On May 2, 2018, at the 2018 Living Future unConference, our CEO was proud to announce that funds from seven contributing projects* have now funded the protection of 12.57 hectares (or 31 acres) of critical habitat in Tasmania, Australia, expanding the Big Punchbowl Reserve. It is an important piece of protected land in addition to the already existing Reserve, which is home to at least five threatened or endangered species. This includes a resident population of nationally endangered Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) and two magnificent white-bellied sea eagle (Haligeetus leucugaster) nests in its coastal bays. We are so grateful to all the generous project teams who have donated to the fund, making this contribution possible.The newly protected property will also provide a key link to the Moulting Lagoon Ramsar site. Collectively, the area provides refuge and shelter for a multitude of shorebirds and waterfowl that use the wetlands, coast and waterways for breeding and feeding. The land is expertly managed by the Tasmanian Land Conservancy (TLC). You can learn more about the wonders of the Punchbowl Reserve here.

To fund land protection through the Habitat Exchange: Contact LBC.support@living-future.org

*All Living Building Challenge Project Teams must fund the protection of high-value intact ecosystem land equal to their Project Area, or 1 acre, whichever is greater (under Imperative 03, Habitat Exchange), to be eligible for Living Certification.

Since 2011, the EMERGE Leadership Project (ELP) has been offering intensive workshops, leadership summits, mentoring, and other resources to the sustainable building community. Hundreds of professionals and activists in the field have benefited from learning about a strategic leadership approach emphasizing collaboration, service, and inclusion that is founded on proven principles of behavioral change and systems thinking. Participants in what some have called “life-altering” EMERGE educational events have successfully launched policy initiatives, commercial enterprises, professional career transitions, community projects, and more.

In recent years, EMERGE has been a popular offering at the International Living Future Institute’s annual event the Living Future unConference  and now, the ILFI is delighted to announce that EMERGE will be an integral part of the organization’s educational programming going forward. In addition to live workshops at ILFI’s conferences, ILFI will offer online leadership training and resources.

By merging with ILFI, the EMERGE Leadership project will be able to expand its reach and leverage the resources of ILFI’s breadth and depth. EMERGE founder Kathleen O’Brien adds, “It was a natural fit, as the missions of both ILFI and the ELP are so well aligned. ILFI has established an important destination, and developing leadership capacity within its international community can only accelerate our collective ability to get there.”

“We are delighted to further our collaboration and integrate the core sentiments of the EMERGE leadership model with our education programming and beyond,” say Amanda Sturgeon, CEO of the ILFI.

O’Brien is a long-time leader in the sustainable building field, recognized in 2008 as lifetime Cascadia Green Building Council Fellow for her 30+ years developing collaborative green building programs, conducting research to support enabling green building policy, coordinating policy demonstration projects, and empowering professionals through tailored continuing education curriculum. She developed the EMERGE leadership approach based on her 30-plus years of experience and study, codifying it in the book EMERGE: A Strategic Leadership Model for the Sustainable Building Community, which ILFI founder Jason F. McLennan called a “great gift to the green building community.” This book will be offered through ILFI’s publishing arm, Ecotone, and to celebrate this merger will be offered at a 25% discount until March 31st!

Register for first EMERGE training offered under this new arrangement and join us in Portland, OR, on Tuesday, May 1st, 12:30 – 5:30 pm.

ILFI believes in having participation of people from all communities at our conferences to achieve our vision of a socially just, culturally rich, and ecologically restorative society. The purpose of the JUST Fund is to help build a more diverse audience at the Living Future unConference and to include voices from traditionally underserved and underrepresented communities. Due to the generosity of our members, supporters and friends through the JUST Fund, ILFI was able to offer 12 scholarships in 2016 and 14 scholarships in 2017, to a group of students from a broad range of backgrounds pursuing careers in sustainability and green building design.

Selected applicants will have a strong desire to work at the intersection of the environmental and social justice movements and will have an opportunity to attend the 2018 unConference on a scholarship paid from the JUST Fund. Priority is given to applicants who increase diversity, equity, and inclusion to the LF18 audience as well as current members of the Emerging Professionals group and full-time students.

We invite you to join this critical effort to build a more inclusive movement. Application to the JUST Fund is now open! If you or someone you know would be interested in applying for a Living Future 2018 scholarship through the JUST Fund, make sure to submit a completed form for to be considered.

Your contribution to the JUST Fund will support the growth of equity at the Living Future unConference and ensure that today’s top talent entering the green building industry will be able to attend despite financial circumstance. Please consider making a generous tax-deductible contribution to provide conference scholarships to deserving and motivated students and emerging professionals. Together, we will help achieve our goal of building a socially just, culturally rich, ecologically restorative future.

There’s a movement in the manufacturing industry to inspire a revolution in the way materials are designed, manufactured and delivered so products are healthy, sustainable, and give more than they take. There is a similar movement and growing trend in the fashion industry—an industry that is the second most polluting industry in the world—to make it more sustainable. Many companies, including the likes of Patagonia, have brought sustainability into their business to further the movement and there is more work to be done.

Tereneh Idia, a fashion designer based in Pittsburgh, PA, is a champion for the sustainable fashion movement and she also wants to take it a step further— making it collaborative, holistic, and circular so it has a positive impact on the planet and people. Her concept can be found in the Global Eco-Design Collaborative. A group she created to bring together Indigenous artisans in a cultural, economic, environmental, and socially supportive system. She works with a group of women artisans in the Maasai community in Kenya and the Oneida Nation in New York.  Their collaborative work culminates in stunning designs inspired and created by Indigenous artisans with the benefits going back to the Indigenous community.

This is a true collaboration rooted in a holistic view that fosters authentic connections and dual inspiration. Imagine if this concept was adopted by the larger manufacturing industry? When I met Tereneh, I was immediately drawn to her work, the story of the Maasai and Oneida women, and the influence this could have on the larger manufacturing industry. The following is an interview about Indigenous design partners, human creativity, and a better concept of globalization—one that benefits the world.

Joanna Gangi: Can you explain more about your concept of the Eco-design Collaborative?

Tereneh Idia: I love connections—between people, design, nature—everything. However, the current fashion system is centralized and closed off. For example, there are specific fashion week capitals, the system is very opaque in terms of how things are created and very hierarchical, from what row an editor sits in at a show to who is the It celebrity. Fashion information is also so very controlled including the dirty big secret—that fashion and clothing production is the second most polluting industry in the world. I knew none of this when I started graduate school for design, but once I learned I decided that if I create anything new in this world it had to be sustainable.

Photo courtesy of Tereneh Idia

Idia’Dega is a global eco-design collaboration and we follow three concepts.

