The Living Building Challenge - the LBC - is a forward-thinking design standard that I believe is the future of architectural design standards. It is a comprehensive standard, applying to the building itself, the community in which it’s located, and even the owner (through a separate certification, called Just). The LBC is comprised of seven ‘Petals’ - Place, Water, Energy, Health+Happiness, Materials, Equity, and Beauty. A design can either be a fully certified Living Building (achieving all seven petals) or can be individually Petal Certified, in one or multiple categories.

As a new firm, it may seem counterproductive to adhere to such a stringent, lesser-known building standard. I could have chosen LEED, a well known standard, or one of the many other standards out there. However, if you’ve read my previous journals, you may remember that I set out to design differently, to help begin a new standard for architecture that elevates people and places, instead of stealing from our environment and stripping away our cultural resources. While other building standards are more easily achieved and still invoke positive change, the LBC proposes a path for redeeming architecture in all its facets. The LBC wants - and I want - to generate positive change in all aspects of building and design, at each stage of the process. The community should have a voice, the environment should be respected, and the owner should be financially rewarded. Only the LBC seeks such comprehensive solutions and engages all of our humanity in the design process.

For such a robust standard, the LBC is refreshingly flexible. From complete compliance to Petal Certification to Red-List Free materials, there are plenty of opportunities to apply the concepts and standards to your project. That means the owner doesn’t have to make a wholesale commitment, but can pick and chose what’s most important to them and the project. Are you especially concerned about your community? Then work towards a Petal Certification for Place. Are operating costs your biggest headache? Get the Energy Petal. Do you just want a healthier building? Try for the Materials Petal or simply use Red-List Free Materials as much as you can. There are myriad ways to engage in a regenerative, healthy design process that can yield a healthy space for you and your team.

Such flexibility gives everyone the opportunity to take part in the rebuilding of our environment. Neighbors can engage through forums and surveys; owners can benefit from lowered operating costs and cleaner indoor air (which leads to more productivity); architects and designers get the chance to serve our communities and play a vital role in rehabilitating our world, both culturally and environmentally. Everyone benefits, everyone gets the opportunity to thrive, everyone can cultivate healthier spaces.