Living Building Challenge
LBC 4.0 focuses on the relationship between impact and effort. While LBC 4.0 continues the standard’s mission of visionary, but attainable building goals, it also recognizes that not all projects face the same challenges or share in the same opportunities. Regenerative design should be attainable to everyone, everywhere. With 4.0, we are creating a streamlined approach focused on maximizing positive impacts specific to the place, community, and culture of the project.
Featured Case Studies
Featured Projects & Research
New in 4.0
—
LBC 4.0 has been developed based on two goals: to simplify the program so the level of effort of teams is better aligned with their impacts at both project and market scales; and to fill the gap between the highest levels of mainstream green building certifications, and the entry point to the Living Building Challenge.
The resulting standard is streamlined and also raises the bar by requiring that teams address basic issues in all petals. A number of new performance-based compliance paths have been added to increase flexibility for teams.
Petals
"The Living Building Challenge is the most rigorous benchmark of sustainability in the built environment. It is the gold standard against which all others are measured."
- Project Team MemberWhat 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.
Let's 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.
Looking for 3.1?
The Living Building Challenge is an ever-evolving program shaped by the incredible experiences of our project teams as they continually break new ground. Over time, feedback from a diverse array of stakeholders actively using the challenge helps us understand how to refine and improve the program to have the greatest impacts.
LBC 3.1 has been retired and new projects must register under the 4.0 standard, but existing project teams can still access 3.1 resources.