Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Winter 2010 - (Page 7)

the reasons Cascadia created the International Living Building Institute based in Seattle, Washington last May. Many of these inquiries come to the ILBI’s vice president, Eden Brukman, LEED® AP, also Cascadia’s research director – the subject of this issue’s On the Roof with…. Interview. She received a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of California, Berkeley in 1996, and a Master’s degree in Illustration from the Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland in 2002. A registered architect and sustainable building advisor, Brukman has long focused her professional career on incorporating socially and environmentally responsible strategies into design and construction. Since 1996, her work has included research and implementation of sustainable policies, particularly related to building certification and the specification of appropriate building materials. Eden has consulted on dozens of green building projects nationally and internationally, authored articles for periodicals, and lectured at conferences, universities and professional development programs. Passionate and dedicated, Brukman now devotes her time to the development and international deployment of the Living Building Challenge. We caught up with her at her office in Portland mere weeks after the launch of Version 2.0 to talk about the program and the role green roofs and walls play can play toward a more sustainable, built environment. Q&A THE PHIPPS CONSERVATORY CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPES IN PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA IS TAKING THE LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE TO CREATE A NET-ZERO ENERGY AND WATER BUILDING WITH RENEWABLE ENERGY AND THE ABILITY TO CAPTURE AND TREAT ALL OF ITS WATER ONSITE. called “challenge” for a reason. It is difficult, but it is not impossible because all aspects of the Living Building Challenge have already been incorporated in other completed projects. It is just the synthesis of all of these elements into one project that has never been done before the release of the program. Q: If you are talking about "Living Buildings,” nothing comes closer toward accomplishment of that goal, it would seem, than the use of green roofs and walls in the built environment. What value do you believe these green infrastructure systems have and where do you see them ﬁ�ing into a project that is seeking certiﬁcation? There are a few projects that have programs that are focused on plants and nature and so vegetated roofs and walls are being included, at least in part because it parallels their mission as an organization. A couple of examples are the Phipps Conservatory Center for Sustainable Landscapes in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (pictured above) and on the other side of the continent in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Van Dusen Botanical Gardens. Q: I gather you have received a large volume of comments about Version 2.0. What are some of the pros and cons you’ve heard? Q: The sustainable design site, Inhabitat.com, blogged about Living Building Version 2.0 a�er its launch at GreenBuild this past November. They said, “Industry spokespeople will call this [program] ‘idiotic, unreasonable and impossible.’ Don’t be scared industry spokespeople. Change happens, we move forward, let’s do it together, remember when you said the same things about LEED® which is now mandated in cities and countries all over the world?” What do you think about these comments? I remember that. All I can say is, yes, there is always going to be some who resist or fear change. But I think that the industry has already started to embrace the Challenge. We have more than 60 project teams throughout North America and beyond; last year a project in France registered. [she laughs] It is the Living Building Challenge and it’s “Living Buildings” signifies more than the incorporation of literal living elements onto the structure; primarily, the phrase refers to the inherent symbiotic relationship required between a building and its occupants to achieve high-level sustainability goals. But having said that, vegetated roofs and walls are both design strategies that a number of project teams are including to help meet their net-zero energy and net-zero water goals, as well as the “Beauty + Inspiration” requirements of the Living Building Challenge, since vegetated roofs and walls are such visible elements of a project. These can also displace the use of building products that contain materials or chemicals on our Red List. Q: How have Challenge-certiﬁed or registered projects used, or are planning to use, green roofs and walls in their own living buildings? Yes, it’s been very interesting in that we haven’t done much focused outreach or advertising. In the last couple of years we’ve really just been trying to build the program. With the launch of Version 2.0 we’ve been a bit overwhelmed and very excited about the level of interest that has predominantly come from word-of-mouth. So far, I haven’t heard many cons. People tend to contact me with positive feedback. I have been approached by an association that represents a particular group of manufacturers who use formaldehyde in their products. They wanted to convince us to remove formaldehyde from our Red List, a chemical that has been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the State of California as a known human carcinogen. I recognize it as a point of arrival for the program when an industry association contacts you asking to eliminate an item from the “Red List,” one of five Imperatives in the “Materials” petal. The Red List is comprised of materials or chemicals such as PVC, lead, mercury or LIVING ARCHITECTURE MONITOR WINTER 2010 7 Image courtesy of Andropogon/The Design Alliance Architects http://www.Inhabitat.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Winter 2010

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Winter 2010
Contents
Laying Roots for Green Jobs
Outstanding Student Design
Passing of a Legend
New Federal Stormwater Guidelines From EPA
Partnering Science with Service
On the Roof with...Eden Brukman, Reg. Arch., LEED(R) AP
The Leaf Effect
Who Owns the Green Roof?
Planting the Federal Inventory
Curb Appeal
Maintenance Matters
Professional Development Update
Professional Calendar
Congratulations New GRPS
Welcome New Corporate Members
Green Roof Energy Calculator
Doing No Harm

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Winter 2010