The exterior staircase is installed, leading to the second floor residential space.

We’ve come a long way since our groundbreaking ceremony back in 2009. From a run-down, vacant grocery store, we are now excited to say the project completion is near, with over 80% of the building renovations done!

Once it is complete, the Green & Main mixed-use building will house a women’s wellness center on the main floor, classrooms and meeting rooms on the lower floor, and an upper floor rental apartment will respond to housing needs in Sherman Hill’s high-density urban neighborhood.

Here are some quick summaries of the building’s completion status.

Exterior Update

• The building enclosure is in the final phase of post construction touch-ups and we’re fine-tuning the details, paying special attention to revealing the original brick and properly sealing the building.
• The newly completed dual-window solutions are a combination of the original historic window fully restored and new energy efficient windows.
• An operating wheelchair lift, a breezeway canopy and a carport are all completed

Conservation Methodologies in Operation

• Nearing completion of our storm water management systems
• Custom gutters direct water flow to the natural prairie bio swell. This is a stylish and beautiful solution that is also functional.
• A solar array is in the installation process. Once installed the solar array is projected to supplement 25% of the building’s energy needs while regulating temperatures both in and on the building.

Interior Update

The building interior has gone through a complete transformation. Before the second phase of the project it was only a structure with its bones of masonry, concrete and reclaimed wood framing, suggesting its potential future use. Today…

• Wallboard (a mix of locally manufactured Rewall and regional drywall) was applied over the walls. This took place after the installation of electrical wiring, plumbing, insulation, and heating and cooling systems.
• We are currently installing light fixtures and completing the painting and finishes.
• Custom woodwork is almost finished, and the cabinets, sinks, countertops and appliances are being installed
• We’ve restored and finished the hardwood flooring, and real staircases are in place instead of ladders.
• The doors have been installed throughout the building and we are getting prepared wall treatments, which includes several walls where we feature creative ways to re-purpose salvaged lath that is original to the building.

All of these interior and exterior components are in the final stages, receiving the finishing touches, and the details that will bring them all to life and make them functional.

Through it all I’ve witnessed the power of tenacity and commitment in developing a space that marries historical preservation, sustainable design and community connection. For 10 years we’ve dealt with countless challenges in our journey to complete the Green & Main Pilot Project and to realize our vision. The team kept moving forward with resolve and creativity and now we can see our project evolve into its final phase. All that’s left are some of the subtle finishes, yet these are some of the most meaningful components, things that make it even more powerful as a space.

See the photos below to witness some of the transformations.

This historical building at 19th and Center in Sherman Hills sat abandoned for many years. The Green & Main Pilot Project work begins.

Work begins on the expansion the back of the building.

The solid maple flooring is a combination of the building’s original flooring and salvaged wood from the gym floor in a Cambria, Iowa school that was being torn down. See full article.

The work begins to clean and integrate the original and salvaged maple flooring.

Our new maple flooring! Sanded and ready for staining and sealing.

Solid maple wood flooring is finished and stained, revealing the beauty of the woodgrain.

Salvaged lath from the original building is repurposed to create beautiful and interesting walls and ceiling.

Chaden Halfhill on the first floor during construction.

On Site in December

Frost has settled into the soil at the Green & Main pilot project and layered clothing has become the norm on site. Cold weather slows everything when it arrives, even our perceptions of time. Transitioning from fall, our project processes shift and schedules expand as the conventions of construction industry adjust to the freezing temperatures that turn work trucks into rolling coolers.

The impact is seen in so many ways: battery operated tools are removed daily, liquids no longer remain in vehicles over night and time is regularly allocated to warm up engines and scrape windows. Little can be taken for granted. The brunt of winter is felt from head to toe when the winds blow from the northwest, and the subtle influence of sunshine, wind breaks and overnight lows are reflected in ever-changing schedules and routines, especially for those projects or tasks that remain on the exterior of the building. At least measurable snow has been minimal thus far, allowing us ample access to staging areas, which has proved helpful.

I-Jobs sign that shows that program's contribution to our project.