• Creative Force Not Labor Force — the idea of indigenous design partners as equal forces in what we do. So I am not a western designer dictating what the indigenous artisans create. It is a real collaboration.
• Sustain + Ability — sustain human creativity and beauty as well as nature’s and that indigenous innovation and knowledge is relevant today and throughout the future.
• Globalization for Good — round earth thinking. The concept is not flat or one-way influence, power, and dominance but circular holistic that is engaging and benefiting the world. A mentor of mine says I am very idealistic, but all of these concepts are steeped in the natural world and science works.

JG: What are your goals for the collaborative?

TI: Creating a large collective of indigenous artisans in a cultural, economic, environmental, and socially supportive system. This supports the creative community’s economic, political, cultural power. For example, if oil drilling occurs in the Maasai community, in the future we could engage the network to fight as a global community against the drilling. Or on a small scale, which is happening now with the Olorgesailie Maasai Women Artisans of Kenya (OMWA)—the women do a monthly collection of their wages/sales and give it to the family in most need.

There is a saying “Teach a person to fish.” But I went into this process knowing that the women I work with represent the people who invented fishing so it makes more sense to partner as equals together. I am not there to help anyone (in a patriarchal way). We are building this together.

JG: What is the most inspiring thing that you’ve learned from working with the Maasai and the Oneida peoples?

TI: Everything we need we already have, all around us. Also the connections to everything is very prevalent in indigenous cultures. When I was meeting with the Oneida family of The Beading Wolves, to get permission to work with them, I talked about a Maasai creation story. Up to that point in my presentation—no one was responding to anything I was saying. Not a nod or even a blink of the eye. But when I got to the point of the Maasai story, one of the Oneida elders saw a direct parallel with one of their creation stories. He stopped me and said, “Of course! That makes so much sense!” Someone also told me something that I think about everyday, they said, “There is only one body of water on Earth.” We think of separate rivers, lakes, and oceans, but the one water concept, changes how you view, think, and treat everything and everyone. It may sound mystical but a lot of this goes back to nature and science. We are all connected.

Photo courtesy of Tereneh Idia

JG: What can other people and cultures learn from indigenous cultures about resiliency?

TI: Resiliency from what I have seen and learned from the Maasai and Oneida goes back to understanding the connections. Being able to use what you have at hand. Both the Maasai of Olorgesailie in Kenya and the Oneida of the Beading Wolves know what is around them and they have a deep connection to place. For example, when I got really sick in the Maasai village, the Maasai ladies started making me teas to drink in order to feel better. If we cannot heal ourselves or survive with what is around us, how can we be truly resilient? But on a more fundamental level we need to think about how we sustain each other and our connections with our neighbors, family, etc. Both the Maasai and Oneida have extended community with close ties. I see that is so very important.

JG: Pittsburgh has a rich history in manufacturing and has been in the national media lately regarding the city’s commitment to the Paris Climate Accord. As a Pittsburgh native, how do you feel about many people looking at the region as leading the future of the manufacturing industry and the overall sustainability efforts?

TI: I am lucky enough to have lived all over the country and world so I am also thinking about how things connect, work, and influence across many man-made borders. In Pittsburgh, my concern is not connecting racial economic environmental justice to these new efforts. We are losing basic infrastructure like strong public transportation. Unless we have access to affordable housing, clean water, clean air, good public transportation to move our culturally diverse population of Pittsburgh—the growth of Pittsburgh will continue to be unbalanced and fall along racial lines. Pittsburgh can do a lot better.

Photo courtesy of Tereneh Idia

JG: Can you explain what the Maasai Solar project is and how it has impacted the community?

TI: When I began working with OMWA: Olorgesailie Maasai Women Artisans of Kenya, one of the Maasai elders said, “This is deeper than you can imagine.” I kind of brushed it off, thinking, ‘Look, I am just here to make pretty dresses and hopefully we all make some money.’ But then I realized that without basic things—access to water, food security—the indigenous communities have all that much more of a hurdle to climb. Add to this how climate change is impacting their lives now. When that river no longer flows, the long walk to water gets longer which means less water for your family and a much longer walk for livestock. It makes the predator animals more aggressive so you lose more livestock. Drought and famine impact human, livestock and plant life making the ecosystem out of balance.

So, what can I do as a fashion designer? Let’s use design as a solution. Following the global eco-design collaboration, the Maasai Solar project is a project in collaboration with Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI), now based in Seattle. I had met LAGI when they were based in Pittsburgh to connect indigenous design with renewable energy. Connections again that foster circular solutions. The Maasai project will create renewable energy projects that include Maasai design and use from local and global markets. It will house scale, small community scale, and wearables. We are still in the very beginning phase but the goal is to get solar to the community in 2018, with the right support. And then begin to market products in 2019 for the global market with the goal of revenue generation for the Maasai community. We wanted to make sure that the Maasai women’s customers are not just their village neighbors but the world.

JG: What is the meaning behind the name Idia’Dega?

TI: Idia is actually my name and it means “queen mother,” the origin is Benin. There was a specific queen mother that was very powerful in her son’s reign. Traditionally women were not allowed to go to battle but Queen Idia led troops. The saying goes, “No woman goes to battle, except Idia.” ‘Dega comes from Diondega which is the Seneca Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) name for Pittsburgh.

JG: What can the manufacturing industry learn from the Eco-design Collaborative approach?

TI: I begin the process with research and trying to learn as much as possible. I also say to everyone involved, “When I mess up, tell me.” And they do! Connect and be transparent, add more time to the process so that more than one voice or one direction is being considered. Don’t assume that someone from another country without the same education as you is less talented or less intelligent than you. In the end the product is better. When we begin with ideas and the women I work with add to those ideas, they get better and vice versa.

Photo courtesy of Tereneh Idia

JG: What is one of your favorite designs?

TI: There are two that are my favorites, so far. One from the second collection in 2015 and one from the Spring 2018 Collection we presented during New York Fashion Week in September. The Many As One dress—made from scraps of fabric, hand beaded by OMWA and hand-stitched by me. The HollyTale Necklace was beaded by Holly Gibson of the Oneida Indian Nation, Tale Leah of OMWA and co-designed by me—it represents the strongest melding of all of our global multicultural aesthetic.

JG: What is your message of hope to young people that want to make a positive difference?

TI: I think that young people understand that the time is now. It is the adults that are holding things up. To young people—please know that there is someone in the world born at the exact same day, time, and year as you living thousands of miles away. They have the same desires, hopes, and dreams as you but may not have the same resources and opportunities. But that person is as valuable to this world as you are—we need to see that the world is lopsided but we can do better. If you’re young or old don’t feel overwhelmed with all of the world issues, find one that matters most to you and spend 5 minutes a day on it—call, email, connect to make a difference. It really does make a difference. Also know that we are connected, we are one living family on this planet and we need to sustain each other.

