Living Building Challenge Wins 2012 Buckminster Fuller Challenge

The Living Building Challenge (LBC), a certification program that strives for the highest level of environmental performance, has been awarded the $100,000 Buckminster Fuller Challenge, administered by the Buckminster Fuller Institute. The annual international design Challenge's goal is "to support the development and implementation of a strategy that has significant potential to solve humanity's most pressing problems." This year's winner goes well beyond green building systems like LEED, through a performance-based standard that strives for buildings fully integrated into their ecosystems. Only three projects have achieved LBC's "Living" status, including the Omega Center for Sustainable Living in Rhinebeck, New York, designed by BNIM.  jh