OVERVIEW
The Living Building Challenge (LBC) is widely considered the most stringent green building standard in the world. LBC, run by the International Living Future Institute, attempts to emulate a flower by encouraging net-zero or net-positive impact on virtually everything the built environment touches. Its requirements are categorized under seven petals:
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Place
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Water
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Energy
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Health
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Materials
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Equity
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Beauty
Through detailed “imperatives,” LBC leaves little wiggle room. Everything is a prerequisite, unlike in LEED, where project teams can choose among credits.
Here we have collected strategies, case studies, and expert commentary on how to achieve LBC certification in the real world.
IN-DEPTH
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Winery Becomes Largest Living Building to Date
News Brief
A team entirely new to Living Building Challenge successfully molded what is usually a water-intensive production facility to meet the highest of performance standards.
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Protect Your Spec: 14 Strategies
Feature Article
You’ve selected the ideal materials for your project: now get them into the building.
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The Great Eight: High-Impact Material Choices for Green Building
Feature Article
We’re at a tipping point in insulation, flooring, textiles, and other product categories. Here’s what to spec and what to avoid.
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Take Control of Your Materials: Four Empowering Lessons from Teams That Beat the Red List
Feature Article
Need to streamline your product vetting process? These LBC project teams have it down to a science, and anyone can apply their methods.
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How to Succeed with the Living Building Challenge: 12 Teams Share Tips
Feature Article
The bar is high—that’s obvious—but watch out for some surprising pitfalls. Here’s how dedicated teams have tackled Living Building challenges.
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The Living Building Challenge: Can It Really Change the World?
Feature Article
The Living Building Challenge, with its stringent, all-or-nothing requirements, is out to change the way we build. But is it actually achievable?
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Volume Program Released with Living Building Challenge 4.0
News Analysis
Several organizations have committed to piloting the Living Building Challenge volume program, which aims to streamline documentation and auditing.
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Living Building Challenge 4.0 Released alongside New “Core” Program
News Brief
LBC 4.0 streamlines materials and water requirements, while the new Core standard meets a separate market need.
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Two for One: Growing Food and Solar Energy Together
News Analysis
As more projects are plugging into off-site solar, dual-use installations are gaining favor to minimize adverse impact.
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Case Studies Track Building Code Breakthroughs
News Brief
Need examples of water or energy features that successfully challenged local policy? The Code Innovations Database can help.
