Page 269 - Green Building Through Integrated Design

HARD BARGAIN FARM, ALICE FERGUSON FOUNDATION, ACCOKEEK, MARYLAND 245

4 Zero net energy (the building should generate all of its energy from renewable
sources, on a net annual basis)
5 No use of the 13 persistent, toxic, or bioaccumulative materials (such as formalde-
hyde, PVC, HCFCs, and the like)
6 Eliminate carbon footprint of building materials (offset carbon impact through
purchase of offsets)
7 Responsible production and procurement of materials (only use FSC-certified or
salvaged wood materials)
8 Appropriate materials and services radius (limits on how far materials can travel
to the project site)
9 Construction waste recycling (requires at least 80 percent waste diversion of all
materials)
10 Net-zero water use (except for potable water required for health systems, the
building should only use captured or site-treated water)
11 Sustainable water discharge (handle 100 percent of stormwater and building water
discharge onsite)
12 Civilized work environment (buildings must have operable windows with fresh
air and daylight)
13 Source control of indoor pollutants (essentially following LEED Indoor
Environmental Quality credits 4 and 5)
14 Healthy ventilation for indoor air quality (Exceed “code” based ventilation stan-
dards by 30 percent)
15 Design for spirit (this is worth quoting: “The project must contain design features
intended solely for human delight and the celebration of culture, spirit and place
appropriate to the function of the building.”)
16 Design for inspiration and education (the building should provide educational
materials to the public and be open at least once a year for tours)

There is a promised Living Building User’s Guide to assist prospective projects in
meeting these requirements in greater detail. Nonetheless, you can see that the Living
Building Challenge represents a significant evolutionary advance in sustainable build-
ing thinking.

Hard Bargain Farm, Accokeek,

Maryland

Let’s take a look now at one project that has been designed to meet these standards,
the Alice Ferguson Foundation’s “Hard Bargain Farm,” an environmental education
facility located in Maryland, near Washington, DC. This project won the
“Demonstrated Leadership” award at the 2007 USGBC “Greenbuild” show, for
unbuilt projects.* The design concepts include the following strategies:

*Cascadia Green Building Council, www.cascadiagbc.org/lbc/lbc-competition/, accessed April 29, 2008.