Nature’s Healing Power is in Abundance at this Singapore Hospital

The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) today honored the late scholar and Yale University social ecologist Stephen R. Kellert’s legacy with the first ever Biophilic Design Award at the Greenbuild Expo in Boston. The award was presented to CPG Consultants Pte Ltd, Senior Vice President Ong Chin-Po, Jerry and Alexandra Health System, Director Donald Wai Wing Tai for Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in Singapore, in recognition of the innovative and extensive use of biophilic design to engage all of the senses to promote healing and wellbeing.

Read full press release here.

New Release: Creating Biophilic Buildings

Amanda Sturgeon, FAIA, (CEO, International Living Future Institute) turns her award-winning eye for sustainable buildings toward biophilic design, an emerging design discipline that creates spaces where people and nature can thrive together as an integrated whole. Her new book from Ecotone Publishing, Creating Biophilic Buildings, takes a case study-style approach to this burgeoning field, using carefully curated examples to illuminate the holistic process of biophilic design and its benefits to both building occupants and nature.

“Biophilic design is a design philosophy, and has the potential to intentionally reconnect people and nature through buildings,” said Ms. Sturgeon. “It goes beyond adding plants or a water feature and focuses on connecting to the particular ecology of a place, to its culture and climate to create buildings that are full of life.”

The book includes 14 in-depth case studies, analyzes their strongest biophilic design attributes and details their design process and lessons learned. The late Stephen Kellert’s Biophilic Design framework is used to compare the projects against each other.

“In analyzing this group of projects against Kellert’s elements and attributes, I have come to appreciate even more how comprehensive and thoughtful the list is,” said Ms. Sturgeon. “The attributes cover the range of biophilic expression, from the basic human need for natural light and fresh air to our more complex emotional yearning to connect with our cultures, our histories and our environment.”

Download the press kit

What is “Biophilic Design”?

Biophilic Design is the practice of creating spaces that connect people and nature. At its core, it is the reconciliation of people and nature in the built environment; observing how nature has survived for thousands of years and implementing the elements and attributes which have aided in nature’s survival despite the continuously changing environment. Just as nature is rooted in its land, Biophilic Design emphasizes the relationship to the land through enhancing geographic features, embodying the historical background, advocating for ecological restorations, and expressing the cultural connections to place.

About Author Amanda Sturgeon

Amanda Sturgeon, FAIA, is the CEO of the International Living Future Institute and the founder and driving force behind ILFI’s Biophilic Design Initiative and Transition Lab. Amanda is an award-winning architect who had a successful 15-year career as an architect working on some of the most sustainable buildings in the Pacific Northwest. In 2013 she was elected as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and became a LEED Fellow later the same year in recognition for her extensive advocacy and volunteer service to the green building movement. She was named as one of the top ten most powerful women in sustainability in 2015 as a recipient of the Women in Sustainability Leadership Award.

Amanda was born in the UK, educated in Australia, and now calls Bainbridge Island, WA, her home.

About Ecotone Publishing

Founded by green building experts in 2004, Ecotone Publishing is dedicated to meeting the growing demand for authoritative and accessible books on sustainable design, materials selection and building techniques in North America and beyond. Ecotone searches out and documents inspiring projects, visionary people and innovative trends that are leading the design industry to transformational change toward a healthier planet.

About International Living Future Institute

The International Living Future Institute is an environmental NGO committed to catalyzing the transformation toward communities that are socially just, culturally rich and ecologically restorative. ILFI is premised on the belief that providing a compelling vision for the future is a fundamental requirement for reconciling humanity’s relationship with the natural world. ILFI operates the Living Building Challenge, the built environment’s most rigorous performance standard, and Declare, an ingredients label for building materials. It houses the Cascadia Green Building Council and Ecotone Publishing.

Rachel Hynes

Vice President of Operations

Rachel is passionate about creating systems that enable individuals and organizations to thrive. She has committed her career to creating more just and resilient communities, whether at large nonprofits, city government, or start-up companies. Prior to joining the institute, she worked at Future of Fish and Flip Labs, helping to oversee the expansion of programs and separation of the non-profit and LLC entities.

Rachel deeply believes in the power of nonprofits to incubate the radical ideas our world needs and brings a business lens on how to scale and make them profitable. She did her undergraduate studies in International Political Economy and Economics at the University of Puget Sound, received her MBA from Pinchot University and is both an Environmental Leadership Program Senior Fellow and Starting Bloc Fellow.

Though she originally hails from the East Coast, she has happily found a home in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where she can sometimes be found foraging for her dinner.

James Connelly

Vice President of Products and Strategic Growth

A GreenBiz 30 under 30 sustainable business leader, James Connelly is the Vice President of Product and Strategic Growth at the International Living Future Institute.

As VP of Strategic Growth, he leads ILFI in developing strategy and cultivating new business and partnership opportunities to grow the Institute’s impact and capabilities globally.

As VP of Products, James provides strategic leadership for the Institute’s corporate and manufacturing initiatives including the Living Product Hub (a center of innovative manufacturing in southwestern Pennsylvania), Living Product Challenge (a program that re-imagines the design and manufacturing of products to function as elegantly and efficiently as anything found in the natural world), Just (a social justice and corporate responsibility label for leading progressive organizations), Declare (an innovative ingredients transparency label and database of non-toxic sustainably sourced products) and the Handprint Label (an elegant CSR framework for companies on the pathway to achieving Net Positive impact).

James leads the Institute’s strategic consulting for corporations and conducts technical consulting for high profile Living Building Challenge projects both in the US and internationally.

Prior to joining the Institute in 2012, James received a Fulbright fellowship to conduct research on green building rating systems in China. James is frequent national and international speaker on regenerative design, sustainable business, ecological manufacturing and affordable housing. He is an avid writer and his research and commentary has been featured in news outlets such as China Dialogue, Trim Tab, BuildingGreen, GreenBiz and Engineering News Record.

“Our imagination has the ability to go far beyond the limits imposed by inequality, in order to visualize a truth much bigger than our gender, our race, and our place of origin.”

Originally commissioned by the 2014 People’s Climate March, Favianna created this piece to represent a woman of color and her child at the frontlines of the fight against the climate crisis

She does that through her provocative art pieces, community organizing, and political empowerment programs. She often speaks about how art is an integral part of culture change and how artists can help to shift paradigms. The world needs a dramatic paradigm shift in order to act against climate change and reconcile human’s relationship with nature. What is required of us is to come together as a human species to solve and reimagine the way we live. Art is a powerful platform for this and allows people to push past what they believe is possible.

