CG Common Ground | Greensburg, Kansas
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Greensburg, Kansas: sell the camera, not the sympathy

Preconstruction and general contracting lead on a town's green rebuild after an EF5 tornado; the work ran through Tellus Design and Build; June 2007 to December 2008

IndustryDisaster rebuild and sustainable construction
Project typeSponsor and supplier partnership program
DatesJune 2007 to December 2008
SeatPreconstruction and general contracting lead
EntityTellus Design and Build

Lead preconstruction and the general construction teams on a town's green rebuild after an EF5 tornado, and coordinate the redesign.

Flattened in May 2007. A high-performance standard the town could not pay for, national cameras on the way, and everyone drafting a plea to manufacturers.

Problem

A distribution asset sold to marketing budgets, not a sympathy appeal to philanthropy desks: one manufacturer per category, exclusive, on camera.

What we did

Rank the categories by what the camera could identify, sell house wrap before insulation, anchor on DuPont, and make whatever arrived work inside one design.

Result

More than $30 million of donated sustainable materials, at wholesale value, for thirteen rebuilt homes and the commercial buildings.

Everyone wanted to write to manufacturers and ask for help. I did not think help was the right word. Discovery was coming, and that footage was worth something to a brand, so I sold it.Jesse Fowler

Read on

01

The decision and the reasoning

Why we did it this way, told first.

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02

What we did and what it produced

The work, decision by decision, and the result.

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03

A slice of the project list

A few related projects.

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Team

Private side

The full report, the source files on record, the timeline and every figure with its source. Password.

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