Grant Completion and Year End Wrap-Up

The inevitable approach of the calendar’s fiscal end and year-end business planning creates another transition that limits production as administrative attention is directed towards financial matters. This annual responsibility was more intense this year due to the push to complete the landscape, allowing Indigo Dawn to complete major work on grant-supported tasks.

Paired with this completion of tasks, compliance and reporting requirements stretched staff to compile and aggregate data that highlights our applied best practices, educational efforts and communications, as well as financial budgeting and allocation of funds. Our compliance and communication team fulfilled all these obligations and provided data to initiatives and agencies that promote water conservation and stewardship. The benefit of all this hard work will be evident in the spring, as the native plants return from their dormancy and sprouts pepper the amended soils with aspiration.

Sustainable SITES landscaping initiative, the first in Iowa.

As internal efforts at Indigo Dawn focused on closing out grant responsibilities for site development, attention on site was narrowed in order to wrap up the exterior enclosure for the addition. We worked to protect the building from winter weather and prepare staff to switch focus, redirecting the scope from exterior work and stormwater management practices to heightened attention on energy efficiency efforts. In particular, interior efforts will focus on the installation of the utility systems and integrating myriad details that support the insulation’s installation and building’s wall assemblies.

Construction and Masonry

Aside from finalizing the building enclosure, the general contractor, Silent Rivers, also assisted with the city’s replacement of the 19^th Street sewer, which had collapsed and was discovered by the team in early spring when Pary Plumbing Corporation attempted to connect a new sewer drain from the city sewer to the building. The building was without sewer service for nearly nine months and everyone associated with this project shared an eagerness to tie back into the municipal system, providing drainage capacity within the building for all tradesmen working on its restoration.

Masonry work on the addition.

Within the plastic and scaffolding enclosures that have encapsulated the addition’s sheer walls for the past 4 weeks, masons from Atlas Masonry quietly installed the exterior 6” veneer cladding that protects the 2” Dow extruded polystyrene insulation that wraps the addition.

What appears to be a simple masonry cladding system has many critical details that support the long-term performance of the addition.  Masonry is a reservoir cladding, and as a result, precautions are taken to ensure moisture behind and within the block or behind the veneer is properly managed through the use of flashing and wick ropes. These practices and their proper application allow moisture to exit the wall assembly, protecting the interior structure.

Because protecting against bulk water intrusion is first priority for any wall system, much attention has been paid to details throughout the addition, setting tone for the various strategies to insulate and manage moisture within the existing building’s retrofit. From protecting the foundation from ground water to managing water intrusion during summer rains, there have been so many decisions that have required thoughtful consideration and a vast amount of discussion to reach each solution.

A rendering of the completed building, facing north.

With the masonry walls recently completed, final installation of siding on the western face of the addition has begun. Starting from the insulation plane, we have applied several layers to the wall systems, starting with the water barrier membrane and integrating flashing details for the first group of Pella triple pane windows scheduled. Three quarter inch treated battens have been attached on top of the membrane, preparing the wall for a rain screen made of James Hardie cement lap siding, thus providing an effective drainage plane for the wall system. Two scuppers will be installed through this wall in order to shed water from the lower roof. Resolution of these understated water conduits will allow for the completion of the upcoming roof by Academy Roofing and provide weather security for the new addition, in the event we get a deep snow.

Fortunately, this week’s forecast remains 1 inch or less.

–Chaden Halfhill is an entrepreneur and visionary of the Green & Main Initiative.

Extensive Collaboration

The installation of the H2OG, one of the 7 stormwater management practices.

During October, focus intensified on the completion of seven stormwater management practices that are incorporated within the project’s site plan and ecological restoration strategies. Deadlines and the onset of seasonal changes intensified the pace of our efforts significantly. Fortunately, daily temperatures hovered above average and very few work days were interrupted by rain.

Collaboration, along with bright blue skies, was in abundance. The tradesmen skillfully orchestrated their varied and intertwined tasks, culminating in a buildup of native plantings and graded soils that reinforced the beauty and meaning contained within Green & Main.

