Since 2006, the Living Building Challenge has inspired significant change in how buildings are designed, built, rehabbed and operated. In addition to the projects that have been certified under the Challenge, there are more than 200 projects in the works around the world demonstrating possibilities for the built environment.

These successes are the result of tireless efforts made by individuals who not only have adopted the Living Building Challenge, but have also profoundly demonstrated how its principles can be used to rethink business as usual. These individuals have nurtured the Living Building Challenge as a movement – locally, regionally, nationally and internationally and have led by example. The International Living Future Institute honors these heroes for their tremendous efforts to help pave the way to a restorative future.

The new Heroes were recognized on Thursday, May 12th, at the Institute’s 10th Living Future unConference. Individuals who receive this distinction have demonstrated a fierce commitment to the Living Building Challenge and their desire to continually raise the bar on behalf of the green building industry.

“We recognize these heroes for their tireless work to overhaul the status quo and carve the path to a restorative future through green building.  They have our deepest respect for their commitment to continually and successfully innovating project design and construction to achieve more socially just, culturally rich and ecologically restorative communities,” says Amanda Sturgeon, the International Living Future Institute’s Chief Executive Officer. “These individuals have not only adopted the Living Building Challenge – they live its principles and inspire others to do the same.”

The 2016 Heroes range from experts in regenerative design to pioneers in municipal leadership. They are the stalwarts in the regenerative design movement and are paving the way for future generations.  Heroes were chosen by the Institute based on their many contributions to the movement.

This year’s Heroes are:

Greg Mella, Vice President & Co-Director of Sustainable Design, SmithGroupJJR

Greg is a Vice President and Co-Director of Sustainable Design at SmithGroupJJR. He was the project architect for the world’s first LEED Platinum project: the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s headquarters in Annapolis and recently for CBF’s Brock Environmental Center.  A past member of the AIA’s Committee on the Environment Advisory Group, Greg currently co-chairs the AIA’s 2030 Commitment Steering Committee and serves on the ILFI East Coast Congress.  Greg is a registered architect in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Herve Moal, Director of Development and Innovation, ARP Astrance

Herve Moal specializes in sustainable building consulting. He helps his clients with the transformation of new construction and existing buildings. He advises on a number of areas including sustainable and healthy buildings, biodiversity, and biophilia. Herve is LEED Ap, Well AP, Bream Assessor, Bream-in-use auditor, DGNB consultant and Ecojardin auditor. For 9 years, Herve has served as a Living Building Ambassador. Moal has worked on the design stage of a Living Building Challenge winery and a Net Zero retail project. Currently, he lives in France and works with 50 consultants to promote regenerative buildings and ILFI’s programs.

Kevin R. Hydes, President & CEO, Integral Group

A pioneer of sustainable building systems’ design, Kevin’s commitment to advancing its cause began over 20 years ago with one of the earliest examples of innovative, green design, the C.K. Choi Building at the University of British Columbia. Keven has led teams to achieve the highest building ratings, from LEED Platinum to net zero and beyond, on such significant projects as the Packard Foundation project, which introduced the idea of Net-Zero and Living Buildings to the industry at large. In 2009, Kevin founded Integral Group to bring together a new breed of leaders, who are inspired to develop deep green solultions for buildings and communities, globally. Kevin views Integral Group as an agent of change, a catalyst. By bringing together this diverse group of innovators, doers, and researchers- together with their clients-Integral Group is united thought an inspired vision that that every building can be green, and should be greener. Through innovation with replication, Integral Group is dedicated to delivering triple bottom line solutions for their clients, and most importantly for our environment.

Lorraine Doo, Principle, Doo Consulting LLC

Lorraine Doo, MSW, MPH, LEED AP, is a Principal at Doo Consulting LLC and focuses her time on strategic consulting services.  Lorraine’s expertise includes strategic planning, integrating corporate social responsibility into business philosophy and practices, identifying and capturing practical goals and metrics for implementation and reporting, training on material certifications (e.g. health and environmental product declarations, Declare, cradle to cradle), promoting JUST certification, and facilitating workshops on topical issues. Lorraine’s public health background gives the firm a unique perspective on the impact of buildings on the health of occupants; so she assists teams with material selection or the research on materials and design.  She will have her WELL Accreditation shortly.  She has an interest in how technology is going to change how we interact with buildings, and the Internet of Things (IoT) and is keeping pace with the Green Button, and “12 year olds” as best she can.   Lorraine is an ambassador for the Living Building Challenge, and has been a facilitator for the Baltimore Living Building Collaborative. She was appointed as one of the East Coast representatives for the inaugural Congress for the International Living Future Institute.  She and her husband love to garden, cook, and travel together. She loves to run while he plays golf.

Mary Tod Winchester, Vice President Adminstration & Operations, Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Mary Tod Winchester joined the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) in 1971.  CBF’s environmental education, restoration, and advocacy programs are internationally recognized for their vision, innovation, and impact.  To help accomplish CBF’s goals and serving as Vice President for Administration/Operations, Mary Tod has helped to guide CBF to think, act and build green starting with CBF’s first composting toilet in 1975. CBF’s headquarters, Philip Merrill Environmental Center, an international green building model, was Mary Tod’s dream 19 years ago.  She was responsible for hiring the team to design and build the Merrill Center, to “practice what we preach” and construct the greenest commercial building possible came alive and brought many awards for CBF, including the US Green Building Council’s first LEED Platinum certification and its Longevity Award as well as the recent Building Design and Construction Magazine’s selection as one of 52 game-changing buildings in the world since 1849. Unbelievably, Mary Tod has had a twice-in-a-lifetime opportunity of hiring another dream team to design and build another bar-raising sustainable building.  This time reaching much higher for the International Living Future Institute’s, Living Building Challenge full certification with the Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach, VA.  The Brock Center is beginning to be recognized throughout the world as a leader in setting an example for building greener and making a difference. A dream come true.

Patti Southard, Program Manager, King County GreenTools

Patti Southard is the program manager for “GreenTools” green building program in King County Washington. At King County Southard runs the Sustainable Cities Program which focuses on coordinating all of King County’s 39 cities on built environment and climate related policies. In addition Southard provides technical assistance for the County’s LEED, Living Building Challenge and Built Green initiatives. Southard has led the GreenTools program as a two time Harvard Bright Idea Award and recently received Governor Jay Inslee’s Solar Community Award for the Regional Code Collaboration which she co-chairs with the Kathleen Petrie, City of Seattle. Southard was raised on her family farm and has focused her sustainable development career on the juxtaposition between rural and urban communities and planning. Southard’s personal accolades include the Built Green Pioneer Award, Cascadia Green Building Council Public Sector Leadership Award, Sustainable Cities Inspirational Leadership Award, is a Cascadia Fellow and Honorary AIA.

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