED
CARBON
FOOTPRINT
IMPERATIVE
11
The project must account for the total
embodied carbon (tCO2e) impact from its
construction through a one-time carbon
offset from an approved carbon offset
provider. 25
All projects must use, at a minimum, one Declare product for every 500 square meters
12
of gross building area, and must send Declare program information to at least ten
manufacturers not currently using Declare. 28
IMPERATIVE
XXX-0000 EXP.12/2010
Declare identifier for company + product
Certification Status LBC Red List Compliant Valid for 12 months, starting with the date of issue
LBC Red List Free
Declared Verification that a product complies with
the Living Building Challenge Red List.
INTERNATIONAL LIVING FUTURE INSTITUTE www.declare.com
SM
26 Refer to the v3.1 Materials Petal Handbook for a full list of exceptions, such as an exception for wood
in existing buildings undergoing renovation.
27 http://naturalstonecouncil.org/education-training/nsc-initiatives/dimensional-stone-standard/.
28 www.declareproducts.com.
13
An additional 30% of the materials construction budget must come from within
1000 kilometers of the construction site or closer.
IMPERATIVE An additional 25% of the materials construction budget must come from within
5000 kilometers of the construction site.
Consultants must come from within 2500 kilometers of the project location. 30
29 Materials construction budget is defined as all material costs and excludes labor, soft costs, and
land. Declare products and salvaged materials may be counted at twice their value. Certain natural
building materials may include labor cost in their calculation. Refer to the v3.1 Materials Petal
Handbook for more information.
30 There is an exception for specialty consultants and subcontractors, and for consultants that have
their Living Future Accreditation, who may travel up to 5,000 km. Refer to the v3.1 Materials Petal
Handbook for additional exceptions.
Painters Hall
Courtesy: Pringle Creek Community Living Building ChallengeSM 3.1 | 47
MATERIALS The project team must strive to reduce or eliminate the production of waste during design,
construction, operation, and end of life in order to conserve natural resources and to find
NET POSITIVE ways to integrate waste back into either an industrial loop or a natural nutrient loop. 31
WASTE All projects must feature at least one salvaged material per 500 square meters of gross
building area or be an adaptive reuse of an existing structure.
The project team must create a Materials Conservation Management Plan that explains
how the project optimizes materials in each of the following phases:
14
Design Phase, including the consideration of appropriate durability in product specification.
End of Life Phase, including a plan for adaptable reuse and deconstruction.
During construction, the project team must divert wasted material to the following levels:
For all project types, there must be dedicated infrastructure for the collection of
recyclables and compostable food scraps.
A project that is located on a site with existing infrastructure must complete a pre-building
audit that inventories available materials and assemblies for reuse or donation.
31 Refer to the v3.1 Materials Petal Handbook for calculation details, clarifications, and exceptions.
32 Hazardous materials in demolition waste, such as lead-based paint, asbestos, and polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs), are exempt from percentage calculations.
There is a disturbing trend toward privatizing infrastructure and creating polarized attitudes
of us vs. themallowing only those of a certain economic or cultural background
to participate fully in community life. Although opposite on the spectrum, enclaves for
the wealthy are only one step removed from the racial and ethnic ghettos that continue
to plague our neighborhoods. A subset of this trend is the notion that individuals can
own access to nature itself by privatizing admittance to waterways, beaches, and other
wilderness areas, cutting off most people from the few pristine environmental places
that remain. Only by realizing that we are indeed all in this together can the greatest
environmental and social problems be addressed.
We need to aggressively challenge the notion that property ownership somehow implies
that we can do whatever we like, even externalize the negative environmental impacts of
our actions onto others.
For example, consider these situations: when a polluting factory is placed next to a
residential community, the environmental burdens of its operation are placed on the
individuals who live in those houses. The factory is diminishing its neighbors rights to clean
air, water and soil. When a building towers over another structure, its shadow diminishes
that structures ability to generate clean and renewable energy, thereby impeding the rights
to energy independence. We all deserve access to sunlight and clean air, to water and soil.
We need to prioritize the concept of citizen above that of consumer. Equity implies the
creation of communities that provide universal access to people with disabilities and allow
people who cant afford expensive forms of transportation to fully participate in the major
elements of society. Indeed, most projects in the built environment greatly outlive the original
owner or developersociety inherits the legacies of bad decisions and good decisions alike.