Native plant groundcover placed on site.

Site Transformation

If one stands on a pile of salvaged wood that is staged on 19^th Street Place, the undeveloped dirt road bordering the west edge of the property, and surveys the site, transformation is evident. From this vantage, the whole site unifies; the natural landscaping frames the project’s architectural evolution, highlighting its history while celebrating its renewal within this historic neighborhood.

The stormwater management methods we’ve installed connect the building with the site, bridging this localized urban context to the larger Des Moines community, and then on to join nationwide water conservation efforts.

Landscaping on the south and west of the property.

Blending so many practices in such a small area (less than one acre) is a unique achievement. The stormwater management systems that we carefully planned and integrated include the vegetative roof, rain water collection, soil quality restoration, bio-swale, bio-retention through site grading, native landscaping and a pervious paver system.

The overarching goal of the design and engineering of all the practices was to demonstrate effectively the fluid connection between building science and urban landscaping. We wanted to show the varied choices building and home owners have in managing the movement and absorption of stormwater on a smaller plot of land.

Starting from the northeast side of the property, the path of rainwater may be followed visually as it connects the property’s higher elevations to the rain garden at the southwest base of the site, where it will be absorbed or discharged downstream into the city of Des Moines’ right-of-way.

Sedum installed on the vegetative roof.

The path of the water’s movement maps out different lessons for visitors to experience. For example, rainfall may begin its movement from the vegetated sedum roof on both the main building and the addition. From there, it moves into the guttering system that supports the solar array and on to the salvaged brick gabion baskets. Here, it continues through the richly amended bio-swale and down to the rain garden filled with native plants where it pools and infiltrates. The rainwater from the permeable parking lot also gathers here, along with overflow from the rain harvesting system that is visible at the rear of the paver lot.

Many Trades Involved

What remains perhaps less obvious behind this view is the combined effort of so many tradesmen weaving together material, talent and time. We believe the passion for their craft and their dedication to the stewardship of this project is profound, and the matured presence of the landscape will inspire generations of people who visit to learn about conservation and sustainable building practices.

Newly added permeable paver parking lot.

Masons, cement finishers, carpenters, laborers, machine operators, excavators, landscapers, growers, roofers, pipe-fitters and electricians all worked together as we reclaimed this raw urban site peppered with sub-surface remnants of its historic past. From century-old foundation bricks to an array of early 20^th century glass bottles, we unearthed and removed truckloads of debris, reusing or recycling everything we could. Even four thousand pounds of cast iron boiler buried next to a brick kiln was hoisted from ten feet below grade.

Glass bottles unearthed while working with the geothermal system.

Much like establishing a solid foundation before working on a building, the restoration of this site required significant structural changes to not only comply with zoning requirements but to help remove years of impact. Many disciplines were layered together in order to generate our results. For example, the geo-thermal well field is connected below the permeable parking area and required attentive installation and metering, as measuring its performance outcomes in the future are integral to two research projects.

On the southern perimeter of the property, a team of bridge-builders, led by an eighty-year-old foreman, built the concrete retaining wall that borders the sidewalk. This construction inaugurated the site reclamation process while also providing the opportunity to bring in utility services below grade and to integrate the perimeter drain for the building into the site design.

The construction of the southwest retaining wall by Jensen Construction.

High Levels of Commitment

Completing so many layers, sometimes simultaneously, on time to meet our autumn deadlines required a personal commitment by many people to work together on a single dedicated vision – sharing a professional collaboration worth recognizing. I am honored!

With the weather now turned, and temperatures dipping below freezing, we are stretching both funds and time to enclose the building envelope and draw our attention inward for the winter. Inside the building, we will begin to install the engineered systems that support the building and its habitation in our complex northern climate zone. We now turn our focus to weatherizing the building to prepare for further work: optimizing the efficiency and performance of the building itself and scaling the developmental terrain of the Green & Main Pilot Project.

–Chaden Halfhill is an entrepreneur and visionary of the Green & Main Initiative.

