Who are we?
We are the Rating Systems sub-team of Georgia Tech’s Building for Equity and Sustainability Vertically Integrated Project. Based out of the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design with a focus on encouraging equity and social sustainability in the built environment, we exist to research and form more viable, long-term ways to incorporate equity into how we view sustainability as a whole.
What do we do?
We are currently working to create formal recommendations to improve the way that sustainability rating systems gauge equity efforts. Our goal is to specifically address the equity imperatives that the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), a leader in social and ecological enhancement efforts, has mandated for their Living Building Challenge (LBC), which is a rigorous framework for the most ambitious regenerative and self-sufficient buildings.
Check out our first draft of recommendations, organized by fundamental categories within equity.
There’s more!
You can navigate the tabs at the top of this page to explore the website and gain more knowledge about various aspects of the team, our work, and more resources, or view this document for a simplified overview!
We believe in the power and necessity of equity.
The Building for Equity and Sustainability VIP defines equity as “just and fair inclusion that is created and sustained through access to opportunities, networks, resources, and support paying special attention to traditionally underrepresented populations.”
To create an effective society that serves all of its members properly, equity must be intentionally incorporated into the physical infrastructure that shapes it. Our team aims to ensure that as our society values and integrates social sustainability through equitable design and implementation.
Find examples of equity in the built environment: