From December 1, 2014 through December 3, 2014, Lorax Partnerships had the privilege of participating in a three day design charrette for the Lemur Conservation Foundation to explore the Living Building Challenge building certification program for the new Charlotte Lovejoy Residential Dormitory at their Myakka City conservation habitats.
“The Living Building Challenge™ is a building certification program, advocacy tool and philosophy that defines the most advanced measure of sustainability in the built environment possible today and acts to rapidly diminish the gap between current limits and the end-game positive solutions we seek.”
“The Challenge is comprised of seven performance categories called Petals: Place, Water, Energy, Health & Happiness, Materials, Equity and Beauty. Petals are subdivided into a total of twenty Imperatives, each of which focuses on a specific sphere of influence. This compilation of Imperatives can be applied to almost every conceivable building project, of any scale and any location-be it a new building or an existing structure.”
The goal to pursue Living Building Challenge was brought forth by Kata Petty from Steven Kahle Architects, the lead architect on the project and daughter to LCF’s late board member, Charlotte Lovejoy. The idea is to honor her mother’s memory and passion for conservation through the careful design and construction of this residence hall.
While applying the rating system to our preliminary and schematic designs at the charrette, Lorax had the opportunity to work alongside the esteemed Steven Kahle Architects, Doo Consulting, Matt Morris Engineering, Scheda Ecological Associates, Bruce Brooks & Associates, Rathgeber Goss & Associates, My Green Buildings, and of course the Lemur Conservation Foundation team.
It is very rare that this many members of the project team are able to convene simultaneously or even be engaged this early in the design process. From inception, it is clear that the Lovejoy Residential Dormitory will be a strong collaboration between all project team members in order to achieve our high sustainability and regenerative standards.
About Lemur Conservation Foundation: Lemur Conservation Foundation (LCF) was established in 1996 by Penelope Bodry-Sanders. LCF is a leader in the conservation and preservation of the primates of Madagascar through programs dedicated to observation oriented research, education, and lemur propagation, with a commitment to infuse art into all of our mission programs. LCF is an American Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredited private, 100-acre facility based in Myakka City, Florida. Our current lemur population, representing six species, thrives in naturalistic free ranging habitats ranging in size from 9 to 13 acres, and smaller enclosures for animals in need of a more specialized environment. LCF is a respected voice for science, conservation, education, art, and lemurs, the iconic image of the conservation challenges and environmental stewardship facing Madagascar and the world.
We, at Lorax, look forward to working with the rest of the team to make Charlotte Lovejoy’s dream into reality. We will keep you posted along the way!