One of the most enjoyable ways ARCS members connect is through field trips centered around our common interest in groundbreaking science.  Our recent field trip to the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design at Georgia Tech was the perfect opportunity to learn about the timely and important issue of sustainability.  On February 7, 2024, twenty-five ARCS members toured the Kendeda Building which is the first building in Georgia to earn Living Building Challenge certification, the world’s most ambitious and holistic green building achievement.

The mission of this multidisciplinary classroom building is to prove that regenerative buildings can be designed, constructed, and operated in our region.  The Kendeda Building has remarkable sustainability features.  The site acts like a forest with 90% or more of an average rainfall managed onsite.  Amazingly, its toilet system does not connect to the sewer, but converts solids and liquids into fertilizer onsite through a composting system. 

Water from showers, sinks, and waterfalls is pumped to a constructed wetlands near the building’s main entrance where microbes in the soil improve the water quality as it infiltrates back into the soil to recharge the surrounding groundwater.  The building also prioritizes the health and happiness of its occupants with every regularly occupied space having access to daylight.  

The tour of this fascinating building was one of the many ways ARCS members gather as an organization to learn about and support the sciences in our community.  To see photos of this fun and inspiring afternoon, please visit the Event Highlights page on our ARCS Atlanta website at this link:  https://atlanta.arcsfoundation.org/event-highlights

To learn more about the features of the amazing Kendeda Building, see the illustration below and watch the video by clicking this link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja030aaVIEA