Students Trained to Build LBC Project

GNB Voc-Tech teams up with Lloyd Center for Living Building Challenge

South Coast Today / Wesley Sykes / April 27, 2017

NEW BEDFORD — Students from Greater New Bedford Regional-Technical High School, in collaboration with Studio2Sustain, will be faced with a unique challenge when it comes to designing the Lloyd Center for the Environment’s new welcome center.

The building project is designed to pursue the rigorous green building standards of the “Living Building Challenge” (LBC) certification of the International Living Future Institute. The goal is that when completed, the 960-square-foot building will become one of a handful of LBC buildings in the world.

On top of LBC buildings being a net positive for energy, water and waste, they also have to be built without any materials that contain chemicals or chemical groups determined to be harmful to creatures, humans and the environment. Items like Extoseal, a self-sealing, waterproof highly elastic tape used for sealing windows and Thermacork, thermal insulation materials that holds up well against fire damage and limits water vapors and absorption, are just some examples of the products that get vetted in the LBC certification process.

The partnership between the school and The Lloyd Center was announced Thursday night at their annual meeting at the high school.

“Community collaborations like this provide a hands-on opportunity for our students to exercise the skills they have learned and exposes them to new practices and techniques,” Rob Gomes, community outreach coordinator of GNB Voc-Tech, said in a news release.

Site work has already begun at 430 Potomska Road in Dartmouth with students assisting architect Kathryn Duff of Studio2Sustain in carpentry, electrical, plumbing, metal fabrication and joining, visual design, and media technology. With the foundation already laid down, the anticipated completion date is set for the summer of 2018.