Biology and Building—The Living Learning Center at Washington University's Tyson Research Center: A Journey on the Path to the Living Building Challenge

Hellmuth, Daniel F .; Chase, Jonathan C.; Smith, Kevin; Malten, Matt; Flowers, Susan K.; Moody, Jeff; Ford, Matt; Glueck, Dane; Mills, D.; Macaulay, David

doi:10.3992/jgb.4.4.55

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Unlike LEED or BREEAM, the Living Future Institute's LBC is not a points system derived in the design phase. Launched in 2006 by the Cascadia Green Building Council (a member of the US Green Building Council and the Canadian Green Building Council) and currently overseen by the International Living Future Institute, LBC certification is a rigorous, performance-based certification system (Hellmuth et al, 2009;Living Building Challenge 2.1, 2012;Living Building Challenge 3.0, 2014). In 2014, with the launch of Living Building Challenge 3.0, the LBC published its first major update since 2006 (Living Building Challenge 3.0, 2014).…”

Section: Living Building Challenge (Lbc)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All LBC petals are as follow: site, water, energy, health, materials, equity and beauty. The requirements for the energy (net zero energy use), water (net zero water use) and materials petals (see below) have been flagged as the most difficult to meet ( Joann Gonchar, 2013;Hellmuth et al, 2009). The materials petal is broken down into five imperatives: red list chemicals, embodied carbon footprint, "responsible industry," "living economy sourcing," and "net positive waste" (Living Building Challenge 3.0, 2014).…”

Section: Living Building Challenge (Lbc)mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

“Alternative” materials in the green building and construction sector

Krueger

Stoker

Gaustad

2019

SASBE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose The construction, use and demolition of buildings carry enormous environmental burdens. As one step to reduce a building’s environmental impact, green building design guidelines and certification programs, such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Cradle to Cradle and the Whole Building Design Guide, promote the specification of alternative, non-traditional building materials. Alternative materials carry a variety of potential benefits: reducing the amount of energy and other resources needed to create building materials; creating healthier indoor and outdoor environments; diverting or reducing waste from landfills; reducing the use of scarce, critical or economically volatile materials; and spurring innovation in the building industry. However, a lack of clarity surrounds alternative materials and creates a barrier to their usage. The purpose of this paper is to review definitions of alternative materials in various design guidelines in order to provide context to their specification and usage. Design/methodology/approach Through a survey of green building programs and guidelines, existing literature on alternative materials, and life-cycle assessment using multiple inventory databases, this study tackles the following questions: what constitutes an alternative building material; what are the current barriers to their specification; how are they specified in the most common design guidelines; and do alternative building materials present a “greener” alternative? Findings These results show that while often alternative materials do in fact show promise for reducing environmental impacts of the built environment, by how much can be a challenging question to quantify and depends on a variety of factors. While many green building guides and certification systems provide recommendations for use of alternative materials, the sheer diversity and uncertainty of these systems coupled with the complexity in understanding their impacts still present a significant barrier to their specification. Much work remains in a variety of disciplines to tackle these barriers. A clear emphasis should be on better understanding their environmental impacts, particularly with respect to the context within the built environment that their specification will provide energy, resource and emission savings. Other key areas of significant work include reducing costs, removing regulatory and code barriers, and educating designers, consumers, and end-users. Originality/value Alternative materials are defined and specified in a diversity of contexts leaving the design and construction communities hesitant to promote their use; other work has found this to be a key barrier to their widespread usage. By compiling definitions, barriers and design guidelines instructions while also exploring analytically the benefits of specific cases, this work provides a foundation for better understanding where new, more sustainable materials can be successfully specified.

show abstract

Section: Living Building Challenge (Lbc)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Living Building Challenge (Lbc)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“Alternative” materials in the green building and construction sector

Krueger

Stoker

Gaustad

2019

SASBE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Hazardous building materials threaten circular economy and sustainable outcomes

Vaughan,

Illankoon,

Beard

et al. 2024

Sustainability and Toxicity of Building Materials

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The R.W. Kern Center as a Living Laboratory: Connecting Campus Sustainability Goals With the Educational Mission at Hampshire College, Amherst, Ma

Cianfrani¹,

Hews²,

Tor³

et al. 2018

Journal of Green Building

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

1. INTRODUCTION The R. W. Kern Center In 2016 the R.W. Kern Center became Hampshire College's first new building in 40 years (Figure 1). Located at the heart of the Hampshire College campus, the R.W. Kern Center is a multi-purpose facility intended to embody a high threshold of forward- thinking sustainable design: generating its own energy; capturing and treating its own water; and processing and recycling its waste. Its design also embodies a broader definition of “green” building, prioritizing non-toxic materials, local and ethical products, and principals of biophilia and natural beauty. The new building, which includes classrooms, offices, and a community café and gallery, serves as a primary entry point to the campus and was designed to engage prospective students as well as provide community space. In the spring of 2018, the Kern Center became the 17th building to be certified and meet the Living Building Challenge (LBC) (International Living Future Institute, 2018a) after a year of post-occupancy performance verification. At 17,000 square feet, it is the largest Living Building on a higher education campus and considering the relatively small size of the college (~1300 students) it showcases Hampshire College's substantial commitment to sustainable design and development. The Living Building Challenge A program of the International Living Future Institute, the Living Building Challenge is a building certification system and sustainable design framework for creating built environments that have a positive impact on people and the environment (International Living Future Institute, 2018a). The Challenge is organized into seven performance areas covering different aspects of holistic sustainable design: place, water, energy, health + happiness, materials, equity, and beauty. In order to achieve “Living” status, projects must fulfill all imperatives in each of these categories. Hampshire College Hampshire College is an innovative private college in Amherst, Massachusetts. The academic program is highly dynamic and interdisciplinary, emphasizing an inquiry-based and learner-centered liberal arts education. Students are empowered to think, discover, advocate, and build essential skills through an individualized divisional system utilizing portfolios, narrative evaluations, and self-reflection. The College's motto, Non Satis Scire (To Know is Not Enough), is a call to action for students, as well as the institution. It is not enough for colleges and universities to merely educate students on issues of sustainability or environmental and social justice; Hampshire College has the added responsibility of applying this knowledge in all of its operations. The R.W. Kern Center embodies the commitment to environmental sustainability at Hampshire and is a powerful example of the dynamic role sustainable design can play in educating the next generation of sustainability leaders.

show abstract

Biology and Building—The Living Learning Center at Washington University's Tyson Research Center: A Journey on the Path to the Living Building Challenge

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

“Alternative” materials in the green building and construction sector

“Alternative” materials in the green building and construction sector

Hazardous building materials threaten circular economy and sustainable outcomes

The R.W. Kern Center as a Living Laboratory: Connecting Campus Sustainability Goals With the Educational Mission at Hampshire College, Amherst, Ma

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About