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Photo Credit: Jonathan Hillyer
SPOTLIGHT: Smart Campuses

GEORGIA TECH’S KENDEDA BUILDING:

INNOVATIVE SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

Donny Walker 47,000 square feet of programmable space, of which
Partner
Newcomb & Boyd nearly 37,000 square feet is enclosed and conditioned
space.
Shan Arora The Kendeda Fund, a private family foundation, committed
Director, Kendeda Building
Georgia Institute of Technology $25 million in 2015 to fund 100 percent of the design and
construction cost of the project. An additional $5 million
was gifted for the building’s programming. The partner-
he Kendeda Building was designed ship between The Kendeda Fund and Georgia Tech has
and constructed to be the most envi- two overarching goals. The first is to construct a certified
ronmentally advanced education and Living Building in the Southeast, a region known for its hot,
research building constructed in the humid climate, and for harsh weather swings throughout
T Southeast and is the latest example the year. The second is to leverage The Kendeda Building
of the Georgia Institute of Technology’s sustainability as a change-agent capable of influencing thought leader-
leadership and innovation. The building is expected ship around the world. It should serve as a catalyst in the
to achieve Living Building Challenge (LBC) 3.1 certifi- Southeast to help reshape thinking of our built environ-
cation—considered to be the world’s most ambitious ment and its interaction with our immediate surroundings.
building performance standard.
LBC certification focuses on achieving 20 performance
After an extensive planning and design period, the Imperatives grouped into seven “Petals” – Place; Water;
building took less than two years to be constructed. Energy; Health and Happiness; Materials; Equity; and
Georgia Tech began welcoming guests in the fall Beauty. The criteria encourage and enable building
of 2019. The Kendeda Building has approximately structures that give back more than they take from the

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