In the following interview, Favianna shares the power of art and how it is can play a critical role in supporting positive change. She explores how art can be a storytelling platform, a place of empowerment, a bridge to social justice and environmentalism, and much more.

Joanna Gangi: How can artists create a new narrative for change, specifically related to the fight against climate change?

Favianna Rodriguez: Art is about how we see the world, whether it’s a painting, film, or other things, it is a reaction to our human condition. Throughout history, the relationship between art and society is such that it helps people to innovate.

Artists help us imagine how things can look different and they can help tell a story of the future. They create some of the things that we as human beings most attach to like music and books. They create such compelling narratives for a society and civilization, and if we know that to be true, then artists cannot go unorganized, nor can they go unresourced. What I mean by unorganized is that, when we’re dealing with significant human challenges such as racial and gender inequality, and climate change, we need to understand that artists are solutions in that space and artists can help us address how we challenge those kinds of very engraved problems.

Problems are often a consequence of habit and of systemic ways of working. Artists can disrupt those habits or those systemic ways by showing complexity and by actually shining a light on what’s really happening, which helps people change focus. Artists introduce complexity and stories that help us be empathetic to each other as human beings and to the planet.

Artists can expose ways that are emotionally based and can help tap into what kind of world we do want to build.

JG:  There are three components to social change—culture, politics, and economics. You say that cultural change proceeds political and economic change. Why is culture an essential component to this?

FR: Denis Hayes’ creating Earth Day is such a critical example of why culture matters. Earth Day is a cultural practice that’s kind of like a holiday.  It’s a cultural tradition that was building, which led to a lot of great things.

The culture around marriage equality helped drive political change. There were television shows about the issue, there were sports icons speaking up about it, there were authors and many more people building the momentum. Together they composed a lane of culture that happened faster than the politics and it moved people differently. So, by the time of the Supreme Court victory in 2015, the cultural space had already been activated many years before.

For the climate change movement, there are a lot of white artists in the space, but where is the hip-hop sector or Latin music sector?  It’s not happening—and even though climate change impacts disproportionately affect communities of color, their stories are not being told. The issues around climate change are seen as less important than issues around violence or incarceration that many communities of color are facing. But, in reality, these are all urgent things and are all connected.

We need musicians, filmmakers, and visual artists—people really embedded in communities that are affected by climate change to tell another story about it. We need another organized group of people that is advancing a different kind of story and a different kind of narrative.

This piece was commissioned by Strong Families to celebrate Mama’s Day. The piece represents a society in which children, adults and elders ae empowered and engaged in decision making about their community.

JG: Your work through CultureStrike does a beautiful job of showcasing the many different faces of the environmental movement. Why is it important to show the many faces and diversity of environmentalism?

FR: Climate change is a human problem and historically has been caused by humans that have had more power. Colonial forces built an entire society based on dirty energy and some of the consequences of that are being seen in migration. Migration is happening because years ago the colonial powers ravaged the natural resources and the ecosystems of those countries where people could no longer sustain themselves.

For example, up and down the Central Valley in California where a quarter of the food is grown for this country, there are people with respiratory diseases, there are people who are exposed to pesticides, and many of these communities are communities of color. It is a similar scenario in Texas with the location of oil refineries and communities of color.

Unless we hear the stories of those affected, then we have less ability to feel empathy but also to understand the impact of how the system works because climate change and environmental degradation can only happen if people are not seeing the impacts.

What we can’t see prevents us from having a well-rounded analysis of the problem. If we’re seeing a very homogeneous story about climate and the environment, we’re not seeing the full story. For human beings to make informed decisions and find solutions to climate change we need to tap into our empathy and our connection to each other, and know that if one community is suffering we are all suffering.

JG: How can the environmental movement be more inclusive and diverse?

FR: I think awareness is changing. I think it’s changing very fast because the very compelling examples like Standing Rock or Flint, Michigan, where the movements are being led by communities of color.  So I believe we are in the midst of a shift.

And the way the movement can be more inclusive is first to take a moment to really educate on and understand how climate injustices are playing out in your local community and elsewhere. Having an understanding of that can help you connect with some of the organizations that are working on their behalf and helping to tell the story.

Also, inviting communities and leaders of color to the table and investing in their leadership will help break the silos and encourage an intersectional approach.

JG: Can you describe how the intersectionality of the sustainability movement and the social justice movement are important?

FR: We have to be able to connect the dots. Many social justice issues are related to an extractive system and many environmental issues are related to extractive systems. And these systems impact human beings. The prison system is extractive. The agriculture industry is extractive. Extractive systems don’t work. It doesn’t work whether you’re extracting from a mountaintop or whether you’re extracting from communities. We need to think beyond that. We need to imagine another kind of like coexistence so we understand we’re interdependent.

JG: Your art represents a very powerful message. What message do you have for young people who may be struggling to find their voice but also know that they want to make a positive difference?

FR: Be an artist and be creative. Create new stories and messages that really speak to your heart and be bold in imagining a future. Tell us and show us what that future looks like.

This piece was originally commissioned by Fair World Project.

The following is an excerpt from upcoming Creating Biophilic Buildings by Amanda Sturgeon, FAIA, CEO of the International Living Future Institute.

Introduction to the Case Studies

Upon investigating resources related to biophilic design, I discovered that only four case studies were currently available to the general public. Architects and designers, who are almost all overwhelmingly visual learners, must be able to draw inspiration from precedents. If we want practitioners to embrace biophilic design as both a design philosophy and as a process, we need case studies that illustrate how to achieve it practically and elegantly.

This contemporary collection of fourteen case studies draws from Living Building Challenge projects. Since 2011, the Living Building Challenge has required that all projects utilize Stephen Kellert’s framework to achieve biophilic design—the only green building standard that includes biophilic design as a requirement. Consequently, the projects that are now built and operating as Living Buildings provide a significant resource for the advancement of biophilic design.

Additionally, Version 3.1 of the Living Building Challenge requires that projects hold a one-day biophilic design exploration and create a guiding framework for the project based on the criteria outlined on the following page. This requirement influenced some of the fourteen case studies as well.

Some of the projects were also influenced by other approaches to biophilic design, such as Terrapin Bright Green’s 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design, which coalesces Kellert’s attributes into fourteen patterns organized within three groups. Although this framework and Terrapin’s extensive resources are pivotal tools for advancing the practice of biophilic design, for the sake of consistency we have not specifically referenced them within these case studies.

The case studies do not focus on the other Living Building Challenge Imperatives; however, it is worth mentioning that most of these projects have achieved some to all of the requirements set forth in the Living Building Challenge standard: they are net zero or net positive for energy and/or water use; they are constructed with materials free of Red List items; they demonstrate the principles of equity; they are respectful of place; and they are beautiful.

