What if every single act of design made the world a better place?

The speaker at the April One Planet Market is Ken Long, architect and South Australian ambassador for the the Living Building Challenge, an ambitious and exciting green building certification programme .

Ken writes:

The Living Building Challenge is a philosophy, advocacy tool and certification program that addresses development at all scales. Asking us to envision a future that is”Socially Just, Culturally Rich and Ecologically Restorative”, the purpose of the Living Building Challenge is straightforward – it 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.

It is comprised of seven performance areas (Petals): Site, Water, Energy, Health, Materials, Equity and Beauty. These are subdivided into a total of twenty Imperatives, each of which focuses on a specific sphere of influence.  Whether a project is a single building, a park, a college campus or even a complete neighborhood community, the Living Building Challenge provides a framework for design, construction and the symbiotic relationship between people and all aspects of the built environment.

A great example of a existing building that has been certified under the Living Building Challenge – wish my office was like this! [vimeo 64281701 w=500 h=281]Seattle’s Bullitt Center: The World’s Greenest Office Building from EarthFix on Vimeo.

An example from our corner of the world [vimeo 42519736 w=500 h=281]The Tūhoe Building – Te Wharehou o Tūhoe.

Like what you’ve seen? Come along to the One Planet Market talk on this Sat 19 April 2014 at 10:30am at the Payneham Community Centre (374 Payneham Road (cnr Arthur St), Payneham) to hear more about the Living Building Challenge.