Certified Case Studies

The creation of Eco-Sense was the dream of Ann and Gord Baird to build a sustainable home for their three generation family of six. A home that functions as a part of the eco-system where there is no line that separates where the dwelling ends and where nature begins. The family walks the talk of…

vital stats *  The project was registered under LBC 3.1, but when 4.0 was released, the team opted to pursue the requirements of the 4.0 version of the Materials Petal. Because the Petal certification structure and remaining Petals correspond to the 3.1 version of the Living Building Challenge, though the requirements of the 4.0 Materials…

The vision for the house and surroundings was to build the most environmentally friendly and beautiful house possible in the most socially responsible way possible. In more detail, the visions for the house were to: Build an attractive solar powered residence that produced more energy than it consumed Construct the house in a way that…

In the year leading up to the decision to move their Minneapolis studio, the staff of MSR Design conducted a firmwide study of the concepts behind the Living Building Challenge. This research, combined with MSR Design’s strategic goal to be the leading firm that achieves inspiring generative impacts across the board on all projects, made…

Google had outgrown its current office space in the River North neighborhood of Chicago, IL. Projecting future growth and increasing employee count, the company decided it needed more square feet of office space. Google leased 350,000 GSF of commercial office space in the West Loop neighborhood from local developer/building manager Sterling Bay. As part of…

jh.architecture’s new office in Burlington has been designed and built to receive Petal Certification for the Living Building Challenge. The project is the first in Ontario to receive this distinction. The design demonstrates jh.architecture’s commitment to healthy and sustainable architecture. To achieve Petal Certification, the project focused on the Health + Happiness, Materials, and Beauty Petals…

The Natural Resources Defense Council’s (NRDC) China program office is located in the CBD area of Beijing. Due to the nature of short leases in Beijing, NRDC worked with the design-build contractor, MMoser, to re-use almost all of the furniture NRDC already owns and some of the other fixtures such as lights and sensors. The…

For the Nature Lab at Phipps, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, PA sought to construct one of the nation’s first sustainable, modular classrooms as part of its larger efforts to highlight the important connections between people, plants, beauty, health and planet, particularly as they relate to human and environmental wellness. Approximately one in…

VITAL STATS Certification Status Petal Certified Version of LBC 3.1 Location San Antonio, TX, USA Gross Building Area 1,760 SF Start of Occupancy October 2016 Owner Occupied Yes Number of Occupants 3 PROJECT TEAM Owner & Project Director Michael Britt General Contractor Longhouse Builders Architect Lake Flato Architects Structural Engineer Spaulding Structural Engineers PLACE PETAL…

The Midwest Offices of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), located in Chicago’s historic Civic Opera House, is the first tenant improvement project in the world to achieve certification through the Living Building Challenge™. In keeping with the NRDC’s mission to be the “Earth’s Best Defense,” the design demonstrates the organization’s commitment to a cleaner,…