The Kendeda Building focuses on pedestrian oriented mobility. The staircases are inviting and there is a centrally located ramp. The elevator is tucked away, out of site. This encourages physical activity by occupants.
To achieve Living Building Challenge certification, The Kendeda Building must function at net positive energy – meaning it must harness more energy (in this case via PV solar panels) than it consumes. One hundred and five percent of the building’s energy needs must be supplied by on-site renewable energy on a net annual basis, without the use of on-site combustion.
The Living Building Challenge requires all projects to account for the total embodied carbon impact from the construction process through a one-time carbon offset. However, the goal is to reduce this initial embodied carbon pollution; thereby, lowering the size of the one-time offset.
The Net Positive Water Imperative requires, among other things, that all toilet waste must be treated on-site and managed either through reuse, a closed loop system, or infiltration. For toilet waste, the design team analyzed two options: a compost toilet system and a blackwater system.
People may not immediately think of rainfall management as an equity issue. However, our typical built environment treats rainfall, which can be beneficial, as stormwater that requires extensive infrastructure to manage.