Chaden Halfhill on the first floor during construction.

In the heat of August, our attention turned to the construction-unfriendly cold temperatures that we know are eventually coming and the rush to complete the vegetative roof, retaining walls and foundation waterproofing. Special landscape fabric that directs water where it needs to go must be in place, and site dirt work must be completed prior to the ground freezing. As we were finalizing the geo-thermal well field, our backhoe unearthed an unidentified 500 gallon tank. What else could be in store?

Late Summer

With temperatures pushing three digits, keeping the soils dry and dusty, we felt mounting pressure from pending grant deadlines and the looming shifts in weather patterns – yes, I am talking about evening temperatures that drop below 45 degrees at night and the constant concern about the early freeze that limits fall planting.

At Green & Main, we are acutely aware that we must restore the site before mid-October, when the likelihood of a freeze is near certain and worries about the new plantings’ ability to establish are commonplace.

What Needs to be Done on the Building

Rebar and footing, looking to the east.

Throughout the month of August the team at Atlas Masonry worked to complete all sub surface foundation work around the perimeter of the building, allowing the installation of waterproofing, drainage mats and footings to be installed, managing and dispelling any water near the base of the building.

One-inch washed gravel limestone was backfilled around foundation walls, and crews were able to cover the rock with soil and establish a new grade around the building. Looking at the original soil imprint on the north face of the building, it is amazing how much soil we’ve reduced from the site to bring grade at or below the building’s wooden joists.

By the end of the month, final connections for the geo-thermal well field were scheduled for completion north of the building, preparing the site for a parking area. The discovery of an unknown five-hundred gallon tank while contractors were digging for the first well connection, created a day of unanticipated challenges. We stopped our digging in order to determine how to safely remove the iron container and how to best protect the site and its environmental context.

A four thousand pound iron steam boiler was hauled away within the week, but work on the well field was delayed for three weeks due to scheduling conflicts with the geo-thermal installation company. Fortunately, plenty of work continued on the site reclamation.

What Needs to be Done on Site

Retaining wall on the south side.

The southern boundary of the property is defined by a retaining wall. This wall helps us establish a bio-swale that winds its way through the property, assisting with water infiltration as it directs rain from the building and parking area to the rain garden located on the western-most twenty feet of the property – the location with the lowest elevation.

This retention garden allows stormwater to collect and slowly settle into the soil to feed the root systems of diverse native Iowa plants. Building this retaining wall has been a testament to the durability of bridge construction and the ingenuity of Norm Paulson, the eighty-four-year-old foreman who has dependably lead the wall’s fabrication for Jensen Construction. In the end, we needed to compensate for the moment of the hydraulic pressures in the retained earth with wall footings that were larger than those we used to shore up the building.

Many questions have been raised in the Sherman Hill Neighborhood about the nearly ten-foot wide trench that was built to form the base.

Unearthed 500-gallon tank.

Now that we are nearing the final concrete pour, the results are quite pleasing, accentuated by a neighborhood bench that helps visually connect two forty-foot retaining walls that shape the site. It will be a whole-hearted relief to backfill against the wall, replacing soils that have patiently rested in piles in the nearby alley, in order to restore the walkway and bury the new utility service lines that extend below grade from the alley to the renovated building.

Finishing the Soil Amendment and Site Restoration

Completing the wall and backfill will allow us to focus attention on site grading and soil amendment, thus regenerating soil composition and preparing the earth for fall plantings and seeding. The native plants will provide a root structure that will assist with stormwater infiltration within the property while helping to establish a more ecologically diverse site.

From the vegetative roof on top of the existing building to the low lying rain garden, many design decisions have been made to help promote on-site stormwater management and best practices. These extra efforts during August construction have helped establish the basis for site restoration throughout September. Today, we press forward to meet our goals as the weekly forecast drops from a high of 91 degrees on Monday afternoon to a low of 42 degrees by Thursday morning.

It’s Iowa, and the unpredictability of autumn weather has begun. So the race begins!

