Applying Living Building Challenge at a Biomimetic Scale

The Living Building Challenge (LBC) is designed to encourage the development of buildings that have a net positive benefit to their environment. To date, most certified Living buildings are low rise buildings outside of high density urban areas.

This presentation will suggest how we can achieve the aims of the LBC in New York City while maintaining high density and intensity of use. Enlarging the boundaries of consideration and applying biomimicry could help cities to function like vibrant diverse and resilient ecosystems. By designing buildings to play an integral part in the systems they are within, the concept of positive benefit can be expanded. Lessons from nature can help design buildings and systems which are in tune with the local environment.