Because the Living Building Challenge requires projects to reference and respond to the Biophilic Design Elements and Attributes list that Stephen R. Kellert published in the 2008 book Biophilic Design: The Theory and Practice of Bringing Buildings to Life¹, I have organized the case studies according to that list.

• Environmental Features

  • Color
  • Water
  • Air
  • Natural ventilation
  • Plants
  • Animals
  • Natural materials
  • Views and vistas
  • Façade greening
  • Geology and landscape
  • Habitats and ecosystems
  • Fire

• Natural Shapes + Forms

  • Botanical motifs
  • Tree and columnar supports
  • Animal (mainly vertebrate) motifs
  • Shells and spirals
  • Egg, oval and tubular forms
  • Arches, vaults, domes
  • Shapes resisting straight lines and right angles
  • Simulation of natural features
  • Biomorphy
  • Geomorphology
  • Biomimicry

• Natural Patterns + Processes

  • Sensory variability
  • Information richness
  • Age, change and the patina of time
  • Growth and efflorescence
  • Central focal point
  • Patterned wholes
  • Bounded spaces
  • Transitional spaces
  • Linked series and chains
  • Integration of parts to wholes
  • Complementary contrasts
  • Dynamic balance and tension
  • Fractals
  • Hierarchically organized ratios and scales

• Light + Space

  • Natural light
  • Filtered and diffused light
  • Light and shadow
  • Reflected light
  • Light pools
  • Warm light
  • Light as shape and form
  • Spaciousness
  • Spatial variability
  • Space as shape and form
  • Spatial harmony
  • Inside-outside spaces

• Place-Based Relationship

  • Geographic connection to place
  • Historic connection to place
  • Ecological connection to place
  • Cultural connection to place
  • Indigenous materials
  • Landscape orientation
  • Landscape features that define building form
  • Integration of culture and ecology
  • Spirit of place
  • Avoiding placelessness

• Evolved Human-Nature Relationships

  • Prospect and refuge
  • Order and complexity
  • Curiousity and enticement
  • Change and metamorphosis
  • Security and protection
  • Mastery and control
  • Affection and attachment
  • Attraction and beauty
  • Exploration and discovery
  • Information and cognition
  • Fear and awe
  • Reverence and spirituality

In analyzing this group of projects against Kellert’s elements and attributes, I have come to appreciate even more how comprehensive and thoughtful this list is. The attributes cover the range of biophilic expression, from the basic human need for natural light and fresh air to our more complex emotional yearning to connect with our cultures, our histories, and the natural environment.

The element of Light and Space includes a full exploration of the ways in which light and space interact to promote biophilic experiences. The element of Natural Shapes and Forms reveals why we find arches, domes, spirals, curves, and other naturalistic features so intriguing, and why these features so often find their way into our buildings. If you have not already, I encourage you to become intimately familiar with these elements and attributes and have no doubt you will come to appreciate them as I have.

Each case study illustrates two or three elements from Kellert’s list and describes in detail how the project addresses three attributes listed under those selected elements. I selected attributes based on extensive interviews with the design teams, owners, and occupants, as well as from their own narratives and presentations describing their approach to biophilic design. In most cases, I also conducted an in-person site visit. The attributes discussed during the interviews were not always the ones I selected. For example, with one project it was clear to me that connection to place and climate drove the design, yet strangely, the design team did not mention these influences.

Several projects embraced biophilic design more fully and illustrated more than the three elements we chose to feature. However, in order to show a range of examples and strategies, I selected the elements and attributes that both tell a good story about biophilic design and provide valuable lessons learned.

Viewing these case studies as a group has been illuminating. Some projects have been more successful than others at integrating biophilic design into their design generation and conceptual development, and the inclusion of a special case study does not imply that it is exemplary in every category of biophilic design. It is important to acknowledge that these design teams are also on a journey to understand and discover how biophilic design can inform their practices. The key takeaway is to recognize the potential that biophilic design can bring to our buildings, both now and in the future.

Citations

1. Stephen R. Kellert, Judith H. Heerwagen, and Martin L. Mador, Biophilic Design: The Theory, Science, and Practice of Bringing Buildings to Life (Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2008), Table 1.1, p15

About Creating Biophilic Buildings

What if we could experience the same physical, psychological, and emotional benefits moving through an urban landscape that we experience walking through a forest?

What if we could right our relationship with nature by transforming the built environment in a way that ensures buildings function in harmony with the natural world?

Creating Biophilic Buildings by Amanda Sturgeon calls for an intentional biophilic design renaissance providing a fresh, insightful place to begin exploring how to create places where people and nature can thrive together.

Learn more about the Living Product Expo 2017, held on Sept 12 – 14 in Pittsburgh, and register today! Early bird ends August 1st.

A prominent feature of the Living Product Expo are the products themselves, made with innovative materials by companies who are pushing the limit on healthy products.

Photo: Interface

Interface

Product: Global Change Collection

By moving away from petroleum intensive carpet and radically changing their production process, Interface products embody a commitment to sustainability. Their newest Global Change Collection is an interpretation of biophilic design, with a range of colors, textures and formats in both small scale and bold, graphic aesthetics. Because there is complementarity between the patterns and hues of Global Change, product designer Kari Pei refers to the entire collection as a flexible system across various price points. All seven styles could be specified on a single project, combining to create zones and pathways with fluid transitions across the range. Global Change extends their sustainability mission by employing a solution dyed Universal nylon 6,6 yarn system that boasts a 1:4 carbon dioxide output and 75 percent recycled content. It is also remarkably lightweight, thereby reducing the ecological footprint of shipping.

Photo: Metroflor

Metroflor Corporation

Product: Aspecta

MetroFlor has devoted itself to leading the Luxury vinyl flooring category with new products, designs, and manufacturing methods. Metroflor has been at the forefront of the shift away from phthalate plasticizers in all of their products. Their customer service building, Halstead International, has created an attractive and comfortable, energy-efficient workplace using sustainable materials with a long-term cost benefit. Halstead’s building is Georgia’s Tenth LEED Platinum project and the first for the city of Calhoun, GA.

Photo: Assa Abloy

ASSA ABLOY

Product: EcoFlex Electrified Mortise Lock

ASSA ABLOY is a global leader in door opening solutions, and are making their products a vital component of the green marketplace. The team has included ILFI’s Red List into their own internal ‘red list’ so they can continue to phase out harmful chemicals in their products and processes. ASSA ABLOY is seeking Living Product Challenge certification with their newly re-designed EcoFlex Electrified Mortise Lock.  This lock previously used a solenoid motor, which meant it was pulling power continuously. However, the new design has a step driven motor. Acting like a hybrid car, it pulls enough power from the grid to charge the lock and then waits in low energy standby mode until a user presents an access card. Read more about their products on our TrimTab blog.

