In October, the first 3 Living Buildings earned their Petals. It seems one of the biggest challenges is materials – avoiding “red list” items really pushes the limits of the building industry. No formaldehyde, neoprene, asbestos, mercury and host of other “no’s” make this rating system a true Challenge.
Developers and designers alike though are out of the gate and trying to add a LB to their portfolio asap. It’s the next differentiator, now that LEED is almost a must for new buildings. The first 3 Living Buildings are, not unexpectedly from the non-profit and single family residential sector. The Omega Center for Sustainability, the Tyson Research Center at Washington University and the Eco Sense home are the first projects certified under the Living Building Challenge, launched over two years ago by the Cascadia Green Building Council.
The Omega Center transformed the need to replace an aging septic system into an indoor yoga and education center that also treats waste water with a series of indoor plant based treatment tanks and 3 outdoor lagoons. The design team, led by BNIM in Kansas City, took what could’ve been a strictly utilitarian project and elevated it into an eco system services masterpiece. That’s the kind of thinking that will actually get us out off the carbon track, with net zero energy use, natural materials, minimal finishes, total on-site water treatment, daylighting and natural ventilation.
The Omega Center, Rhinebeck, NY
I love that living buildings are starting to pop up. How are the lagoons incorporated into the site? Are they prominent landscaping features, or are they hidden?
The lagoons are immediately outside the building and very prominent. They just look like a cascading landscape water feature, simple but I think very pretty. I’ll see if I can find an image that shows them better.