Page 268 - Green Building Through Integrated Design

244 LOOKING AHEAD—DESIGNING LIVING BUILDINGS

Figure 14.1 Trajectory of environmentally responsible design,
showing a positive upward movement from conventional design through
green design to fully restorative and regenerative design. © Integrative Design
Collaborative and Regenesis, Bill Reed, 2006.

so that “best practices” don’t have to be referenced, as in LEED. To get to the results
for certification, you’ll have to use them. Two of the categories relate to “beauty and
inspiration,” underlying the reality that “ugly” buildings are not really sustainable
because they won’t engage the human spirit and no one will want to keep them around.
You can understand the value of this viewpoint by considering how strongly certain
historical buildings engage the emotions of a community, even though they might be
“energy hogs” or otherwise not meet current LEED standards. We value them because
of the cultural context they create and express.
Recalling the discussion of BHAGs in Chap. 3, you’ll appreciate the value of the
Living Building Challenge as setting “Big Hairy Audacious Goals” for a new generation
of living buildings and a new generation of architects, designers, and building owners.
In the Living Building Challenge evaluation system, the required categories are the
following:

1 Responsible site selection (this models LEED’s Sustainable Sites Credit 1)
2 Limits to growth (don’t build on any undeveloped site)
3 Habitat exchange (set aside land equal to the development area as habitat)