Photo: Mohawk

Mohawk Group

Product: Lichen Collection

Last month, the Mohawk Group received Petal Certification for Water, Place, and Health & Happiness in the Living Product Challenge for the Lichen Collection, a modular carpet tile product backed by the company’s EcoFlex NXT backing. Designed by ILFI Founder and Board Chairman Jason F. McLennan, the Lichen Collection incorporates both biophilia and biomimicry, and is designed to be manufactured within the water balance for the site of the factory in Calhoun, Ga. Read more about the collection on our TrimTab blog.

Photo: Lightart

Light Art

Product: LA2

“With discerning expertise in architecture, sculpture, and lighting, we specialize in understanding the vision for space and use the art of light to accentuate the desired aesthetic.” –Ryan Smith, President & Creative Director. The result of LightArt’s research and development, LA2 Technologies applies innovations in electronics, materials, and fabrication techniques to create fixtures that feature integrated, proprietary, solid-state LED systems; thin-gauge, lightweight material in over 1,000 color options; and a modular fabrication process to shorten lead time and minimize waste.They are the first light fixtures to earn LBC Compliant status, are designed and built in Seattle, and are able to be completely recycled, reused, or salvaged when clients are finished with them.

Photo: Armstrong

Armstrong Ceilings

Product: SUSTAIN, a portfolio of ceiling systems

Armstrong World Industries offers the largest portfolio of high-performance ceiling and wall systems available today through their collection of SUSTAIN ceiling systems. The SUSTAIN portfolio contributes to better spaces with a complete offering of mineral fiber, fiberglass, metal ceiling panels, Tectum wall and ceiling panels, trims and transitions, and suspension and drywall systems. These products are free of Red List chemicals per Living Building Challenge 3.0 and have Declare labels – see here for the 22+ Armstrong products with labels.

Photo: Biome

Biome

Product: Taiga T35

Biome has created an autonomous panel of nature that can bioremediate your indoor air pollution: Taiga T35. Using silent fans, Taiga absorbs your indoor air and naturally eliminates Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) created from cooking, cleaning products, and everyday products like carpeting and technology products. It is a fully enclosed system, and so no water line or drainage is required. As an immersive piece of landscaping technology, it automatically cares for 35 plants within its 5 air purification chambers. It’s light enough to hang directly on drywall with only drywall anchors for support. The included Biome LightBar shines a crisp white light on your foliage to ensure optimal health and lower maintenance. And, this product is Declare certified, the first technology company to be LBC compliant!

Photo: Ecobalanza

Ecobalanza

Product: Couture Collection

EcoBalanza is building the world’s most ethical luxury upholstered furniture. For over a decade, EcoBalanza has been sourcing the cleanest and most responsible materials, sourced with quality and integrity in mind. Ethically sourced, natural and organic materials create each of their products including finely crafted and sustainable sofas, chairs, ottomans and headboards. The Couture Collection consists of luxurious custom-made green upholstered furniture that can meet your personal preferences. Key features of each Couture piece include eight-way hand-tied coil springs system, under-upholstery layer with certified organic cotton twill and endless customization.

Photo: Teknion

Teknion

Product: Metropolitan ’14

Advancing sustainability is ingrained in the company culture. Teknion’s priorities as manufacturers are to minimize the environmental impact of their work and advance sustainability efforts within the industry as a whole. Eighty percent of Teknion’s component parts are manufactured in-house which provides greater control for them to challenge the status quo. Metropolitan ’14 is a fully upholstered rotating chair with a fully integrated seat cushion. According to Teknion, “the hallmark of the Metropolitan ’14 is the uniform flow of the seat into the armrests, creating a perfect nest for comfort and relaxation.”

Photo: Humanscale

Humanscale

Product: Diffrient Smart Chair and Float Table

To achieve the standards set by the Living Product Challenge (LPC), Jane Abernethy and her staff made significant changes to Humanscale’s facilities, implementing solar panels and a rainwater-capture system. The team also studied the lifecycle of each ingredient in every part of Humanscale’s products and found alternative materials or methods of production if anything was deemed harmful to people or the environment. In 2016, two of their products were the first to be certified under LPC: the Diffrient Smart Chair and the Float Table. At Neocon, Humanscale is introducing the World Chair, made in partnership with Bureo, who is supplying NetPlus, a material made by recycling discarded commercial fishing nets.” One of the company’s primary goals for 2017 is to ensure that its lighting offerings contain zero red-list (harmful) materials. For more on Humanscale’s endeavors, see their commitment to the LPC in this video.

Learn more about the Living Product Expo 2017, held on Sept 12 – 14 in Pittsburgh, and register today! Early bird ends August 1st.

The Living Product Challenge (LPC), introduced in 2015, is growing and scaling thanks to the commitment of courageous companies who are redesigning products and processes to work within natural and social systems, it was announced at Neocon World Trade Fair today. Neocon exhibitors Mohawk and Humanscale both debuted products created under the Living Product Challenge. Additionally, the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) announced partnerships with leading product certification companies, growing the ecosystem for companies who are exploring the outer edges of regenerative manufacturing and design.

LPC Director James Connelly will be on hand at Neocon, in the Mohawk (#377) showroom on (2:00-5:00pm, Monday, June 12th and 11:30am-2:00pm,Tuesday, June 13th) and in the Humanscale (#351) showroom (4:00-5:00pm, Tuesday, June 13th).

“Our vision for the Living Product Challenge is not only to redesign products and manufacturing so that they work as elegantly as any system found in nature, but also to make it easy for manufacturers to successfully create Living Products,” said Amanda Sturgeon FAIA, CEO of ILFI. “By partnering with leading certification companies, we are making the barrier to entry more accessible for visionary manufacturers.”

 New Living Products in the Marketplace at Neocon

“Mohawk and Humanscale — who are part of the LP50 – the vanguard of regenerative manufacturing are both demonstrating the power of possibility with new Living Product introductions,” said James Connelly, director of LPC for the ILFI.

Mohawk Group Debuts the Lichen Collection, designed by Jason F. McLennan

Mohawk Group has received Petal Certification for Water, Place, and Health & Happiness in the Living Product Challenge for the Lichen Collection, a modular carpet tile product backed by the company’s EcoFlex NXT backing. Designed by ILFI Founder and Board Chairman Jason F. McLennan, the Lichen Collection incorporates both biophilia and biomimicry, and is designed to be manufactured within the water balance for the site of the factory in Calhoun, Ga.

