The Miller Hull Partnership completed the The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia.

Located in the heart of Atlanta, The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design was created to foster environmental education, research, and a public forum for community outreach. In 2021, the Kendeda Building achieved Living Building Certification after proving its net positive energy and water performance during its year-long occupancy period. The first of its kind in the Southeast United States, the Kended Building sets a new standard for sustainability.

The Living Building Challenge (LBC) is the world’s most rigorous proven performance sustainability certification standard for buildings. A Full Certified Living Building needs to meet all 20 Imperatives of the Challenge, which are divided into seven Petals, or performance areas: Place, Water, Energy, Health + Happiness, Materials, Equity, and Beauty. As of 2019, there are less than 25 Full Certified Living Buildings in the world, the smallest percentage of those existing in climates similar to Atlanta. The design and construction of The Kendeda Building demonstrate that Living Buildings are possible in even the most challenging climates.

The design of The Kendeda Building is inspired by the vernacular southern porch. The project reimagines this regionally ubiquitous architectural device for the civic scale of the campus. The Regenerative Porch performs the traditional tasks of creating a cool microclimate around the building and blurring interior and exterior conditions. Additionally, the Porch is leveraged to satisfy the rigorous requirements of the Living Building Challenge. The PV canopy generates more than 100% of the building’s energy demand and captures enough rainwater to meet 100% of the water used in the building.

Completed in 2019, The Kendeda Building’s true measure of its success will be the change it inspires in its own city of Atlanta and beyond. State-of-the-shelf technologies and products represent strategies that can be easily replicated by other institutions and even everyday homeowners.

The Kendeda Building continues a decade of work by the Kendeda Fund to advance sustainability in Atlanta’s built environment. In addition to providing financial support for the project, the Kendeda Fund has provided ongoing funding to support programs in the building that engage local Atlanta communities beyond the university. The atrium, lecture hall, roof garden, and multipurpose room will all be made available for community events. The university’s mission is to maximize the impact of the building by exposing as many students as possible to the project. Tech students move on to pursue careers at the highest levels around the globe. After learning in a building expressing such a strong position on resiliency and sustainability, they will take those values with them into their future endeavors as leaders in the STEM fields.

Design: The Miller Hull Partnership
Interior Design: Lord Aeck Sargent Planning and Design
Contractor: Skanska USA
Photography: Gregg Willett