– Chaden Halfhill is an entrepreneur and visionary of the Green & Main Initiative.

Chaden Halfhill on the first floor during construction.

The Making of a Vision

A single wall can make a statement – a strong statement!

Yes, a single wall can outline the intent of a whole building. The plane of this wall can define an entire room – its surface and the raw material capturing the emotion of atmosphere and anticipation. This statement is especially true during construction, when architectural form comes to life in anticipation of the future, foreshadowing the beauty of the space and the celebration of its use. It is the exact moment when the inspiration of design is experienced within three dimensions, when creators step back to revel in the spirit of their making and feel the building’s potential.

The heart fills with enthusiasm! This swell of abundant potential resonates deep within our being, stimulating hope and excitement, much like hearing our children’s heartbeat at eight week’s gestation. Creation exposes our soul while it deepens our understanding of humanity; the discovery reveals our passion – if not purpose for life – and its eternal mystery.

The Making of Walls

So July was a stimulating month on the Green & Main pilot project; three definitive walls announced plans for the renovation, each one revealing a portion of the layered story behind this building’s regeneration. Three walls were built: one straight, one angled and one curved. The first honors the contrast between new and old, forecasting the initiative’s informed application of new technologies and building science design with enduring traditional practices and the preservation of original materials.

The next wall helps move people through the building, as if on a journey of self-discovery and personal empowerment, reinforcing the contractions and emotional nuances of pregnancy as they culminate in awareness for this building that will be home to a birth center. Finally, a curved wall invites mothers into the sanctity of the birth space, encouraging an inspired experience that is nestled in the privacy of the earth. Below, I elaborate on the first, describing its bold announcement.

Brick masonry wall addition, looking to the north.

The completion of the southern masonry wall of the addition, rising two stories above grade like a billboard along the roadside, reflects an obvious message: Full steam ahead. Not so obvious is the significance of this wall and the meaning it contains.

Driving east on Center Avenue from 20^th Street, this wall instantaneously defines the scale of the rear addition, highlighting the historic massing of the original structure while providing a glimpse into the heart of the new development – the common room. Together with the first floor deck, this wall reveals what will be a flexible and collaborative space planned for community events and educational programming on a wide range of topics from women’s health and birth to environmental stewardship, green building and sustainable development. This space provides a venue for sharing new ideas and fostering market transformation, a goal of the Green & Main initiative as well as that of Healing Passages, the midwifery run free-standing birth center that will occupy the building’s first floor when done.

The Making of Sustainability

Close-up looking north at the masonry addition.

Beyond function, this wall shares a story of craft; boasting a timeless and honorable trade as it was built by four masons sensitive to the building’s heritage and dedicated to durability and environmental stewardship. With closer inspection, this wall provides the basis for one of our energy efficiency best practices: a two-inch layer of extruded polystyrene (XPS) can be seen encapsulating the foundation. The installation of this insulation will cover all the walls providing a continuous thermal break around the whole addition, allowing the interior masonry surface to serve as a heat sink to help regulate interior temperatures and climate conditions.

But ultimately, this wall is a testament to the challenges associated with the Green & Main pilot project. In particular, the challenges associated with combining traditional wisdom with green solutions to minimize or eliminate the negative environmental impacts of existing buildings. The signature identity of Green & Main is the intersection of sustainability and preservation, the corner where green design meets traditional building to celebrate the passion of main street revitalization and ecological regeneration. This wall accentuates this intersection of ideas, as it literally embodies their merger.

– Chaden Halfhill is an entrepreneur and visionary of the Green & Main Initiative. He likes to gestate ideas.

A very rainy June day in Iowa.

The Weather at Green & Main

It just could not stop raining in June. We’re not talking the standard ½-inch flush that cleans city streets while households sleep, leaving the air smelling fresh in the morning. No, we’re boasting serious downpours that dump upwards of five inches of rain in twenty-four hour cycles and repeatedly interrupt our planned work days, while also putting officials and drivers on the alert for early morning street closings.

