NEWS: Are Regenerative Buildings the Wave of the Future in Sustainable Design?

Sustainable buildings, designed with eco-efficiency in mind, are nothing new. Architects, engineers and planners have been focusing on reducing environmental impacts and improving energy efficiency for decades.

As the urgency to address key environmental and social issues such as climate change and environmental justice has escalated, a broad spectrum of policymakers, regulators and companies are espousing 2030 goals and commitments tied to addressing these concerns. The UN has declared the next ten years the decade of action, amplified in this groundbreaking 30-minute documentary, and is beefing up its efforts to hold countries accountable. The UN reports annually on the world’s progress against the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Read the 2020 Sustainable Development Goals Report. As is well documented by Architecture 2030 and others, buildings generate nearly 40% of annual global emissions. And, in order to meet the climate targets set by the Paris Agreement, we need to eliminate all GHG emissions from the built environment by 2040.

Yet, according to this infographic from UNEP and the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction, the buildings sector is far behind where it needs to be in order to reach the 2040 goals. At 10 GtC02, C02 emissions from the building sector are the highest ever and buildings represent 35% of global energy use. The good news is buildings are among the biggest investment opportunities at $24.7 globally, and represent a significant opportunity for new jobs creation.

ALSO READ NEWS: How can the built environment industry prioritize the reduction of embodied carbon?

It comes as no surprise then that architects, planners, engineers and environmentalists continue to look to innovative ways to increase sustainability of buildings. Regenerative building design, one of the latest movements in green buildings, is not just about doing less harm and reducing negative impacts; it goes beyond by putting design and construction to work as positive forces that repair natural and human systems.

The International Living Future Institute is one of the leading organizations advancing regenerative buildings. ILFI runs the Living Building Challenge, the world’s most rigorous green building standard, as well as the Living Product Challenge, the Living Community Challenge, and the Reveal, Declare and Just labels.

Living Buildings strive for net-zero or net-positive energy, are free of toxic chemicals, and lower their energy footprint many times below the generic commercial structure. The Living Product Challenge takes the robust concepts of the Living Building Challenge and applies them to manufactured goods. The Living Product Challenge is comprised of seven performance categories, or “Petals”: Place, Water, Energy, Health & Happiness, Materials, Equity, and Beauty. The Living Community Challenge scales up the innovations made by Living Buildings and Living Products, and envisions entire cities and regions as living entities. One example of a regenerative building is the Georgia Tech Kendeda Building, which has earned the Living Building Challenge certification. The building actually gives back more than it takes from the environment and focuses on the health and happiness of occupants. Georgia Tech indicates that total construction cost was $18.6 million.

The Southface Institute, also headquartered in Georgia, has been a leader in regenerative economy concepts for 40 years. The nonprofit is involved in research and development, policy, training and development, and implementation of regenerative buildings in the Southeast United States.

This article was written for Environmental Leader by Harun Asad