Because spirit and intention matter.

It matters to Chaden and I. It matters to the Willowsong Midwifery team providing theCare. It matters to the artisans of Silent Rivers. It matters to the community we serve. And this spirit, this intention, has the ability to set the path for a more connected, sustainable, safer future for our planet. Or NOT.

 
On the hilltop corner of 800 19th Street, in the historic Sherman Hill neighborhood ~ up the street from where Willowsong Midwifery Care has been since 2003 ~ there sits a two-story masonry building that has sat empty for years. Chaden Halfhill, of Silent Rivers Design+Build had a vision to bring the building to life through a sustainable renovation aimed to “decrease our carbon footprint, increase energy efficiency and promote better use of materials”.

The site has a green roof…

And a rain wall and rain garden to effectively manage stormwater runoff, as well as geothermal heating and cooling, natural ventilation and solar panels…

The very caring, intentional restoration of this prominent building in the neighborhood is the beginning of a greater vision to restore, create and nurture sustainable communities, one building at a time, all around Iowa.

“This project will not only help to beautify a historic piece of our community, but it is our hope that we will inspire others to follow suit,” said Chaden. “There are over 10,000 buildings around Iowa alone that have a structure similar to that of our pilot project.

We could drastically change our environment if we were to implement more sustainable practices when renovating those existing buildings”.

 
Now that sounds a little like the purpose, mission, vision & values of Willowsong Midwifery Care.
 

We could drastically change our environment if we were to implement safer, more sustainable birth practices around the world.

 
This is theHeart of why Healing Passages, the entity that provides theSpace, chose Green & Main’s pilot project to be its future home. We know that when we CARE for one another, we must not disconnect from being human, from the cycles of LIFE, for we all are connected to one another and to our planet. The journey is not sterile. It is organic. The power to HEAL, comes from these connections and this knowing.
 

Take a moment to imagine a space that holds the belief that BIRTH is SACRED…

An opportunity for transformation for all who participate, an unfolding of a mother and baby’s journey beyond our control, a biological process designed to be SAFE for mother and child, where technology is only used when medically necessary, where the mother’s intuition is honored, where she and her newborn are seen as ONE and her soul’s connection to her baby is valued.
 

Now, feel yourself in another paradigm, in a space where the belief is that BIRTH is a MEDICAL PROCEDURE…

A physiological condition fraught with danger for mother and child, a process meant to be controlled and pushed, where all who participate feel nothing but FEAR expecting the worst to happen, where technology is seen as far superior than  the body’s design and mother and baby are seen as TWO ~ their soul’s connection devalued.
 

One paradigm does everything from a point of connection to each other, to our planet. The other from a point of disconnect from ourselves and the planet.

 
Not only does the building and the land upon which it rests synergistically work with and remind us as human beings of our connection to all the cycles of life; so does the design and intent of the space reflect those connections.

The next blog post will reflect upon how every aspect of the interior is designed for the women and families of Willowsong and what we, as women, do with each other ~ we hold space ~ guiding each other through all the passages of life. It is in this building’s design that theSpace, within which this hard work occurs, shall feel connected and organic as a gentle reminder to us all that this is where all healing begins.
 
 
Cosette Boone is the Founder and Executive Director of Healing Passages Birth & Wellness Center, which is the main tenant of the renovated building.
 

Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright was not a green designer in the contemporary sense, but he was doing some things that today one might call sustainable. He was concerned with natural climate control, particularly trying to keep buildings cool and ventilated naturally. He believed in the value of natural light and maximized its creative use in his designs.

The relationship of site and structure was of central importance to Wright’s thinking, and he frequently adapted his designs to conditions, including climate extremes. This may be seen in the structural designs of Photo 1.

A structure should also have a relationship to nature, he believed, not only through light, air, and views but also in terms of designs that are in harmony with their surroundings and make nature and landscaping part of the building. This may be seen in Photo 2.

Wright favored the use of natural materials in unadorned ways that brought out their best qualities, and he would frequently try to draw on materials native to the area, like local stone and woods. His color palette was natural: earth tones, greens, reds, yellows, stone. These may be seen in Photo 3 and Photo 4.

Photo 1: Casement art glass allows for views, light, and air while enhancing privacy, and makes decoration organic to window (Frederick C. Robie House, Chicago, Illinois [1910

Photo 2: A low building profile on the windy prairies of Wisconsin: The bermed “back” of Wright’s second house for Herbert Jacobs (Middleton, Wisconsin, 1943)

Photo 4: Urns and planters bring nature into the structure and make it organic to the building (Frederick C. Robie House, Chicago, Illinois [1910

Photo 3: Pale ochre color of cantilevered concrete slabs matches color of fallen rhododendron leaves; red painted steel evokes color of its base metal, iron ore, and the process of steel-making (Edgar Kaufmann House, Mill Run, Pennsylvania [1936

– Joel Schorn is an editor and writer in Chicago who is also a volunteer tour interpreter with the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust. His coffee is often inexplicably tepid on Wednesdays.

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.

Steve Wilke-Shapiro

Green & Main has “broken ground” in both the physical sense and the conceptual.

The Green & Main team is working diligently to integrate sustainable building practices, environmental air quality considerations and recycling strategies into the everyday work pattern. These ideas and practices are most often seen on larger commercial construction projects, but rarely on smaller mixed-use buildings like those that exist in small downtowns and cities across the state.

The first phase of physical work on the building involves what we are calling intentional deconstruction (See deconstruction and site source separation photo gallery here). This term differentiates our work from traditional “demolition,” where little care is paid to either the remaining structure or what happens to the materials once they are removed. In contrast, intentional deconstruction looks at the project holistically: existing materials removed as part of the renovation are carefully removed with the intention that they be reused in other applications or recycled when possible. In some cases this may mean consciously separating materials for recycling. In other cases, it means removing (and of course recycling) hundreds of nails!

Intentional deconstruction will prepare the building for structural upgrades, energy sealing, new buildings systems and the redesigned interior. Some of the materials being removed include plaster, ceiling tiles, electrical wiring, furnaces and duct work and the concrete basement floor. Each item removed will be sorted, weighed and documented as part of LEED certification.

This intentional process involves substantial planning, communication and management effort. At Green & Main, we have adopted a four-pronged strategy: plan, communicate, assess and document. We have been planning for months on how to implement best practices into the everyday work, researching comparable approaches and developing our own project-specific approaches. As new people become involved with the project, procedures (and the reasoning behind them) will be communicated as part of a short briefing. However, we also recognize that these ideas represent a moving target and feedback will be incorporated into a weekly assessment meeting. As the process unfolds, we will document both the successes and inevitable setbacks.

We are all learning together as a community of builders, designers, and developers – the next project will be that much easier!

– Steve Wilke-Shapiro is a designer with Silent Rivers Design + Build. His techniques for intentional deconstruction of the psyche are known worldwide.