Living Building Challengesm 3.0
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LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE SM LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGESM 3.0 A Visionary Path to a Regenerative Future LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGESM 3.0 A Visionary Path to a Regenerative Future LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE SM Printed in Canada NOTIFICATION Copyright © 2014 by International Living Future Institute The Institute grants substantial limited uses in order to encourage a wide distribution, including the following: © 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012 previous versions. • This particular document may be printed and distributed in its entirety by any organization for the purposes of education or adoption of the Challenge. This stipulation does not apply International Living Building Institute, International Living to other Living Building Challenge or Living Future Challenge Future Institute and Cascadia Green Building Council. documents or other related documents unless expressly All rights reserved. No part of this document may be modified, specified. However it should be noted that the Institute does nor elements of this document used out of existing context provide pre-printed, professionally bound copies on FSC without written permission. paper of the Standard for purchase at a reasonable price. For information, address: • This document may be transmitted in PDF form only— The International Living Future Institute without any modifications made—to any individual or 1501 East Madison Street, Suite 150 organization for the purposes of education or adoption Seattle, WA 98122 of the Challenge. Living Building Challenge is a trademark of the International • This document may be posted on websites in its Living Future Institute (the Institute). The terms “Living entirety and unmodified in PDF form for the purposes of Buildings” and “Living Building” and “Living Building Leader” education or to encourage the adoption of the Challenge. and “Living Future” and “Living Future Challenge” are also However, the Institute encourages organizations to instead trademarks of the Institute. No use of these terms provide a link to the Living Building Challenge website at is allowed without written permission from the Institute, living-future.org/lbc in order to maintain access to the and no project may claim to reach ‘Living Landscape,’ most current version of the document. ‘Living Infrastructure,’ ‘Living Renovation,’ ‘Living Building’ Use of this document in any form implies acceptance of these or ‘Living Neighborhood’ status without review and approval conditions. The Institute reserves the right to modify and by the Institute. update Living Building Challenge at its sole discretion. IT’S TIME TO IMAGINE A LIVING FUTURE AND A WORLD OF LIVING BUILDINGS Living Building ChallengeSM 3.0 | 1 IMAGINE a building designed and constructed to function as elegantly and efficiently as a flower: a building informed by its bioregion’s characteristics, that generates all of its own energy with renewable resources, captures and treats all of its water, and that operates efficiently and for maximum beauty. IMAGINE a city block or a college campus sharing resources from building to building, growing food, and functioning without a dependency on fossil fuel-based transportation. IMAGINE true sustainability in our homes, workplaces, neighborhoods, villages, towns and cities— Socially Just, Culturally Rich and Ecologically RestorativeSM. Ethnobotanical Garden at Bertschi School, Seattle, WA Living Certification - Living Building Challenge 2.0 2 | Living Building ChallengeSM 3.0 Photo: GGLO WHAT DOES GOOD LOOK LIKE? The International Living Future Institute issues a challenge: TO ALL DESIGN PROFESSIONALS, CONTRACTORS AND BUILDING OWNERS to create the foundation for a sustainable future in the fabric of our communities. TO POLITICIANS AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS to remove barriers to systemic change, and to realign incentives and market signals that truly protect the health, safety and welfare of people and all beings. TO ALL OF HUMANITY to reconcile the built environment with the natural environment, into a civilization that creates greater biodiversity, resilience and opportunities for life with each adaptation and development. INSTEAD OF A WORLD THAT IS MERELY A LESS BAD VERSION OF THE ONE WE CURRENTLY HAVE—WE ASK A SIMPLE AND PROFOUND QUESTION—WHAT DOES GOOD LOOK LIKE? Living Building ChallengeSM 3.0 | 3 SETTING THE IDEAL AS THE INDICATOR OF SUCCESS 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 HIGH CODE GREEN POSITIVE PERFORMANCE REGENERATIVE IMPACTS NEGATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT SUSTAINABLE 4 | Living Building ChallengeSM 3.0 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6 MATERIALS 42 CALL TO ACTION 8 10. Red List 44 11. Embodied Carbon Footprint 45 HOW THE LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE WORKS 10 12. Responsible Industry 46 13. Living Economy Sourcing 47 WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT VERSION 3.0? 20 14. Net Positive Waste 48 SUMMARY MATRIX 21 EQUITY 50 15. Human Scale + Humane Places 53 16. Universal Access to Nature + Place 54 PLACE 22 17. Equitable Investment 56 01. Limits to Growth 24 18. JUST Organizations 57 02. Urban Agriculture 25 03. Habitat Exchange 26 BEAUTY 58 04. Human-Powered Living 27 19. Beauty + Spirit 60 20. Inspiration + Education 61 WATER 28 05. Net Positive Water 30 A BRIEF HISTORY OF ENERGY 32 THE LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE 62 06. Net Positive Energy 34 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES HEALTH & HAPPINESS 36 FOR DEEPER ENGAGEMENT 63 07. Civilized Environment 38 GLOSSARY 70 08. Healthy Interior Environment 39 09. Biophilic Environment 40 The Hawaii Preparatory Academy Energy Lab, Kamuela, HI Living Certification - Living Building Challenge 1.3 Photo: Matthew Millman Photography / Courtesy: Flansburgh Architects Living Building ChallengeSM 3.0 | 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: CREATING A REGENERATIVE WORLD TOGETHER 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 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 humanity’s largest creations—its buildings. It is in THE DISADVANTAGE OF ANYONE.1 essence a unified tool for transformative thought, allowing us to envision a future that is Socially Just, Culturally Rich and The Living Building Challenge is an attempt to dramatically Ecologically Restorative. raise the bar from a paradigm of doing less harm to one in which we view our role as 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 possible construction and the symbiotic relationship between people today and acts to rapidly diminish the gap between current and all aspects of community. Indeed, “Living Building limits and the 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 verbs—calls for action that describe not single act of design and construction as an opportunity to only the building of all of humanity’s longest-lasting artifacts, positively impact the greater community of life and the cultural but also of the relationships and broader sense of community fabric of our human communities. The program has always and connectivity they engender. It is a challenge to immerse been a bit of a Trojan horse—a philosophical worldview cloaked ourselves in such a pursuit—and 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 world’s top award for socially responsible design. continued >> 6 | Living Building ChallengeSM 3.0 Projects that achieve Living Building Status can claim to be the What if every single act of design and construction made greenest anywhere, and will serve as role models for others the world a better place? What if every intervention resulted that follow. Whether the project is restorative, regenerative or in greater biodiversity; increased soil health; additional outlets operates with a net zero impact, it has a home in the construct for beauty and personal expression; a deeper understanding of the Living Building Challenge. of climate, culture and place; a realignment of our food and transportation systems; and a more profound sense of what Although it may seem to be ambitious to simultaneously it means to be a citizen of a planet where resources and achieve all of the requirements of the Living Building Challenge, opportunities are provided fairly and equitably? understanding the Standard and documenting compliance is inherently easy: there are never more than twenty simple and A tall order to be sure. profound Imperatives that must be met for any type of project, at any scale, in any location around the world. The scale of change we seek is immense. But without recording these utmost visions and clarity of purpose, we as a society This Standard is decidedly not a checklist of best practices—the will never experience the type of future that is possible and Imperatives of the Living Building Challenge are performance- necessary for our long-term survival. It is our belief that only based and position the ideal outcome as an indicator of success. a few decades remain to completely reshape humanity’s relationship with nature and realign our ecological footprint to The specific methodology used to meet the expectations of the be within the planet’s carrying capacity.