Since the act of building is a considerable environmental impact shared by all, there is an
inherent responsibility to ensure that any project provides some public good and does not
degrade quality of life. Finally, it is essential that we recognize the business practices and
SCALE JUMPING PERMITTED
welfare of the people that we support as we design and build our developments.
continued >>
Current limitations to reaching this ideal stem from ingrained cultural attitudes about
the rights associated with private ownership and the varying rights of people.
individuals who are downstream of water, air, and noise pollution, and who are
adversely impacted due to lack of sunlight or exposure to toxins. Past attempts by
zoning standards to protect people from particularly egregious pollutants resulted
in sterile, single-use areas. A healthy, diverse community is one that encourages
multiple functions, and is organized in a way that protects the health of people and the
environment.
AND HUMANE
(minimum) planted median or bioswale
Percentage of Project Area
15%
PLACES
allowed for surface parking.
TRANSECT L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 L6
15
are prohibited. 1
Signs are considered large when over four square
meters; maximum sign size is six square meters.
IMPERATIVE
TRANSECT L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 L6
Maximum single family residence size N/A 425 m2
Proportion
Maximum distance between N/A
30 m
faade openings
16
Access for those with physical disabilities must be safeguarded through designs
meeting the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Architectural Barriers Act
IMPERATIVE (ABA) Accessibility Guidelines. 34
continued >>
33 Refer to the v3.1 Equity Petal Handbook for exceptions and clarifications regarding access.
34 Refer to the v3.1 Equity Petal Handbook for exceptions, such as those for private residences and
historic structures. Complete ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines are available online: www.
access-board.gov/adaag/about
ACCESS TO Fresh Air: The project must protect adjacent property from any noxious emissions
that would compromise its ability to use natural ventilation. All operational emissions
NATURE & PLACE must be free of Red List items, persistent bioaccumulative toxicants, and known or
suspect carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic chemicals.
16
Sunlight: The project may not block sunlight to adjacent building faades and
rooftops above a maximum height allotted for the Transect.35 The project may
not shade the roof of a development with which it shares a party wall, unless the
IMPERATIVE adjoining development was built to a lesser density than acceptable for
the Transect. 36
Natural Waterways: The project may not restrict access to the edge of any natural
waterway, 37 except where such access can be proven to be a hazard to public safety
or would severely compromise the function of the project. 38 No project may assume
ownership of water contained in these bodies or compromise the quality of water
that flows downstream. If the projects boundary is more than sixty meters long
parallel to the edge of the waterway, it must incorporate and maintain an access path
to the waterway from the most convenient public right-of-way. 39
EQUITABLE
INVESTMENT
IMPERATIVE
17
For every dollar of total project cost,40 the
development must set aside and donate half
a cent or more to a charity41 of its choosing or
contribute to ILFIs Living Equity Exchange
program, which directly funds renewable
infrastructure for charitable enterprises.42
IMPERATIVE
18 Organization Name:
Organization Type:
SM
An innovative social justice transparency
platform through which organizations can
shed light on their operations, including how
they treat their employees and where they
make financial and community investments.
The project must help create a more JUST, Headquarters:
Satellite Facilities:
equitable society through the transparent Number of Employees:
22 social and equity indicators.
disclosure of the business practices of the
Social Justice and Equity Indicators:
major organizations involved. At least one of
Diversity Worker Benefit
the following project team members must Non-Discrimination Worker Happiness
Gender Diversity Employee Health Care Asking all companies and organizations
have a JUST Label for their organization: Ethnic Diversity Continuing Education
to accept social responsibility and to be
Architect of Record Equity Local Benefit truly transformative and transparent by
Full Time Employment Local Control publicly declaring and showcasing their
Pay-Scale Equity Local Sourcing
MEP Engineer of Record Employee/Union Friendly
social justice and equity policies and
Living Wage Stewardship practices through the indicator metrics.
Structural Engineer of Record
Gender Pay Equity
Family Friendly
Responsible Investing
Community Volunteering
Sustainability Consultant
Contractor 43 www.justorganizations.com
BEAUTY
Photo: Nic Lehoux / Courtesy: Perkins+Will
There are no current limitations to this Petal other than our imaginations and what we as a
society choose to value.
BEAUTY
+ SPIRIT
IMPERATIVE
19
The project must meaningfully integrate
public art and contain design features
intended solely for human delight and the
celebration of culture, spirit, and place
appropriate to the projects function.