Mother Nature has been busy exceeding all sorts of records, and construction crews have been busy in their accommodation. This has held true at the pilot project building. One can only laugh, perhaps, at the construction delays caused by an overload of rainwater, given that one of our project’s main assertive goals is to provide this property with maximum stormwater management and release.

Waterproofing the exterior foundation of the addition.

Much to be Done

Before we reclaim the site, amending the soil and establishing bio-systems to capture storm water and to encourage infiltration, the addition must be completed. This includes tuck-pointing and waterproofing the subterranean concrete block walls of the existing building. Protecting the building’s foundation from bulk water intrusion and sub-surface water pressure helps to establish an effective basis for high-performance rehabilitation of the structure. This is not such an easy task when the over-dig for the basement serves to generate a moat regularly, thereby limiting access to the work zone.

The geo-technical soil analysis did prepare us for slow infiltration of water into layers of Wisconsin Clay, but not during construction, nor nine feet below grade. While we have taken precautions to control erosion from the site, no plans account for the impact recurrent downpours have on the productivity of construction. So each morning, submersible pumps would dispel the growing brown pool of water through multi-colored hoses, generating enough white noise to dampen the sound of the nearby interstate. The process was something to watch. The continuous ingenuity exhibited by Jason Anderson, Silent Rivers’ site-supervisor, and the craftsmen from Atlas Masonry, never ceased to amaze me. Each morning they restored temporary tents to protect the fresh mortar, using concrete blocks and pallets to work above the flooded muck as the pumps churned below.

Pouring the basement during a dry day.

Inside the foundation walls we encountered additional challenges: unanticipated water pooling within the basement. The building’s lower level lacked capacity to shed rain water, functioning as a wading pool without a drain – never mind that the recently poured basement floor includes eight drains that exist to receive heat pump condensate and protect the lower level in the event of equipment or plumbing failure. During the finishing of the cement floor, temporary drain caps were removed by tradesmen and one drain, located within the addition, opens to the sky. Typically, such a detail wouldn’t cause issue, as the drains would connect and discharge into the municipal system. Of course, not in our case!

The city’s sewer remains cracked, disallowing the project to connect to public works until repairs are made – we discovered this dilemma in late spring. So with pending grant deadlines and increasing financial pressures, construction pressed on. The conditions: the six-inch access pipe terminates just beyond the southeast corner of the building. Stubbed-out and capped, the pipe awaits connection to public works. In the meanwhile, the building lacks capacity to drain. The result: eight unexpected puddles in the basement. However, a quick response with a late-night remedy was in the works. Jason Anderson, knowing the drains were not in working order, made a 10 p.m. trip to the job site. He located another pump to remove the water and capped the exterior drain opening to limit access to the network of pipes below.

Weather and Design

From the initial deluge during our groundbreaking ceremony to this recent inundation of storms, we are constantly reminded of the power of nature, and the imperative to design in balance and harmony with natural resources and cycles. Water is an essential resource, not only to the existence of our species, but as a dynamic impact on our shelter and its surroundings. Considering that most every design decision made for the Green & Main Pilot Project evaluates the influence of water on the building and its performance – while reciprocally weighing the impact the building, the site and its use has on this most precious resource – these reminders are quite apropos. They help encourage and reinforce a stewardship ethic that is central to our initiative.

– Chaden Halfhill is an entrepreneur and visionary of the Green & Main Initiative. He likes to reclaim and repurpose, then go out for lunch.

Chaden Halfhill on the first floor during construction.

Even when your construction crew involves surgeons of the earth, you have to remain ready to deviate from plans to overcome unexpected hurdles. Here is how we overcame one recent hurdle that required an orchestration between our crews and Des Moines City Works Department.

A great man said this to me recently as he leaned out of the cab of his backhoe, “I am a surgeon, just with different tools.”

Ron Gomis invites such a precise comparison because he can shave dirt from an existing foundation with a bucket the size of a wheel barrow better than most guys clean their face with a sharp razor. He’s rather talented with large machinery, supported by an upbeat and dedicated team that moves dirt while he digs.

