LBC – The Beauty Petal

LBC – The Beauty Petal

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the seventh and final Petal of the Living Building Challenge. These blogs have been long and many, and we appreciate you sticking with us as we navigate the twenty Imperatives. The past six Petals of Place, Water, Energy, Health and Happiness, Materials, and Equity have shown just how challenging building this home is going to be. To freshen your memory on those petals and their imperatives, we’ll show you that chart one last time.

LBC: The Equity Petal

LBC: The Equity Petal

Dear Readers,

We are now on part six of seven of the Living Building Challenge. Our past blogs have covered the LBC’s Petals of Place, Water, Energy, Health and Happiness, and Materials. I know, these blogs just seem like they won’t end! As you have read above though, we are almost there, with two Petals left. And if you managed to read that last blog, the Materials Petal, then you’re in for a treat here, this blog is much shorter…

Once again, here’s that chart of all the Petals and their Imperatives.

LBC: The Materials Petal

LBC: The Materials Petal

Dear Readers,

I’ll start this blog with a warning – it’s long. We of course like to make our blogs easily readable, but these ones are important because Shelby and I are also trying to understand what it takes to make a Living Building. So, you’re basically reading our research. Ok, warning out of the way, let’s do this.

Four of the seven Petals of the Living Building Challenge have been covered, Place, Water, Energy, and Health and Happiness. That leaves three to go. If you’ve read the past four blogs on their respective Petals, then you’ll know that meeting this certification will be filled with crazy challenges. We appreciate you all sticking with us as we talk through these Petals to better understand them! Believe me, we know they’re complicated. Imagine trying to figure out how to design a small house to these standards, let alone something much bigger.

To jog your memory quick, here’s that chart of all the Petals and their Imperatives:

LBC: The Health & Happiness Petal

LBC: The Health & Happiness Petal

Dear Readers,

The article you’re about to read was written during the COVID-19 Pandemic, at the end of the year 2020. That being said, keep the pandemic in mind as we look at this standard, because I think it’s unbelievably relevant. It’s important to have a healthy home in the first place, but that much more important during a pandemic…

We have delved into what it takes to meet standards set forth by the Living Building Challenge, for the petals of place, water, and energy. Below is a visual refresher of all seven petals and their imperatives.

LBC: The Energy Petal

LBC: The Energy Petal

Dear Readers,

First came place, then came water. Now, comes energy…dun, dun, dun! The Energy Petal is the third of the seven petals for the Living Building Challenge.

Ha! I was going to say that we have high hopes for this one…but we have high hopes for the Water Petal and the Petal of Place, too. There are just way too many high hopes floating around this joint! But. If you are willing to stick with us (whether you are amused or annoyed by our ideas…), then William and I would be most honored to share our highness of hope with you!
To refresh your memory, here is a chart with all seven petals and their imperatives. In this blog, we are going to be focusing on Energy!