The company has also showcased their social responsibility by offsetting the product’s water footprint through a water handprint at Morehouse College in Atlanta, where Mohawk invested in upgrades to plumbing fixtures to achieve water efficiencies on campus. Finally, Mohawk is donating a portion of product revenue to habitat preservation and restoration through the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, a protected natural resource with a trailhead that is visible from the company’s design center.

“In partnering with Jason McLennan, we knew we wanted to create more than something stylish and sustainable. We understood our duty to envision and manufacture something that would help take us along this continued journey to more sustainable design and business practices, said Jackie Dettmar, Mohawk Group vice president of design and development. “This isn’t a singular, isolated accomplishment for our talented design team, but a sign of more offerings on the way. Lichen has been a strategic opportunity to introspectively look at different ways we can have a net positive impact on people and the environment, leaving a positive ‘handprint’ as we seek to touch the built environment like never before.”

Humanscale Debuts the World Chair in Partnership with Bureo

“Too often we get caught in the trap of thinking in terms of trade-offs. And one of the ways in which the Living Product Challenge can have significant impact is by proving that products don’t have to make compromises – products can achieve a true, net positive social, environmental and financial impact,” said Connelly. “With that in mind, we recently presented the Living Product Challenge Manufacturer’s Visionary Award to Humanscale, a company that courageously pursued full LPC certification for its most complicated products. Now they are working to make their entire product line red list free, meaning that they will work with their supply chain to ensure that every ingredient that goes into their products is nontoxic.”

At Neocon, Humanscale is introducing the World Chair, made in partnership with Bureo, who is supplying NetPlus, a material made by recycling discarded commercial fishing nets.”

For more on Humanscale’s endeavors, see their commitment to the LPC in this video. 

Living Product Challenge Partners with Leading Certifiers

“The LPC is asking manufacturers to do something they may have never done before which can be both scary and exciting,” said James Connelly. “Our goal is to create an ecosystem of services that makes it easier for manufacturers to explore the possibilities, and with that in mind, we have partnered with leading certification companies and are working with them to streamline our process as we iterate on the LPC standard and create a common understanding of what it means, for example to design and manufacture a Net Positive product.”

Certification partners include:

WAP Sustainability, who provide both technical and strategic competencies, particularly in the area of life cycle analysis and data.

ToxServices, experts in toxicology, risk assessment and comparative hazard assessment.

GreenCircle Certified, who are known for a rigorous evaluation process provides independent verification that claims of sustainable aspects of products and operations are valid.

SCS Global Services, who provide third party certification of sustainability claims, with a particular emphasis on Net Positive certification for LPC.

“We applaud ILFI’s collaborative approach to developing a harmonized standard that considers industry leading sustainability programs that manufacturers are already engaged in”, said William Paddock, Managing Director of WAP Sustainability. “Manufacturers can leverage their existing efforts with the Living Product Challenge and move from analytics to action by pursuing imperatives such as red list free, net positive impact categories, and creating positive handprints.”

“The Living Product Challenge drives the building industry to re-imagine the design and construction of products. Through this forward-thinking product certification program, companies can demonstrate their leadership and commitment to sustainability. SCS is proud to be a certification partner for ILFI,” says Stanley Mathuram, SCS Global Services, Vice President.

Want to learn more about the Living Product Challenge? Download your free guide to healthier products, the new Living Product Challenge 1.1 Standard.

The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) and the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), have agreed to work collaboratively to promote the design, construction and operation of healthy and restorative buildings. The two organizations will work together to identify opportunities to align the two rating systems, coordinate events and education offerings, and promote building practices that significantly raise the standard of what buildings should be.

“The Living Building Challenge – our flagship program that reimagines buildings to work as elegantly as nature, and within the water and energy balance of their settings – seeks ultimately to improve human health and wellbeing,” said Amanda Sturgeon FAIA, CEO of ILFI. “LBC and WELL are incredibly complementary and we want to support projects that pursue dual certification.”

Typically, Living Building Challenge Imperatives are broader, and WELL features are more specific in their focus. As a collaboration of the two organizations, the Crosswalk details the ways in which Imperatives and Features might be equivalent, streamlining the process for projects that aim to offer superior benefit to human health and wellbeing and to recognize them for those efforts.

“IWBI and ILFI share a vision for healthy people through better buildings,” said IWBI Chairman and CEO Rick Fedrizzi. “Providing this clear guide for project teams helps them more efficiently deliver the kinds of buildings we want for our world.”

To simplify the process for projects pursuing both programs, ILFI and IWBI have developed a document to show how Living Building Challenge can assist in meeting WELL features, and to show how WELL features can assist in meeting the Living Building Challenge.

That guidance can be found here.

About the WELL Building Standard

The WELL Building Standard (WELL) is a performance-based system for measuring, certifying, and monitoring features of the built environment that impact the health and wellness of the people who live, work, and learn in the buildings. WELL focuses on seven categories of building performance: air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind. The WELL Building Standard is grounded in evidence-based research that demonstrates the connection between the buildings where people spend approximately 90 percent of their time and those buildings’ health and wellness impacts on those who use them. The WELL Building Standard is administered by the International WELL Building Institute and thirdparty certified by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI). www.wellcertified.com

About the International WELL Building Institute

The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is a public benefit corporation whose mission is to improve human health and wellness through the built environment. Public benefit corporations like IWBI are an emerging U.S. structure for corporations committed to balancing public benefits with profitability – harnessing the power of private capital for greater good. IWBI administers the WELL Building Standard (WELL) – a performance-based system for measuring, certifying, and monitoring features of buildings that impact the health and wellness of the people who live, work, and learn in them. It also supports the growing number of professionals who seek WELL accreditation, as administered by GBCI. www.wellcertified.com

Mohawk Group has received Petal Certification for Water, Place, and Health & Happiness in the Living Product Challenge for the Lichen Collection, a modular carpet tile product backed by the company’s EcoFlex NXT backing. Designed by ILFI Founder and Board Chairman Jason F. McLennan of McLennan Design, the Lichen Collection incorporates both biophilia and biomimicry, and is designed to be manufactured within the water balance for the site of the factory in Virginia.

The company has also showcased their social responsibility by offsetting the product’s water footprint through a water handprint at Morehouse College in Atlanta, where Mohawk invested in upgrades to plumbing fixtures to achieve water efficiencies on campus. Finally, Mohawk is donating a portion of product revenue to habitat preservation and restoration through the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, a protected natural resource with a trailhead that is visible from the company’s design center.

“Lichen isn’t a singular, isolated accomplishment for our talented design team, but a sign of more offerings on the way. Lichen has been a strategic opportunity to introspectively look at different ways we can have a net positive impact on people and the environment, leaving a ‘handprint’ as we seek to touch the built environment like never before,” said Jackie Dettmar, vice president of product design and development for Mohawk Group.

