Living Building Challenge Project Experience
Through a thoughtful and practical approach, GreenStep Education has developed the Living Building Challenge Project Experience Program to engage architects, designers, engineers and anyone who wishes to gain experience working on a Living Building Challenge project.
Live Online Webinar Program - Kickoff Date:
- Tuesday January April 5th, 2016 - 5:30 Pacific Time (San Francisco)
This is a live, online program consisting of three (3) live webinars with supplemental reading and assignments. Sessions take place weekly, for three consecutive weeks, starting on the kickoff date of your course listed above. Each session is 1-1.5 hours in duration.
No special software is required, everything is provided for you. Attend online from anywhere.
In order to earn your Certificate of Completion you must attend the webinars and submit any completed assignments.
Program Objectives:
The Living Building Challenge is considered by many to be the most rigorous green building program in the world. As such, the most competitive, and leading businesses and organizations are increasingly embracing the Living Building Challenge for the promise of exceptional sustainability that it represents.
This program reflects experiences gained from first hand experience working on an actual Living Building Challenge Certification project conducted at Google in Palo Alto, California.
While project data has been changed, the process remains a sincere and accurate reflection of the challenges and opportunities presented to a design team engaged in a commercial Living Building Challenge Certification. Candidates participating in the Living Building Challenge Project Experience Program will gain important experience and skills, while building the confidence and experience necessary for future professional development in the green building industry.
This program is designed to take you beyond the basics to gain a deeper understanding of the unique processes involved with managing a Living Building Challenge Certification project. Through this hands-on program, you will develop a thorough understanding of the Petal rationale (Place, Water, Energy, Materials, Equity, Beauty, Health and Happiness) and the strategies for achieving each Petal.
This online program consist of three (3) live webinars with supplemental reading and assignments. You will learn by doing. In order to earn your certificate of attendance you must attend both webinars and submit the completed assignments, which may include, but not be limited to:
- Performing Petal calculations
- Analyzing energy model reports
- Evaluating Living Product requirements
- Troubleshooting potential setbacks
- Reviewing documentation for compliance
Finally, you will gain the practical knowledge necessary to make an immediate impact at a green building or sustainable design firm, giving them the confidence to guide projects to Living Building Challenge certification.
Intended Audience and Number of Seats:
IMPORTANT: This program is intentionally limited in size. Once seats are filled, candidates wishing to participate may contact Poplar Network to be added to a waiting list for future projects. The Living Building Challenge Project Experience program is meant for design professionals, contractors, developers, owners, government officials and employees of public agencies, or anyone who wishes to make a positive impact on the built environment.
Prerequisite: Students should have a basic knowledge of green building.
Methods of Instruction: This program will be administered by employing various online communication methods including virtual meeting, email and/or chat. The program utilizes an actual Living Building Challenge Project. Participants will engage in discussions, work through problems, accomplish various tasks, assist in the documentation process, complete take-home assignments and provide feedback.
About the Instructor and Project Leader:
Alex Spilger is Founder of GreenStep and a Senior Vice President at Cushman & Wakefield. Alex has consulted on over 75 diverse green building projects with high profile clients such as Google, Salesforce, Skype, Square, Mozilla, Comcast, GAP, and the Wharton School of Business among others. His project achievements include the first LEED Platinum Major Renovation project on the west coast, the first LEED CI Platinum project in California and one of the first commercial projects to attempt the prestigious Living Building Challenge.
Alex has taught over 300 green building workshops across the globe through organizations such as the US Green Building Council (USGBC), American Institute of Architects (AIA), Sustainable Building Advisors Program and the Stanford Graduate School of Business to name a few. He has also developed curriculum for UC Berkeley where he teaches a 6-week Green Building Project Management course.
Alex serves on the San Francisco Mayor’s Task Force on Green Leasing, is an active member of the US Green Building Council and recently joined a group of environmental entrepreneur’s at the 2014 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He is a LEED Accredited Professional with specialties in BD+C, ID+C & EBOM, USGBC NCC Faculty, a Certified Green Building Professional, a Continuing Education Provider, HERS Rater and holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from UCLA.
