The Environmental Nature Center Preschool (ENC Preschool) in Newport Beach, California, designed by LPA Design Studios, has earned Living Building Challenge Petal Certification. Photo by Costea Photography.
Projects that achieve Living Building certification can claim to be the greenest anywhere and will serve as role models in their communities for redefining the future of the built environment
IRVINE, Calif. (PRWEB)
May 24, 2023
ENC Preschool has achieved Petal Certification by the Living Building Challenge, regarded as the world’s most rigorous performance standard for sustainable buildings. This nature-based preschool is the first project in Orange County and only the third in Southern California to earn Petal certification, a performance-based standard recognizing “living buildings” that support the local environment. The International Living Future Institute sponsors the Living Building Challenge, which is focused on measurable results, and only 54 buildings in the world have achieved Petal certification.
ENC Preschool is a net-energy-positive, LEED Platinum-rated project that seamlessly blends indoor and outdoor learning environments and was created in collaboration with educators, the community, and the existing Environmental Nature Center to provide children with an intuitive understanding of the natural world. Since its completion in 2019, the preschool’s design has garnered various industry accolades, including the national American Institute of Architects’ COTE Top Ten Plus Award, the architecture industry’s highest honor for sustainable design.
LPA Design Director Rick D’Amato said, “The Petal certification provides validation that we were able to design a regenerative facility that contributes to healthier, happier people.” He added that ENC Preschool met Petal certification standards through a combination of active and passive design strategies, including natural ventilation, radiant slab heating, heat pumps, abundant daylighting, and a 32 KW rooftop photovoltaic system that offsets 130% of the school’s energy use.
The Living Building Challenge evaluates projects across seven categories, referred to as Petals, and ENC Preschool received top marks in the Energy, Equity, and Beauty categories and recognition in Health + Happiness and Place. To achieve certification, a project must undergo a 12-month energy performance audit and pass a rigorous standard set by the organization. “The Living Building Challenge is called ‘challenge’ for a reason. It is a rigorous standard, only achieved by projects that make truly unique statements,” said LPA Director of Engineering Erik Ring.
Founded in 2006, the Living Building Challenge recognizes projects across multiple programs, including Core Certification, Zero Carbon Certification, Zero Energy Certification, Petal Certification, and Living Certification.
About
LPA Design Studios is a multidisciplinary firm that delivers timeless, sustainable designs that enrich the human experience, generate lasting value, and ensure a better future. The firm’s mission is to focus on collaboration, inclusion, and an integrated design process that connects building performance and design excellence. With over 400 in-house architects, master planners, engineers, interior designers, landscape architects, and research analysts, LPA has six studios in California and Texas. In 2021, the organization earned AIA California’s Firm of the Year recognition, its highest annual honor for an architectural firm. For more information, visit lpadesignstudios.com.
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