Taking a close look at the Living Building Challenge

Delegates at Buildex Calgary have the opportunity to check out a seminar that delves into the future of green building.

"Living Through the Challenge; A Contractor's Perspective on the Living Building Challenge," is a seminar about what it's like to work on a Living Building Challenge project.

The speaker’s list includes contractors, who have worked on the unique projects. They will talk about the challenges of turning ideas into reality.

Presenters include Marsha Gentile, a construction sustainability specialist and Rebecca McDiarmid, a project manager, who both work for Ledcor Construction Limited.

The Living Building Challenge has been spearheaded by International Living Future Institute, a group based in Seattle.

Buildings certified as Living Buildings must generate their own energy, harvest and treat their own water and use locally sourced, non-toxic materials.

The certification also requires the building to be in operation for 12 months and have no negative impact on the site.

“Ledcor has two Living Building Challenge projects,” said McDiarmid. “On one of them, the construction is complete, the other is nearing completion. It is very exciting.”

There aren’t any certified Living Buildings in Canada yet.

The two projects that Ledcor has been working on, the $19.4-million VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitors Centre and SFU UniverCity Childcare Centre, are working towards becoming the first certified Living Buildings in the country.

There is also a house on Vancouver Island that has achieved some of the aspects of the Living Building Challenge, but it won’t achieve full certification.

“We’re definitely doing things that have not been done before,” McDiarmid said.

“I hope attendees take away a better understanding of what will be required of them as contractors, who work on Living Building projects. A lot of people have worked LEED projects, so they have a pretty good idea of what’s required of them on that front. Living Buildings is a different animal.”

The Living Building Challenge is one of the most advanced green building rating system and is considered one of the toughest in the world.

A Living Building sets a new precedent for environmentally friendly design and construction techniques.

The seminar takes place Wednesday, Nov. 9, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the BMO Centre in Calgary.