The International Living Futures Institute, the parent organization for the Living Building Challenge, hosted an “unConference” on May 23rd Portland, OR. Among the highlights, Maya Lin, renowned international architect, and Lance Hosey the author of The Shape of Green: Aesthetics, Ecology, and Design both spoke. I presented as a part of a panel with Mark Biedron, the co-founder of the Willow School and Marcus Sheffer of 7Group. Our session “Exploring an Integrated Path to Replicable Net Zero Energy Projects” used our recent work as the net zero envelope architect at the Willow School’s new Health, Wellness and Nutrition Center as a case study to highlight the integrated design process and provide recommendations for replication on prospective Living Building and net zero projects. We highlighted the specific challenges of net zero energy projects in cold climates and potential challenges with red list materials and the creation of beautiful and inspiring buildings. This project is currently under construction and on track to become a Living Building. As a part of this project we supported a larger team led by Farewell Architects, the Architect of Record. We served as a consultant for the Willow School directly and are the net zero envelope architect for the project.
More on Living Building Challenge and the unConference
Living Building Challenge was launched in 2006 and registered projects have grown to 201 in twelve countries by the time of the conference. All of these buildings are required to be net zero energy to meet the LBC. One of these projects is the Health, Wellness and Nutrition Center at The Willow School in Gladstone, NJ. The conference, or unConference, rather, was a great experience to learn about innovative approaches and projects related to the Living Building Challenge, share our experiences and recommendations for success with Living Building projects as well as a wonderful opportunity to meet other great thinkers and do-ers in the field and across the country. It is an inspiring and energizing event sharing experiences and expertise with some of the most leading edge energy and ecologically focused projects on the planet.