Living building challenge

The Pikes Peak Complex Summit Visitor's Center is a groundbreaking architectural project in the Colorado mountains that spans an impressive 38,000 square feet. The Pikes Peak Complex Summit project aims to create a sustainable, aesthetically pleasing, and functional visitor center embedded into the southeast side of Colorado's iconic Pikes Peak. Rather than appearing as a structure placed upon the mountain, the facility was designed to feel like it is an inherent part of the mountain itself. Banker Wire As visitors step inside the visitor center, they are welcomed by expansive views of the sky and the majestic Mount Rosa. Educational exhibits have been thoughtfully curated to immerse visitors in the mountain's extensive history, clima... More

Pikes Peak, one of Colorado’s most visited mountains, has long held a place in the public imagination. Nearly a million people each year ascend to the summit, where they encounter the view that inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write the lyrics of “America the Beautiful.” Earlier, “Pikes Peak or Bust!” was the refrain of gold prospectors who sought their fortune in the Western territory. For visitors today, the perspective from 14,115 feet continues to frame expansive views across the continent. Nic Lehoux This setting frames the Pikes Peak Summit Visitor Center, the highest visitor center in the world. Designed to support the experience of reaching the summit, the facility’s considered placement and... More

In partnership with Stony Brook University, the leading public research institute in New York, SOM will create a new, net-zero campus on Governors Island in New York Harbor to address the climate crisis. The New York Climate Exchange will be a first-of-its kind international center for developing and deploying dynamic solutions to our global climate crisis, while also acting as a regional hub for the rapidly evolving green economy.  © SOM | Brick Visual © SOM | Miysis As the lead architect on Stony Brook’s team, SOM has spent several months developing designs for a new kind of campus: one that not only sets the stage for our post-carbon world, but also centers a compelling new public realm for all New Yorkers... More

In need of an updated, modern library to supply more space for community events and services while signaling the growth of the city, the county of San Diego, CA selected HED as the architect of record for the new Lakeside Community Library. Mike Torrey The new, 16,840 SF library is a signature building, landmark, and significant resource to the community designed to offer space and resources for enhanced community engagement and activity. It acts as a welcoming gathering place with a variety of services and events and provide for informational, educational, and civic engagement needs. In addition to the facility itself, the library is a source of additional positive impact in the community by being sustainable, with a design that conf... More

Glenroy Community Hub’s centrepiece is a new contemporary library. Framing the Hub as a ‘social connector’ was a key strategy to build community resilience while bringing together diverse groups and encouraging community regeneration and inter-generational connection. The library is colocated with a kindergarten, Maternal Child Health, a community health provider, neighbourhood learning facilities, and space to socialise. Dianna Snape Photography In a first for community buildings in Australia, the Hub is Passive House certified, while also built to achieve Living Building Challenge Petal Certification and Zero Energy Certification. Both certifications rigorously measure environmental performance and demand high comf... More

The design for Google’s first ever purpose-built headquarters is rooted in a single question: how can you make the office more human?Created by Heatherwick Studio and BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group), the new campus spans two sites in Mountain View, California: Bay View and Charleston East. Bay View, the first phase to be completed, features three of the most sustainable workplace buildings in the world and establishes a 17.3-acre park and wetlands reserve.Below ground, the project has the largest geothermal pile system in North America. Above ground, under the Californian sun, the tent-like enclosures are made of waves of dragon-scale photovoltaic tiles, which turn energy generation into a spectacular design feature. Iwan Baan The typ... More

Located in the heart of Atlanta, The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design at Georgia Tech was created to foster environmental education, research, and a public forum for community outreach. Designed by the collaboration of The Miller Hull Partnership, LLP and Lord Aeck Sargent Planning and Design, Inc (LAS), The Kendeda Building is the first Living Building of its kind in the Southeast United States, setting a new standard for sustainability. Jonathan Hillyer The Living Building Challenge (LBC) is the world’s most rigorous proven performance sustainability certification standard for buildings. A Full Certified Living Building needs to meet all 20 Imperatives of the Challenge, which are divided into seven Petals, or... More

HED’s passion for simplicity and sustainability balanced form with function and delight, while adhering to the realities of tight economic constraints. The five-story development is comprised of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom residential units providing affordable housing for households at or below 60% of the area median income, along with interior and exterior shared community spaces. It also includes approximately 4,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, currently slated for development into a grocery store, addressing the lack of this amenity in the area. Patsy McEnroe Photography Inc Patsy McEnroe Photography Inc With a nationwide shortage of affordable housing it is important to celebrate successful... More

Located on a beautifully landscaped bluff overlooking Puget Sound, Loom House is an extensive renovation of a classic 1960s mid-century home. Designed by The Miller Hull Partnership, LLP, an award-winning architecture firm known for its sustainable and regenerative design, Loom House achieved Living Building Challenge 4.0 Certification in early 2021, making it one of only four residences in the world, and the first renovated home, to do so. Inspired by weaving together people, place, community, and equity, Loom House provides owners with a prototype to renovate their homes using resilient retrofitting strategies. Kevin Scott The 3,200-square-foot residence consists of a renovated north and south home. Miller Hull worked to improve the... More

The Lick Wilmerding Campus Expansion & Renovation consists of a major renovation of, and addition to, the campus’ main classroom/administrative building and science labs. The project negotiates the physical constraints of a tight urban campus and also design constraints of being a historic structure. The design takes advantage of being located on a pedestrian-heavy section of Ocean Ave, by creating a new main entry that promotes the identity of the School. The transparency of the entry will showcase built student works and announce their Center for Civic Engagement which reflects the School’s motto of “Head, Heart, Hands”, a philosophy that fosters academics, social and community engagement, and their continu... More

Jabe Blumenthal knows numbers. After graduating from Yale with a degree in Applied Mathematics he joined a little-known software company in the early 80s, Microsoft, and co-designed a little program we now know today as Microsoft Excel.   Jabe also knows climate change. He has served on the board of Seattle-based Climate Solutions for over a decade, advocating for ‘practical and profitable solutions to global warming’ throughout the Pacific Northwest. He also knows a thing or two about the costs and benefits of climate-friendly construction. He served on the board of the Bullitt Foundation when that group planned and built its noted “living building,” the Bullitt Center.   So when Jabe and his family be... More