Living Building Challenge
What if every single act of design and construction made the world a better place?
What if every single act of design and construction made the world a better place?
The Living Building Challenge is a philosophy, advocacy tool, and certification program defining today’s most advanced measure of sustainability in the built environment. It addresses all buildings at all scales and is an inclusive tool for transformative design. Whether the project is a single building, a renovation, an infrastructure project, or a park, the Living Building Challenge provides a framework for designing, constructing, and improving the symbiotic relationships between people and all aspects of the built and natural environments.
What does good look like?
Living Buildings are:
- Regenerative buildings that connect occupants to light, air, food, nature, and community.
- Self-sufficient and remain within the resource limits of their site.
- Create a positive impact on the human and natural systems that interact with them.
Featured Case Studies
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Arch | Nexus SAC
Sacramento, CA
Full Living Certified
LBC 3.0
Arch | Nexus SAC is an adaptive reuse of an existing one-story structure, located at 930 R Street in Sacramento, California. The prior use of the warehouse/office was converted into a professional office for Architectural Nexus, Inc., an architectural firm with an integrated practice (planning, landscape architecture, interior design) reaching throughout the western United States…
Building
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Perkins Seed Classroom
Seattle, WA
Full Living Certified
For the SEED (Sustainable Energy Every Day) Classroom, the SEED Collaborative sought to construct the nation’s first sustainable, modular classroom as an equitable and sustainable solution to the ongoing issue of classroom space, while also providing a hands-on teaching tool that would teach and inspire students to be stewards of their environment. Approximately one in…
Building
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R.W. Kern Center
Amherst, MA
Full Living Certified
VITAL STATS Certification StatusLiving CertifiedVersion of LBC2.1LocationAmherst, MA, USAProject Area16,940 SFStart of OccupancyApril 2016Owner OccupiedYesNumber of Occupants36 PROJECT TEAM OwnerHampshire CollegeProject ManagerCarl WeberArchitectBruner/Cott & Associates, Inc.General ContractorWright Builders, Inc.Mechanical EngineerKohler & Lewis EngineersElectrical EngineerR.W. Sullivan EngineeringPlumbingKohler & Lewis EngineersLighting DesignLewis Lighting DesignGeotechnicalO’Reilly, Talbot & Okun AssociatesCivil EngineerBerkshire Design GroupLandscapeRIchard Burke AssociatesStructural EngineerFoley Buhl Roberts &…
Building
Petals
Imagine a building that is as efficient as a flower; a simple symbol for the ideal built environment. The Living Building Challenge is organized into seven performance areas.
Place
Restoring a healthy interrelashionship with nature.
Water
Creating developments that operate within the water balance of a given place and climate.
Energy
Relying only on current solar income.
Health + Happiness
Creating environments that optimize physical and psychological health and well being.
Materials
Endorsing products that are safe for all species through time.
Equity
Supporting a just and equitable world.
Beauty
Celebrating design that uplifts the human spirit.
Ready to Get Started?
Create Buildings that give more than they take. Browse the standard or join an upcoming webinar to learn more about the philosophy and framework of the Living Building Challenge.
NOTE: ILFI launched LBC 4.1 on April 4, 2024. Looking for the 4.0 Standard and Handbook? Click here.