The LBC challenge exceeds LEED platinum and begins to re-imagine how our built world can better coexist with the natural world. If everyone stepped up to the Living Building Challenge, we could make a significant impact on our society, economy, and culture. Perhaps the biggest deterrent in chasing after this goal is how meticulously detailed the prerequisites are to achieve the standard.
Responsible site selection is listed as the first prerequisite. Of course it’s important to respect our environment, and it is also important not to interfere with any naturally-occurring systems such as wetlands or prairies.
Energy is obviously an important one here, as well. All energy must come from the sun, and the building is required to be net zero energy, which means that it produces more energy than it consumes.
Material selection is also a major factor in LBC projects. There is a “red list” of materials that is supplied with the challenge, and none of the listed materials may be used in any way during the construction. These materials include CFCs, cadmium, Neoprene, HCFCs, formaldehyde, PVC, lead, mercury, pthalates, petrochemicals, and more.
Location and distance traveled of services and goods to the project must be kept to a minimum. There is a radius around the site that builders/developers are allowed to draw their resources from.
All on-site construction waste must be managed and recycled. There can be no waste produced from building a LBC certified building.
Of course, net zero water is a factor, and probably the one that most people tend to shy away from.
There are more aspects to a Living Building, but this post just serves as a general overview. If you’d like to get a more comprehensive look at the LBC challenge, you can view a pdf of the LBC in its entirety here
