Living Building Ideas Take Root in Corporate Offices
The issue of global warming becomes more pressing with each passing day. From astronomical electricity usage to waste generation and extreme water consumption, corporate offices aren't helping the situation. However, an increasing number of corporations have been taking measures to change this. By designing and constructing living buildings, these businesses are actually benefitting the environment instead of damaging it.
These buildings, which achieve Living Building Certification after completion, regenerate energy, water and other resources that truly give back to the Earth that helped build them. Any building that earns an LBC must meet the requirements of seven Petals, or categories — Place, Water, Energy, Materials, Health and Happiness, Equity and Beauty. Those that don't achieve all seven simply earn various Petal certifications.
Here are a few corporate offices that either achieved a full LBC or obtained Petals in the name of building a brighter future.
The Bullitt Center
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The Bullitt Center is a commercial office building located in Seattle, Washington. The center opened on Earth Day in 2013 and, two years later, became the first office building to earn the Living Building Certification. It accomplished this by generating extra solar power, using sustainable, non-toxic building materials, collecting rainwater and implementing a human waste composting system.
The center is proof that, even in cloudier cities, buildings can be green and generate a massive amount of solar power. In 2014, its panels produced 60% more power than employees used.
Mahlum Portland
Architectural firm Mahlum became its own client when it designed the Portland studio. The office became Portland's first living building and achieved Petals for Materials, Place, Equity, Beauty and Health and Happiness. To the employees' benefit, the space is open, sits at street-level, features tall windows to let in more natural light and prioritizes indoor air quality.
Moving into and renovating an old office space certainly worked in Mahlum's favor as the architects reduced and eliminated the need for materials and finishes. They also vetted and used more than 350 unique materials that promote a circular economy, were salvaged or were Red List compliant.
Etsy Headquarters
Etsy also joined the LBC ranks in 2017 with their company's headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. The office space functions as a self-sustaining regenerative ecosystem, thereby giving back to the surrounding environment instead of polluting it or exhausting its resources. Etsy's efforts won the company the Materials, Place and Health and Happiness Petal certifications.
The biggest challenge was achieving the Materials Petal, which required vetting more than 1,500 design sources to ensure they were Red List free. After countless hours of research, Etsy decided on invasive, salvaged, reused and responsibly sourced wood — among other materials — to construct the space.
This massive endeavor included designing and building an auditorium, yoga studio, two galleries, terraces, dining spaces, a craft lab, a woodshop and even a recording studio. Notably, it also created a green library where employees can enjoy an imaginative and eco-friendly learning environment — truly embracing the ideals of a holistic and green workplace.
Google Chicago
After outgrowing its workspace in the North River neighborhood of Chicago, Google decided to lease commercial office space in the West Loop. The company's goal was to provide employees with a healthy environment and an inspiring space. One might say they achieved that, earning the Beauty, Materials and Space Petals after completion.
Once an old meat storage facility, Google's new living building now features lots of natural light, a large atrium, a conversational stair and curved walls that create a biophilic atmosphere. Edible plants, circadian rhythm lighting and textured walls add to the office's beauty.
Omega Center for Sustainable Living
image © wikimedia commons
While not technically a corporate office, the Omega Center for Sustainable Living is a groundbreaking living building in the LBC community. The building is located in Rhinebeck, New York, and is a water filtration facility that also provides educational experiences. The educational program centers around the ecological impact of the building itself. Meanwhile, the facility uses its water for garden irrigation and greywater recovery systems.
The center won the Health and Happiness, Energy, Water and Materials Petals. Through greywater, blackwater, rainwater and ground well collection systems, Omega achieves net positive water. It also relies on solar panels to create net positive energy as well.
The Natural Resource Defense Council
The Natural Resource Defense Council's Midwest office in Chicago earned Petals for Place, Materials and Beauty a few years ago and never looked back. Since then, employees have reported feeling healthier and more productive. It's no wonder, either, as the space features natural light, an open floor plan, greenery and serene workspaces.
Overall, the NRDC was mostly focused on achieving the Materials Petal. Subsequently, the company heavily vetted products and made waste reduction a top priority, diverting all of their waste from landfills. They also used quite a few salvaged pieces and, when they did buy new materials, they chose ones close to the project site.
Setting the Stage for Expansion
Right now, building a living office space is a huge investment of time and money. However, as more corporate leaders begin transitioning to green living buildings, the demand for sustainable materials and green design will inevitably produce a market for these things. Then, as the living building trend becomes more mainstream, others will likely follow suit.
Although this switch may not happen overnight, the world of architecture and design is well on its way to a more sustainable, living future.
Author Bio: This post was written by Holly Welles. She is a real estate writer and the editor behind The Estate Update. She’s passionate about the ways in which the industry is changing and loves to stay on top of millennial market trends. You can find more of Holly's thoughts on Twitter @HollyAWelles.
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