Achieving Living Building Challenge certification: A guide for AEC

The LBC applies to buildings, renovations, interiors, and infrastructure projects, and requires a holistic integration of energy, carbon, water, ecology, materials, health, equity, and beauty. Unlike most certification systems, the LBC is based on verified performance over a 12-month operational period — rather than modeled predictions.

Certification is structured around seven core performance areas, called Petals, and requires compliance with between 10 and 20 Imperatives depending on the certification pathway.

Living Building Challenge Certification explained

The LBC 4.1 framework includes three certification pathways:

1. Living Certification — All 20 applicable Imperatives must be achieved.

2. Petal Certification — All 10 Core Imperatives plus all Imperatives in one complete Petal (Water, Energy, or Materials).

3. Core Certification — A streamlined pathway requiring only the 10 Core Imperatives.

Projects are evaluated across these seven core performance areas, called Petals:

• Place – Promoting ecological regeneration and responsible site selection
  
  
• Water – Demonstrating closed-loop, net positive water systems
  
  
• Energy – Achieving net positive energy through renewable systems
  
  
• Health + Happiness – Ensuring healthy, equitable, and productive environments
  
  
• Materials – Avoiding hazardous substances and promoting transparency
  
  
• Equity – Addressing social justice, access, and inclusion
  
  
• Beauty – Supporting meaningful human-nature connections and education

Performance is assessed across actual operational data, including energy use, water cycling, carbon emissions, and indoor environmental quality. Embodied carbon emissions must be disclosed and reduced in line with Imperative 07: Energy + Carbon Reduction and, where applicable, Living Future’s Zero Carbon Certification.

How architects and designers can meet Living Building Challenge requirements

Meeting LBC criteria requires integration of performance targets across all stages of design, procurement, construction, and operation. Strategies used by successful project teams typically include:

• Whole life-cycle carbon assessment (LCA) to evaluate material impacts and select low-emission construction assemblies
  
  
• Ecological performance benchmarking, using tools such as the Society for Ecological Restoration’s Five-Star Method to guide habitat restoration
  
  
• Water balance modeling and on-site reuse strategies to meet net positive water requirements
  
  
• Operational energy modeling validated through real-time metering of building energy systems
  
  
• Red List-compliant procurement, with detailed tracking of ingredients and declarations for all major materials

Teams also need to prepare and submit extensive documentation for independent audit — covering performance data, cost-weighted materials tracking, site ecology, community engagement, and systems commissioning.

How One Click LCA supports Living Building Challenge projects

One Click LCA provides software solutions that directly support several critical requirements of the Living Building Challenge — particularly in embodied carbon assessment and material transparency.

With One Click LCA, project teams can:

• Quantify embodied carbon across life-cycle stages A1–A5, B, and C, to support compliance with LBC Imperative 07: Energy + Carbon Reduction.
  
  
• Assess baseline vs. optimized designs to demonstrate embodied carbon reductions — a core expectation for both LBC and Zero Carbon Certification.
  
  
• Import materials data from BIM and modeling tools including Revit, Excel, and IESVE to streamline life-cycle calculations.
  
  
• Access localized data from 300,000+ EPDs and generic construction materials, improving the relevance and accuracy of embodied carbon calculations.
  
  
• Generate clear, standards-aligned reports in tabular and graphical formats to support third-party audit and certification documentation.
  
  

One Click LCA also supports alignment with other frameworks that may be used alongside the LBC — such as LEED, CALGreen, The Toronto Green Standard, and more.

Ready to achieve Living Building Challenge certification?

Whether you're pursuing full Living Certification or targeting specific Petals, One Click LCA enables your team to deliver carbon performance insights, document reductions, and manage certification-ready outputs. 

Request a demo to learn how One Click LCA can easily support your Living Building Challenge and Zero Carbon Certification goals.