Excavation of street asphalt and brick layer to connect the new plumbing system to the city sewer.

However, the flow of teamwork can come to a complete standstill when plans unexpectedly change. Of course, construction can certainly deviate from the straight line of theory and Gantt charts, and the last few days have certainly proved this truism.

How We Overcame a Hurdle

The other day, work was progressing as expected. The crew cut away several layers of asphalt, concrete and brick pavers before digging a diagonal trench from the storefront of the Green & Main Pilot Project building towards the center of 19th Street, exposing an initial 15 feet of a 6” sewer line that we needed to lower and relocate. What began as routine resulted in a delightful discovery of steel trolley tracks (read this post outlining details and photos of the trolley track find) that were buried amongst the paving layers. We also located where the cast iron sewer pipe transitioned to the original clay tile four feet to the east of our foundation.

Just short of the municipal sewer we discovered a sinkhole below the surface of the street directly underneath the bus route; the hole was the size of a Smart Car. This discovery initiated several days of meetings with various municipal departments, conversations to determine how to move forward without the ability to establish fall height for our system and tie our drain into the city’s sewer service.

The city sewer had a crack that spanned nearly twenty-five feet long, almost the entire length of our building, with the sinkhole impeding drainage from the top of the hill two blocks north. Using enhanced diagnostics, officials determined the sewer would need to be replaced from Cottage Grove to Center Street, two city blocks. Defining a schedule for such work remained uncertain at best.

In order to continue progress on Green & Main, Jason Anderson, Lead Artisan for Silent Rivers, orchestrated a solution with Des Moines City Works Department that allowed us to relocate the building’s drain to provide the required fall needed to accommodate additional headroom and necessary changes to the plumbing system. This relocation allowed us to position the main drain line access twenty feet south, establishing the new connection well below the foundation and stubbing the drain line into the right-of-way for future integration during the upcoming sewer overhaul.

Whew! After numerous meetings, excellent problem solving and public-private collaboration, we were again marching. Earth surgeon Ron Gomis returned to fill his incision and patch the roadway so that buses could return to 19th Street.

Hurdles are Part of the Process

I cannot help but reflect on the many hurdles we have overcome simply to begin construction, as this project has been anything but linear. From educating the financial community about green building and LEED to restoring abandoned zoning rights, the development of this 5,075 square foot project has required patience, tenacity and a sense of humor, if not a willingness to adapt.

The hurdles began as early as the building’s acquisition. The transaction started as a standard real estate purchase agreement where the buyer met all counter-offer requirements. It quickly regressed into months of positioning on behalf of the sellers and their agents to leverage a higher sale price. The result: a Sheriff’s Sale Deed that when combined with legal fees accrued during the whole debacle cost the same as the original purchase price. Just short of 6 months of wasted time, we finally began the process in earnest.

And now here we are in full-scale construction. The process of overcoming hurdles progresses, and we continue to sharpen our skills as surgeons of sustainability!

– Chaden Halfhill is an entrepreneur and visionary of the Green & Main Initiative. He does not like it when hurdles are above his knees as it is harder to jump over them and the running start is longer.

A massive steel I-beam gets installed in our historic building to provide the support needed for the vegetative roof.

Nothing is more exhilarating than stepping into the unknown, marching forward with something you have never done before.

On January 4^th, 2011, we did just that!

Sure, Silent Rivers, as our Green & Main design + build contractor, has placed a few steel beams over the last eighteen years, but piloting a 35’ steel I-beam through an opening the size of a single concrete block (8”x16”) adds a little twist to the dance. Guiding an inflexible needle between two wooden joists with a fork lift and then pushing 900 pounds of steel beam until its nose nudges against the historic steel header on the front façade of the building provided plenty of adrenaline. Of course, it needed repeating three more times before all beams were installed, but the fluidity of the teamwork and ingenuity was inspiring.

The thrill of setting the steel restored my confidence and ignited my enthusiasm; it represents the first step of many that our design + build contractor will take towards reclaiming the vibrancy of this depression era grocery, replacing the barren emptiness of the building’s shell with a new voice – one that is creative, honoring potential and celebrating the future.

