27 August 2012

Living Building Challenge comes to Auckland

The author of the Living Building Challenge, the world’s most stringent green building programme, and a key influencer in the international green building movement, is coming to Auckland. Members of the public, local government and industry professionals are invited to hear him speak.

From 3–5 September, Jason F McLennan, the US-based author of the Living Building Challenge and CEO of International Living Futures Institute, will be in Auckland to present at a series of events including an all-day workshop and a free evening public lecture as part of Auckland Council’s ‘Auckland Conversations’ series.

He will be leading a Design Charette (already fully booked) which will open the dialogue ‘What does Auckland Waterfront development look like as a fully sustainable city.”

According to Mayor Len Brown, "One of our key strategies in creating the world’s most liveable cities is to facilitate partnerships between council, the private and public sector. By hosting leading experts such as Jason we can learn from world-renowned experts and work together with all Aucklanders to create a high quality but sustainable city."

Homes and neighbourhoods that are built to Living Building standards are triple net zero (energy, water, waste) – aiming to not only make no impact on their environment, but to actually give back to the world around them. Although no projects in New Zealand currently meet these standards, Jerome Partington, sustainability manager for architectural design firm Jasmax, believes the Living Building principles are a benchmark for all sustainable building projects.

A number of groups, including Jasmax and Auckland Council, are already engaging with this programme to create long-term value from construction projects. Says Partington: “The Living Building Challenge is much, much more than building green. It describes the end game, the ultimate vision of where we want to get to. Jason is an agent for transformational change; he’s written the programme and is going to share it with Auckland during his visit – we just need to act on it.”

Jason’s visit is being hosted by Jasmax with Auckland Council, Kiwi construction company Arrow International, Unitec and Waterfront Auckland. The events will appeal to consultants, designers, developers and anyone else interested in creating sustainable environments. People interested in registering for the Auckland Conversations Lecture can find out more here.

More information on Jason F McLennan and the Living Building Challenge can be found on his website.

Details and registration for the in-depth training workshop are available here.

ENDS

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