Page 8B—
COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL
—
September 2-September 15, 2015
S
ince the Living
Building Challenge,
the world’s most
stringent green building
rating system, was released in
2006, the International Living
Future Institute has been
steadily releasing initiatives that
further support regenerative
design in order to accelerate
the development of a built
environment that is socially just,
culturally rich and ecologically
restorative. This year, ILFI
launched the Living Community
Challenge 1.0, which expands
the general framework of the
Living Building Challenge
to encompass blocks,
neighborhoods, campuses
and cities. By addressing
development on a larger scale,
efficiencies can be maximized
and the balance we seek
between the built and natural
environment can be hastened.
LCC 1.0 is set up for two
certification levels – living
community certification, in
which all 20 imperatives are
met, and petal community
certification, in which all
imperatives under at least three
out of seven different petals are
met. Under petal certification,
one of the petals must be water,
energy or materials, and the
project also must meet the
requirements of limits to growth,
and inspiration and education.
Understanding that master
planning can take years to
complete, LCC incorporates a
master plan compliance stage
into the process, which allows
early efforts to be acknowledged
and can help build excitement
for the future development.
Certification is based on actual
performance; therefore, after
all the imperatives are met,
the development must be
operational for one year prior to
review.
Many of the 20 LCC
imperatives are taken directly
from the Living Building
Challenge with some slight
adaptations for scale. The
stringent requirements for net
zero water, net positive energy
and red list material compliance
remain the most difficult in
Colorado. The largest changes
are seen in the health and
happiness petal, which focuses
heavily on community and
resiliency.
Imperative No. 7, civilized
environment, calls for a
community hub and programs
for food, recreation, and car,
bike and tool sharing, as well as
a dedicated person to oversee
and perpetuate the programs.
A preservation plan must be
created to inventory and protect
historically significant sites in an
effort to retain ties to the past.
Imperative No. 8, healthy
neighborhood design,
Stella Hodgkins
Sustainability specialist, GE Johnson
Construction Co., Denver
Courtesy: International Living Future Institute
