Following Greenbuild China 2019, the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) hosted networking receptions in both Shanghai and Hong Kong, to introduce the Institute’s latest Living Building Challenge (LBC) version 4.0 and its planned work in the Mainland and Greater China region, on the 24th and 30th October, respectively. The networking receptions were hosted at Humanscale’s showrooms in downtown Shanghai and Hong Kong.
In both Shanghai and Hong Kong, the event’s highlight was the panel, moderated by James Connelly, ILFI’s Vice President of Strategic Growth, where BEE Incorporations, Humanscale, and HMTX sharing their insights and work with ILFI in China. James Connelly is a leader in developing opportunities for growth of ILFI’s impact and capabilities. He is also a leader for several of ILFI’s sustainability initiatives and consults high-profile LBC projects globally.
In Shanghai, Lucas Wang, BEE Incorporations’ Vice President of Engineering, spoke as a panelist on the potential of LBC’s success in China. Lucas Wang stated, “5 years ago I didn’t think LBC was possible in China, but with the version 4.0 update and new government policy promoting Zero Energy and Nearly Zero Energy buildings, LBC is now more achievable than ever before.”
The Living Building Challenge, a program developed by ILFI, is a rigorous green building certification program that strives to create buildings that are regenerative and self-sufficient. This certification requires actual performance demonstrated over 12 months, not just anticipated performance. The requirements of LBC are organized after the design of a flower, and each performance area is classified as a “Petal”. The newest version of the Living Building Challenge boasts a simplified, more streamlined (yet flexible) version of the program, without sacrificing LBC’s visionary yet attainable building goals. This standard also seeks to maximize impact with more specificity to the place, community, and culture of a project. LBC 4.0 also has a redesigned Petal model, reorganizing the requirements of the certification into ten Petals instead of seven. With sustainability as an increasingly important interest in Mainland and Greater China, LBC 4.0 opens even more doors for successful sustainability practices.
BEE Incorporations and ILFI worked in collaboration on the Jinke Property Group’s Living Building concept, launched in spring of 2019. Jinke Property Group is Chongqing’s largest real estate developer, making this an impactful initiative that raises the bar for property development across China. BEE is working closely with ILFI and Jinke on the construction and renovation of Jinke’s new R&D center on their main campus in Chongqing, pursuing an LBC certification.
Song Saa Reserve, a 600-acre eco-tourism hub in Cambodia, is BEE’s latest Living Community Challenge project. BEE consults in the design and planning of the reserve, drafting building and environmental codes for use by the project in accordance with the Living Building Challenge and Living Community Challenge.
