This is a prototype prefab — Paradigm — recently on display at Greenbuild 2012 in San Francisco, California. The modular home was designed by Bogue Trondowski Architects and built by Seattle-based Method Homes. The stunning little home of just under 700 square feet is eligible for 5 of 6 petals of Living Building Challenge and will also be certified LEED Platinum, according to Method Homes.
Declare is a new “nutrition label” or ingredient label for building materials that will provide an answer to three main questions: First, where does this product come from? Second, what is it made of? Third, where does it go at the end of its life? Seems like three hard questions to answer on one product label, but as you can see in the label attached above, Declare gets the job done.
When I mentioned a project by students aiming to build the greenest house in Canada (by means of the Living Building Challenge and LEED Platinum certification), I noted that students planned to use “prefabricated straw bale walls.” It turns out they finished this portion of the project using BioSIPs from NatureBuilt Wall Systems in Ontario, Canada.
What’s planned for construction by students on an infill lot and aiming to meet the Living Building Challenge with LEED Platinum certification? That would be Canada’s Greenest Home in Ontario. Students enrolled in The Endeavour Centre’s Sustainable New Construction: Building a New Future program will build the 2,000 square-foot home during a five-month period this summer.
ZeroCottage is a cutting-edge green home under construction in San Francisco. The net-zero energy project by David Baker and Partners Architects is pursuing every notable green building certification around, including the Living Building Challenge, LEED Platinum, Green Point Rated, and Passive House.
Earlier this year, we took a look at four projects racing to meet the requirements of the Living Building Challenge. Now, the International Living Building Institute has completed third-party certification audits and announced the world’s first Living Buildings. The Omega Center for Sustainable Living (NY) and Tyson Living Learning Center (MO) both earned full certification, while Eco-Sense (BC) earned Petal Recognition for meeting four of six petals.
