The Living Building ChallengeTM is a green building certification program that defines the most advanced measure of sustainability in the built environment possible today and acts to diminish the gap between current limits and ideal solutions. Projects that achieve this level of performance can claim to be the 'greenest' anywhere, and will serve as role models for others that follow.
The Challenge is comprised of seven performance areas, or 'Petals': Site, Water, Energy, Health, Materials, Equity and Beauty. Petals are subdivided into a total of twenty Imperatives, each of which focuses on a specific sphere of influence. This compilation of Imperatives can be applied to almost every conceivable Typology, or project type, be it a building (both renovation of an existing structure, or new construction), infrastructure, landscape or community development.
The project cannot contain any of the following Red List materials or chemicals
There are temporary exceptions for numerous Red List items due to current limitations in the materials economy.
Declare is an International Living Futures Institute program to offer material and product ingredients transparency. It aims to change the game and benefit consumers, building users and product manufacturers. Declare offers Living Building Challenge Project teams a materials guide for product specification. For manufacturers, it offers an expanded point of entry into these groundbreaking sustainable projects.
Look on the Living Building Challenge website for more information.
