ABSTRACT
The design of the built environment can greatly influence our collective well-being. This chapter explores how the advanced, regenerative design standard of the Living Building Challenge (LBC) can improve human health. It presents a case study to explore how applying the LBC to an ordinary, urban commercial office building can lead to both desired and unexpected results. Environmental performance without beauty is not an acceptable goal because beautiful things are more likely to be learned from, loved, used, maintained, and preserved. To address this, the LBC requires certified projects with features that are solely for human delight and include inspiration and didactic examples for occupants and the public. The Bullitt Center’s urban and regional setting leverages adjacent natural features, both borrowed and procured from its surroundings. Perched at the crest of a high hill, the site gives occupants views to nature close by and far away.
