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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The BuildingGreen Guide to Insulation
Reports, Courses, Study Guides, Live Webinars
The BuildingGreen Guide to Insulation provides detailed guidance on insulation products and practices, including cost comparisons and detailed recommendations on what insulation to use, and what to avoid.
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Protect Your Spec: 14 Strategies
July 6, 2016Feature 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
June 6, 2016Feature 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
February 1, 2015Feature 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
January 4, 2015Feature 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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Two for One: Growing Food and Solar Energy Together
September 6, 2017News 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
August 14, 2017News Brief
Need examples of water or energy features that successfully challenged local policy? The Code Innovations Database can help.
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The Living Building Challenge: Can It Really Change the World?
May 29, 2009Feature 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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Petal Certifications Help the Living Building Challenge Jump in Scale
August 2, 2017News Brief
With recent and upcoming certifications, the Living Building Challenge breaks out of its boutique building typology.
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New Zero Energy Certification Powered by ILFI and NBI
June 20, 2017News Brief
Focused solely on net-zero-energy performance, the new certification aims to distinguish projects that verify outcomes with actual data.
