In the ninth-floor library at Etsys new headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, the wooden coffee tables were built from sustainably sourced timber. Rectangular pots, made of reclaimed wood, hold plants that will feed off rainwater collected from the roof. LED lights hang over a striped gray rug that contains only natural materials. The paint on the walls, too, was vetted to ensure that it contains a low number of volatile organic compounds, which are released into the air and can cause breathing problems.

Green-certified buildings are hardly a new phenomenon. The proliferation of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) designation over the last decade has meant that energy-conserving lights, solar panels and efficient thermal systems are common features in many office and residential projects. The materials used in the construction and furnishing of a building, however, are not always subject to the same rigorous environmental standards.

The Living Building Challenge is trying to change that.

A certification created by the International Living Future Institute in Seattle, the challenge pushes environmentally friendly design further by setting ambitious requirements for energy and water usage as well as for all materials entering a space. A building must operate fully on renewable energy, generated on-site, and supply its own water by collecting and treating rainwater. No object in the building can contain toxic red list materials or chemicals. Materials have to be responsibly sourced and have minimal carbon footprints. Buildings must be sustainable to the core, from the furniture to the internet cables.

This is about leapfrogging forward past incremental achievements and toward more holistic, high-performing buildings, said Kathleen Smith, vice president of the Living Building Challenge. What if buildings could make a place better than what it was before?

Because the extent of a project may be limited by municipal water and energy regulations, an office like Etsy's can still achieve partial certification by focusing on just some of the Living Building Challenges criteria. Currently, 44 projects have been certified by the institute, and over 300 others are in the design stages.