Every year, we recognize individuals who have demonstrated a fierce commitment to the Living Building Challenge with their desire to continually raise the bar on behalf of the green building industry.

This year, nine recipients are inspirational in their quest to help safeguard our future.

“We recognize these heroes not for simply doing less harm, but because they are working to create a built environment that is socially just, culturally rich and ecologically restorative,” said Amanda Sturgeon, CEO of the International Living Future Institute. “These individuals have not only adopted the Living Building Challenge – they live its principles and inspire others to do the same.”

This year’s heroes are:

Kirsti Luke

Kirsti is Chief Executive of Tūhoe Te Uru Taumatua, Ngāi Tūhoe’s Tribal Authority. She holds a Bachelor of Law (LLB), is extremely knowledgeable about the tribe’s treaty claims, and was involved in the establishment of Te Uru Taumatua. Her goal is to build the organization and the tribe’s economy and improve descendants’ quality of life. Her role includes recruiting management staff, building relationships with stakeholders and government agencies, developing policies to improve or coordinate options for housing, health and employment for Tūhoe and providing business recommendations to build up the tribe’s economy.

Beth Heider

As Chief Sustainability Officer, Skanska, Elizabeth (Beth), FAIA, and LEED Fellow, translates Skanska’s commitment to sustainability into action while serving on Skanska USA’s Management Team. She’s an everywoman whose touch can be found on all phases of design and construction – from architect to construction manager to sustainability leader. Known for her work making the business case for greenbuilding, including the Living Building Financial Study, she has been invited to present at over 200 international conferences focusing on the nexus of design, sustainability and good business. Beith served for six years on USGBC national Board of Directors, including a stint as chair 2012. She was recently by Green Building & Design as one of the Ten Most Powerful Women in Sustainability, and serves on the Envision Review Board. She’s also Chair of the Board of Trustees for Excel Academy, the first all-girl charter school in the District of Columbia.

Priya Premchandran

Priya is the Team Design and Construction Lead for the Google Real Estate Workplace and Services. She was part of the Google Chicago Renovation project that is a Petal Certified Project. She is responsible for the program’s integration into Google’s global portfolio to deliver healthy and high performing workplaces. Priya brings over 10 years of focused experience in integrating sustainability concepts into high performing projects with a particular focus on understanding the impact and benefits to human health, user experience, and sustainability.

Pete Munoz

Pete is a senior engineer and Cascadia Bioregion leader for Biohabitats who has been lucky enough to work with some of the most influential green building projects in the United States. He’s committed to creating aspirational infrastructure that helps reconnecting our communities with what makes them work. Pete speaks around the country on a variety of topics including green infrastructure, regenerative design, and climate change solutions. He is a partner in the Alliance for Regeneration and he teaches several water related courses at Yestermorrow Design/Build in Warren, Vermont.

Carlo Battisti

Carlo is a sustainable innovation consultant and project manager with more than 20 years of ecosystem construction company experience across the world. He is LEED and WELL Accredited and co-founded the Living Building Challenge Collaborative in Italy. His passion project is co-created 64 hour design contest called REGENERATION for young European professionals, entirely based on the Living Building Challenge.

Jason Jewhurst

An avid outdoorsman from New Hampshire, Jason’s passion for reconnecting with the natural environment informs his work in sustainable and high-performance building design, and the intersection of tested construction traditions and new technologies.As a principal at the architecture firm Bruner/Cott & Associates, he leads design teams to create high-performance contemporary architecture that is beautiful, inspiring, and embodies the shared values of its community. Both the Regenerative Village at Yale Divinity School Master Plan and the R. W. Kern Center at Hampshire College are designed to meet the Living Building Challenge, and his designs for the Institute for Global Citizenship at Minnesota’s Macalester College earned LEED Platinum certification and inspired him to commit more strongly to sustainability. Jason is a founding member of the International Living Future Institute’s East Coast Congress, a think tank for sustainable policy and advocacy.

Jason Forney

Jason is an AIA, LEED AP Principal at Bruner/Cott & Associates who combines creativity with building performance to craft sustainable design solutions. He thrives on connecting the grittiness of our past with the potential of our future, layering old and new in designs that convey a unique sense of place, emphasize environmental responsibility, and reflect client goals. He was instrumental in developing the Yale Divinity School Regenerative Village Master Plan and designing the R.W. Kern Center at Hampshire College in Amherst, both aiming to meet the high standards of the Living Building Challenge. Jason has also designed multiple LEED Gold- and Platinum-certified college campus projects across the country. He has lectured at the Rhode Island School of Design, Harvard University, and the Boston Architectural College and presented at both regional and national AIA conventions.

Scott Kelly

Scott Kelly is co-founder of Re:Vision Architecture leading an interdisciplinary team in designing or consulting on hundreds of innovative green projects, many of which are “firsts” of their kind. Scott has been a champion of Living Building Challenge (LBC) since its inception in 2006. He is the Architect for the LBC Certified project, Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Environmental Center (Grass) and has brought lessons learned to six other project teams as an LBC Consultant. He is the founder of the LBC Philadelphia Collaborative and has led dozens of educational events — from deep technical workshops on LBC Petals to Charrette Facilitation and to LBC Philadelphia Collaboratives Demonstration Project that involved over 100 building and design professional volunteers.

Jason Gamache

Jason is driven by the daily challenge of living in the polar north; the front line of our rapidly changing environment. A partner at McCool Carlson Green in Anchorage, Alaska, he’s also a licensed Architect in Washington and Hawaii. He’s also worked in Germany exclusively on low energy projects, which embodied design principles of Passive Haus, Net Zero and Cybernetics + Structure. Jason dedicates his work to the development of sustainable building practices; reconnecting indigenous design with modern innovations seeking solutions that are cost-effective, create healthy environments, are energy-efficient, with an overarching goal to eliminate negative environmental impacts, and build sustainable communities. Jason is working on Alaska’s first net positive energy buildings with no combustion fuel source in a pursuit of the Living Building Challenge.

“Too often we get caught in the trap of thinking in terms of trade-offs – and one of the ways in which the Living Product Challenge can have significant impact is by proving that products don’t have to make compromises – products can achieve a true, net positive social, environmental and financial impact,” said Connelly.

“With that in mind, the Living Product Challenge Manufacturer’s Visionary Award is presented to Humanscale, a company that courageously pursued full LPC certification for its most complicated products,” said Connelly. “Now they are working to make their entire product line red list free, meaning that they will work with their supply chain to ensure that every ingredient that goes into their products is nontoxic.”

For more on Humanscale’s endeavors, see their LPC video here.