Have you heard of a Living Building? (No, we’re not referencing the 2006 cinematic masterpiece “Monster House .”) Think LEED Platinum Certification , but one step — or maybe a few — further.
Thanks to local organization Green Spaces , Chattanooga will get its first Living Building in the next few years. 👇
What is a Living Building?
“Living buildings look at the processes of our natural environment — how a tree filters water around it, or makes better air quality — and tries to incorporate those natural processes and standards into the construction of a building… rather than building standards that say ‘how can we do as little harm as possible,’ Living Buildings say ‘how can we do good.’” — Madison Rollings, Green Spaces director of sustainability + events
Nearby, The Kendeda Building
for Innovative Sustainable Design at Georgia Tech is the 28th in the world to earn Living Building Challenge Certification
. It earned this distinction, in part, because it:
- Has a photovoltaic system supplying over 200% of the building’s annual energy needs
- Is net-positive with water
- Sourced at least 50% of building materials + services within 621 miles of the site
And we’re building one?
That’s the goal. The building will serve as Green Spaces’ office as the company grows.
The end goal — besides, obviously, having a cool office space — is to create a model for how to include regenerative design practices in the area + influence health and the way we work, which is shaped by our environment.
Details, please.
Currently, Green Spaces is in the site selection phase — in other words, it’s still pretty early.
According to Rollings, the building will ideally be well underway with the design + construction process next year.
As for Living Building Challenge Certification, that may take a while; even after the building is complete, it will need to run for a full year before certification can be given, to ensure that it’s effective.
You can stay updated on the Living Building process via Green Spaces’ newsletter
.