FAQ

• The ILBI is a non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to the creation of a truly sustainable built environment in all countries around the world.  Comprised of the leading green building experts, futurists and thought-leaders, we believe that providing a compelling vision for the future is a fundamental requirement of reconciling humanity’s relationship with the natural world.

 Is the Living Building Challenge a competition?

• No, Living Building Challenge is not a contest, but is named instead for its level of rigor. Projects can be certified as "Living Buildings" if they prove to meet all of the program requirements after 12 months of continued operations and full occupancy.

• You must be a member of the Living Building Community to register a project.  Once you have signed up for Community membership you will receive access within one business day.  In the Community area of the site, there are further instructions on registering your project.

•  The standard is in no way meant to compete with the LEED® Green Building Rating System, the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) or the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC). The ILBI views the Living Building Challenge as an additional outlet to promote the goals set by the USGBC and CaGBC – it establishes a vision for a project’s environmental and social responsibilities from a new vantage point. It is our sincere hope that the ideas captured in the Living Building Challenge will influence program and project outcomes towards greater ecological benefit and that this standard provides additional unifying power for our organizations. The Living Building Challenge has been endorsed by both the US Green Building Council and the Canada Green Building Council.

• The Living Building Challenge is a program initially launched and continues to be operated by the Cascadia Region Green Building Council www.cascadiagbc.org (a chapter of both the US Green Building Council and Canada Green Building Council).  In the US and Canada the Cascadia Region Green Building Council operates the Living Building Challenge and provides all customer service and technical support on behalf of the Institute.

• Though we can comfortably say that there are more than 70 projects in progress, there are no certified projects at this time. This is mostly due to the fact that not enough time has transpired: The program was announced in November 2006. Even in the best of design and construction circumstances, this is a tight window to complete any project, let alone one that meets all of the requirements of the  Living Building Challenge. In addition, we require at least 12 months of occupancy and operation prior to certification to ensure that a project is functioning as anticipated. However, there are five projects that are now in their verification operational phase and three of these will likely achieve certification in 2010:
  

           -  Baird Residence in Victoria, BC

           -  Tyson Living Learning Center in Eureka, MO

           -  Omega Center for Sustainable Living in Rhinebeck, NY

           -  Hawaii Preparatory Academy Energy Laboratory in Waimea, HI

           -  EcoCenter at Heron's Head Park in San Francisco, CA

Technical Issues:

I can't log in, what do I do?

• Portions of the ILBI site are accessible to paid members of the Living Building Community.  Once you have signed up for Community membership you will receive access within one business day.  If you are a member of the Community and have lost your password, you can reset your password.  Please note that your username is the email address that you entered when you signed up for Community membership.