We’re excited to share that the first phase of our campus development project has officially been registered with the International Living Future Institute as a Living Building Challenge (LBC) project. While registration may sound like a small administrative step, it represents something much bigger: a commitment to creating a campus that gives back more than it takes.
The Living Building Challenge is widely considered the world’s most rigorous sustainable building standard. Rather than simply reducing environmental impact, Living Buildings are designed to function more like healthy ecosystems – generating their own energy, managing water responsibly, supporting biodiversity, and creating spaces that are beautiful, equitable, and deeply connected to place.
For Tremont, this aligns perfectly with the vision for our second campus.
From the beginning, we have imagined this property as more than a collection of buildings. We are creating a place where people can gather, learn, connect, and explore what it means to live in relationship with the natural world. Every decision we make, from site planning to materials selection, is guided by that vision.
The education center will be the first constructed element of the broader campus master plan and will serve as an outdoor gathering and learning space for programs, workshops, community events, and public engagement. Designed as an open-air structure integrated with site infrastructure and landscape systems, the Pavilion will help bring the campus to life while laying the groundwork for future development.
The project is currently pursuing full Living Building Challenge certification under the Landscape + Infrastructure typology, with goals related to Place, Water, Energy, Materials, Equity, Health & Happiness, and Beauty.
Our design and construction partners will continue refining plans, documenting compliance requirements, and preparing for construction. Registration also connects the project team with resources, technical guidance, and the broader Living Future community as we move forward.
We’re grateful for the incredible team helping bring this vision to life, including Hennebery Eddy Architects, McCarty Holsaple McCarty, Biohabitats, Equinox Environmental, Ardurra, Newcomb & Boyd, Haines Structural Group, Denark Construction, and many others.
We believe places of learning should model the values they teach. By pursuing the Living Building Challenge, we’re creating not only a campus for environmental education, but a living example of what a more sustainable future can look like.
Cover image by David Bryant.
About the Author
Erin Rosolina is the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont’s Marketing Director. She grew up in the mountains of western North Carolina where trillium, bloodroot and galax were everyday friends. Erin earned a degree in sustainable community development from Berea College in Kentucky, and then went on to receive the Compton Mentor Fellowship. Erin has worked in marketing with regional and national nonprofit organizations for over a decade and has been at Tremont since 2021.
