Certified Case Studies

  • VANDUSEN BOTANICAL GARDEN VISITOR CENTRE

    VANDUSEN BOTANICAL GARDEN VISITOR CENTRE

    VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA


    A FLOWER IN THE GARDEN Built to increase visitorship and to promote human-nature interactions, the VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre serves as the hub for a mature 55-acre botanical garden located in the heart of Vancouver, British Columbia. The Center includes a café, an expanded library, volunteer facilities, a garden shop, office space, and flexible…


    Infrastructure + Landscape

  • ETSY HEADQUARTERS

    ETSY HEADQUARTERS

    New York, New York


    Biophilic design principles and strategies were firmly embedded in the project through a series of visioning sessions held with each of the Etsy user groups. Following the visioning sessions, a working meeting was held that included a focus on biophilic design and ecology principles, and studies of these concepts were conducted throughout the schematic design…


    Building

  • BETTY AND CLINT JOSEY PAVILLION

    BETTY AND CLINT JOSEY PAVILLION

    Decatur, Texas


    IMMERSED IN PLACE Built to further the mission of the Dixon Water Foundation, the Betty & Clint Josey Pavilion educates its visitors, many of them children, on watershed protection through sustainable ranching and the restoration of damaged farmland to native tallgrass prairie. From the time they first started sketching ideas for the Josey Pavilion, the…


    Building

  • DESERT RAIN

    DESERT RAIN

    Bend, OR


    Desert Rain is a residential compound, located on a 0.7-acre parcel on the edge of a historic downtown neighborhood. The focal point is the building called Desert Rain: a 2236-square foot, one-story residence with a stucco exterior, graceful rooflines and a striking curved wall which greets visitors on approach. The wall threads through the building…


    Building

  • UNIVERCITY DEVELOPMENT

    UNIVERCITY DEVELOPMENT

    Vancouver, BC


    UniverCity is a market-based sustainable community adjacent Vancouver, BC developed by the SFU Community Trust (the Trust). “4 Cornerstones” – Environment, Equity, Education and Economy – are UniverCity’s framework for development. DOWNLOAD THE REPORT: https://archive.living-future.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/UniverCity-LC-Development.pdf


  • A LIVING CITY: BEND, OREGON LIVING COMMUNITY PILOT PROJECT

    A LIVING CITY: BEND, OREGON LIVING COMMUNITY PILOT PROJECT

    Bend, OR


    Local partners from the City of Bend worked closely with the Institute to infuse their Central Area Redevelopment with Living Building principles. The project team looked at ways to leverage future redevelopment to reknit an existing district back into the downtown and created a framework for a net zero energy and water community. DOWNLOAD THE…


  • FIRST HILL & SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS

    FIRST HILL & SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS

    Seattle, WA


    The First Hill area and surrounding neighborhoods in Seattle are the main focus in the Living Community Challenge’s second round of pilot cities. The Institute and partners have been working to create a Living Community Vision for the neighborhood that will guide neighborhood groups, planners, and developers in their work in the community. This document is the summation…


  • SEATTLE CHINATOWN-INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT

    SEATTLE CHINATOWN-INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT

    SEATTLE, WA


    The Chinatown-International District is exploring a variety of implementation projects that incorporate Living Community Challenge principles. Danny Woo Community Garden has embarked on a community-driven depaving effort for 1,500 square feet of public right of way. In this new green space, 500 square feet of gathering space, including seating, would be created; clean water would…


  • RESERVA SANTA FE

    RESERVA SANTA FE


    Reserva Santa Fe is a residential community west of Mexico City, and is a 15 minute drive from Santa Fe, one of  Mexico’s top commercial and business centers. The project is located within a private reserve, in a forested mountain range that divides the valleys of  Mexico City  and Tolucas. Of the  community’s 663 acres,…


  • HOLY CROSS

    HOLY CROSS

    New Orleans, LA


    This project, in the Lower Ninth 9th Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana, will redevelop the historic Holy Cross School and site as a mixed-use neighborhood. The site and school building were damaged in Katrina and have been vacant since. LBC and LCC teams have been working with the project team on materials health for the…