20
A copy of the Operations and Maintenance Manual.44
IMPERATIVE
All projects (except single family residential) must provide:
A simple brochure describing the design and environmental features of the project.
Interpretive signage that teaches visitors and occupants about the project.
An educational website.
44 See Beauty Petal Handbook for how these requirements apply to residential projects
The idea for Living Building Challenge emerged in the mid-1990s, Together, they authored Living Building Challenge 2.0, evolving the
during an effort to produce the most advanced sustainable design requirements of the program and demonstrating how to apply the
project in the world: the EpiCenter in Bozeman, Montana. This Imperatives to various scales of development and settings.
project was led by Bob Berkebile and Kath Williams and was funded
by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Working In response to an increase in global attention and interest, Cascadia
with Berkebile at BNIM, Jason F. McLennan guided the research founded the International Living Building Institute in 2009 as an
and technology solutions for the EpiCenterin the process, he also umbrella organization for the Living Building Challenge and its
began to conceptualize the requirements for what is now known as a auxiliary programs. The Institute certified the first projects in 2010,
Living BuildingSM. Following the EpiCenter, Berkebile and McLennan which changed the green building movement on a fundamental
continued to develop the idea and published several related articles.45 level. Groups around the world reached out to learn more about the
Living Building Challenge and to forge formal ties with the Institute,
In 2000, BNIM was hired by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation underscoring the truth that people from all parts of the world are
to examine the economic and environmental implications of a Living looking for hopeful, practical responses to environmental, social, and
Building alongside the various levels of LEED certification. The economic difficulties.
findings were presented in a document called the Packard Matrix,46
which demonstrated that a Living Building was the smartest long- At the beginning of 2011, the Institute was renamed the International
term choice economically, although it carried a hefty first-cost Living Future Institute, with a mission to lead the transformation to a
premium. (In 2009, the Institutes Living Building Financial Study world that is socially just, culturally rich and ecologically restorative.
proved that first-cost premiums have diminished, and certain building In 2012, Amanda Sturgeon took over as director of the Challenge and
types make immediate financial sense.) More recently, real cost data has led the process to strengthen tools and ease implementation for
from completed projects have rounded out the picture, proving that projects with great success. Amanda is now the CEO of the Institute.
the economic argument for Living Buildings is quite compelling and
As of 2016, over fourteen million square feet of LBC projects are
first-cost premiums modest and diminishing.
underway, representing over a dozen building types in nearly
In 2005, McLennan began to turn the theoretical idea into a codified every climate zone on the planet. The ILFI itself moved into
standard. He gifted the Living Building Challenge version 1.0 to the a building pursuing Living Certificationthe Bullitt Center in
Cascadia Green Building Council in August 2006, and three months Seattle, Washingtonin 2013. The Living Building Challenge 3.1
later the Challenge was formally launched to the public. In 2007, is yet another step in the evolution of the Challenge, moving the
McLennan hired Eden Brukman to direct the ongoing development framework forward to support and inspire project teams from all
and international deployment of the Living Building Challenge. corners of the globe. The Institute offers global solutions for lasting
sustainability, partners with local communities to create grounded
and relevant solutions, and reaches out to individuals to unleash
45 Refer to the In The News section of the Institute website to download their imagination and innovation.
early publications.
46 www.bnim.com/work/david-and-lucile-packard-foundation-
sustainability-report-and-matrix
Preliminary Audit and those requiring audit after the twelve- 16: Universal Access to
month performance period. Nature and Place X
continued >>
RESEARCH
Despite the rigor of the Living Building
Challenge, project teams are proving
that the strict requirements of the
program are very solvable. However,
both perceived and real limitations to
success still exist that are technical,
regulatory, behavioral or financialor
a combination of these influencing
factors. In collaboration with partners
in the design and construction field,
local and state governments, and
other forward-thinking nonprofits,
the Institute is spearheading efforts
to carry out cutting-edge research
and create practical tools. The latest
published reports are posted on the
Institutes website:
living-future.org/research.
continued >>
Systems furniture
A modular furniture system that
might include work surfaces,
cabinetry, file systems, flexible
partitions, and desk chairs used to
create or furnish a series of offices
workspaces.
Wetland
Those areas that are inundated
or saturated by surface or
groundwater at a frequency and
duration sufficient to support, and
that under normal circumstances
do support, a prevalence of
vegetation typically adapted for
life in saturated soil conditions.
Wetlands generally include
swamps, marshes, bogs, and
similar areas.
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