BROWNFIELDS
For purposes of the Living Building Challenge, brownfields are contaminated and must be remediated, regardless of official designation. Brownfields may either be officially designated or, whenever there is reasonable suspicion that the site is contaminated, be tested to verify contamination. The method of remediation should be determined by a credible authority.
EXISTING BUILDINGS AND INTERIORS
Interior Typology projects and Existing Building Typology projects with no exterior scope do not need to meet this Imperative. Existing Building Typology projects that include site area outside the building footprint must comply with the intent and requirements of this Imperative. Existing Building Typology projects that expand the building footprint or alter the landscape of the site must also comply with this Imperative.
All New Building and Landscape + Infrastructure projects are subject to the requirements of this Imperative.
EXISTING NON-NATIVE LANDSCAPE
Existing non-native landscaping can remain in place if it meets all other requirements of the Imperative being pursued. If it cannot meet the other Imperative requirements, it must be removed. For example, existing non-native plants cannot be dependent upon pesticides, and any irrigation must be provided through on-site non-potable water sources such as greywater or rainwater. Invasive species must be removed and/or addressed in a long-term management plan.
FERTILIZERS AND PESTICIDES
For purposes of this Imperative, the term pesticide is used broadly to include chemicals used to control weeds, mold, fungus, insects, diseases, and other agricultural pests. Compounds included in soil amendments should also be petrochemical-free.
Projects in countries that have formalized, operational, organic agricultural programs may use fertilizers and pesticides that are certified as meeting the criteria for those organic agricultural programs in the operation and maintenance of the on-site landscape and urban agriculture. This includes Petrochemical derivatives that are approved for use within both the National Organic Program’s National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (NOP 205.600–205.619) and the California Land Stewardship Institute’s Fish Friendly Farming Certification when no viable alternatives are available.
Other organic programs and certification bodies in other countries must be preapproved through a Request for Ruling.
Projects in the United States may use products or inputs in accordance with the Organic Materials Review Institute Products List and Generic Materials List to meet the related Imperative requirements (see Resources).
FLOODPLAINS
Although this Imperative discourages development within floodplains due to the risks and impacts of ever more common flooding, the Institute acknowledges that early city development often was in close proximity to waterways to ease opportunities for trade and deliveries to support commerce and industry. As a result, many robust and thriving communities and trades are currently within floodplains. Therefore, there are situations where is it appropriate to allow projects in floodplains that are core areas of a community where support infrastructure and services are already robust, rather than encouraging new projects on the outskirts of town, which would not only dilute the cultural history of the historic core, but also add unnecessary infrastructure development. See Exception PL-003 for specifics.
PRIME FARMLAND
For U.S. projects, prime farmland, including Farmland of Statewide Importance, is determined by an assessment of attributes, use, and availability. Project teams must confirm that land is not listed as qualifying by following the steps on the USDA Conservation Service Web Soil Survey (see Resources), and also that the site has not been used for any farming purposes for at least four years prior to the start of project development (e.g., design contracts, land purchase, fundraising, etc.).
International projects must consider their sites prime farmland if it has been used for agricultural production at some time during the four years prior to the beginning of project development or is designated as valuable farmland by a local authority. A statement of compliance should be provided in audit documentation.
PROJECT LOCATION
The intent of this Imperative is not only to protect existing wild and thriving ecosystems, but also to avoid conversion and fragmentation of lands that, although they may have been affected by human development, retain ecosystem functions valuable to both wildlife and people. Best practice is to build on previously developed sites, or near existing development and infrastructure, not only to avoid land fragmentation and loss of biodiversity, as well as the damage to air, water, and atmosphere caused by fossil fuel-based transportation, but also to foster human-powered living. Siting a project on lands recently converted from Priority Natural Lands does not meet the intent of the Imperative.
Projects should prioritize sites containing:
- Developed land with buildings or paving.
- Non-paved areas that have been transformed from their original state for human use, such as playfields and monoculture agriculture.
- Sites that have been altered by the creation of infrastructure, such as shelter, piping, or wells, for human use.
Projects located on property that contains development on only a portion should make every effort to confine new development to the already impacted portion of the property.