The much anticipated arrival of the steel beams were right on time, as was Jensen Construction, a local bridge building company that offered to help with installation, sharing their expertise and attentive work ethic. Together with Jason, the team lead on the project, they collectively spent the prior week diligently preparing to insert the steel structure.

Several trips were made to the building to measure and calculate how to facilitate pressing the steel into place, ensuring that shims were sized to help distribute roof loads properly and the steel gusset met engineering specifications. Preparations generated a customized roller assembly, built with spare parts, which anchored to existing beams to keep the steel from binding as it glided ¼” below the original shiplap subfloor on its way across the building. Combined with poly-resin skid plates that straddled the concrete block opening in the rear wall, staff had essentially anticipated all friction points in preparing for a smooth delivery and responsive project.

Once initiated, the installation was nearly flawless and the camaraderie and collaborative effort among Jensen employees set the tone for a great beginning.

Of course, what’s a construction project without a dose of daily drama! Nobody prepared for the impact of early morning frigid temperatures on equipment; the fork lift failed to start as planned, which initiated an hour of tense problem solving. The motor eventually turned-over and maintained combustion, but the hydraulic fluid lacked the warmth to allow mobility. The equipment operator spent an additional thirty minutes slowly extending and contracting the lift to improve the viscosity of the fluid, eventually releasing the drive mechanisms to allow movement and the brisk unloading of the steel from the flatbed. With such a patient introduction, it was time for action and everyone stepped in sync for the remainder of the day.

Much beauty in construction hides just beneath the surface! The steel beams forecast the installation of a vegetated roof on this historic building, while providing means to transfer additional bearing load without impact to its defining character.

Right now – it’s simply amazing to walk beneath in anticipation.

– Chaden Halfhill is an entrepreneur and visionary of the Green & Main Initiative. He thrives on creative chaos and Mountain Dew.

Chaden Halfhill

I prefer looking forward over staring backwards. Driving is generally easier this way and so is piloting a new vision. As a pilot project celebrating high performance Main Street renovations, the Green & Main pilot project is definitely no exception. We have entered our fifth year developing this vision and are now just breaking ground. Challenges still remain, but the familiarity of construction and the sheer excitement of seeing physical change help replenish the spirit after so much effort has been put into pursuing supportive financial solutions for our initiative.

We have spent the past four weeks deconstructing the interior of the commercial space, restoring rotten floor joists and preparing to insert four thirty-five foot steel beams that will bolster the second story load-bearing walls. The installation of these beams will occur just after the new year begins and will set the tone for 2011. This new year will be dedicated to rehabilitating this depression-era building that originally hosted H&H Grocery and three apartments and will now experience a renaissance as a holistic health center and an individual upstairs residence.

So here we stand mid-winter with six inches of snow above ground and six inches of frost below. We will finally excavate for our addition in January, thus providing exterior access to the lower level. Timing for this project has never appeared to benefit speed or cost, so I remain committed to its vision as a catalyst for change and simply hope that the resulting retrofit and its research will have uncanny impact upon its completion.

We recently discovered that the existing concrete masonry walls lack footings, so we will certainly be required to underpin the walls and provide necessary structural support to carry new loads generated by our planned vegetated roof. The steel beams also honor the effort to incorporate green technologies within the historic fabric of this quintessential mixed-use building, as they serve to help transfer the additional weight of six inches of soil and plantings to the basement. Therefore, much of January will be reestablishing the basis for our foundation and preparing the site for masonry construction in the heart of an Iowa winter. There will certainly be plenty of activity and visual interest for our historic residential neighborhood, Sherman Hill.

Finally, though, in keeping with the passion and spirit of artists, we forge ahead with construction centered on a vision for a bright future, a future that we help define through the recreation of this building and its educational outreach.

– Chaden Halfhill is an entrepreneur and visionary of the Green & Main Initiative. He makes complicated to-do lists involving green algorithms and bamboo.