What is the Living Building Challenge?

"The LBC is a certification system, but it is also a philosophy, or approach to design and construction, as well as an advocacy tool to fundamentally shift the market towards resilient, sustainable building. The approach is more holistic than other certification systems, and it is based on setting our sights on the ideal, rather than on incremental improvements, or design that is 'less bad.' It is also performance-based, which differs from many other systems," said Capen.

Unlike other green building certifications, the LBC requires buildings to be continuously inhabited for 12 months to receive full certification. Rather than merely focusing on products and components with sustainable advertising, the LBC considers the patterns of occupancy that affect the sustainable performance of a building. For example, we know that LED lights certainly consume less energy than incandescent bulbs. But, if those lights are on during long daylight hours, the energy savings are reduced due to the homeowners and occupants' ineffective behaviors.

According to Allison, the LBC requires 12 months of occupancy "because the proof is in the pudding, particularly when it comes to predicting human behavior. Studies have shown that it is very difficult to accurately model performance, because there are so many variables –in the way the model is set up, changes that happen during construction, and in the way occupants use buildings. By requiring a twelve-month performance period after occupancy, Living Building Challenge project teams know they have met the requirements, and they learn a lot on the way about reducing energy demand, commissioning systems, setting procurement policies, and educating occupants—all so they can continue to operate as desired even after the auditor is gone."

The Living Building Challenge shows what "good" looks like in the built environment. Too often, green buildings are really just slightly less harmful to the environment, wasting a bit less energy or using fewer hazardous chemicals. But the era of harm reduction is behind us. To tackle climate change's challenges and improve human and environmental health, we have to try to do everything right. This effort means net positive energy and water, no hazardous chemicals, wood from responsibly managed forests, healthy indoor air, and much more. We need it all, urgently. Yes, the Living Building Challenge is ambitious, but it's exactly what we need to transform humanity's relationship with the natural world.