By Lori Walewski and Shannon Walz
Living Building Challenge has been mentioned many times in this blog. Living Building Certification consists of three steps.
Now, let’s dive into the layers of LBC certification. First, every project belongs to a LIVING TRANSECT CATEGORY which helps to define “proper development in specific settings…and applies to several Imperatives throughout the LBC” Wolf Ridge’s project is categorized as L3 – village or campus zone. Next the project is assigned a TYPOLOGY which defines the kind of project. There are four typologies – neighborhood, building, landscape and infrastructure and renovation. The West Dorm falls in the renovation category.
Once the project is properly categorized it is matched up with the imperatives for that category. Each Petal has one or more Imperatives or standards that varies based on the Living Transect. “Imagine a building designed and constructed to function elegantly as a flower.” This is how the International Living Future Institute opens its handbook on the overview of the LBC. It is from the flower that we get the seven Petals or performance areas for the LBC: Site, Water, Energy, Health, Materials, Equity, and Beauty. There are 20 Imperatives. As a renovation Typology, Wolf Ridge’s West Dorm project must meet 15 Imperatives to get full certification.
Over the next few weeks we are going to take a closer look at each of the Petals in the Living Building Challenge.
As for the construction on site, the siding is continuing to be installed on the exterior of the building. The work on the elevator in the Naturalist house has started. Drywall and some of the insulation has been delivered and Davis Drywall is beginning the install in the basement. The Maintenance Building has work being done on the radiant heating system.
