The Living Building Challenge: Roots and Rise of the World's Greenest Standard

A must book for Green Building Education

it is a manefesto not an academic account

A quality of architecture once thought impossible this book traces the compelling true story of how living buildings came to be and are now transforming the built environment. The stories of the projects (Bullitt Center, Phipps CSL etc.) and the people (McLennan, Hayes, Sturgeon and more) who had the courage to push restorative design are impressive, as is the achievement of net zero water and energy in various climates and typologies. There are many principles and lessons contained in this book that are guiding my work.

This book is such a great fountain of knowledge on how the Living Building Challenge has come into existence. But not only that it explains what exactly is the Living Building Challenge (an incredible ultra-green standard for buildings) where the built environment co-habitats with the local ecology. It's a shift in the way we think of buildings! The book is beautiful and pictures are amazing!

A well-written, inside-look at the history and passion that make the Living Building Challenge what it is. While not written by Jason McLennan (the man responsible for Living Building Challenge), the author has clearly been given a great deal of access to him and the other people involved in this undertaking, and usefully draws on those different perspectives to put together a rich and detailed accounting of the development and growth of the Living Building Challenge.