Greensburg Kansas Rebuilds Better and Greener After Tornado!

In 2007, a massive F5 tornado ripped through the small town of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2008/06/05/discovery-planet-greens-greensburg-docu-series-to-premiere-june-15th/" target="_blank">Greensburg, Kansas</a> destroying 95% of the town. What wasn't leveled was severely damaged and the mile and half plus wide tornado left the town completely devastated. In the wake of the disaster, the city amazingly enough voted to rebuild green and they drafted a resolution that <strong>all new buildings</strong> would be built to <a href="../tag/LEED" target="_blank">LEED</a> Platinum standards, making them quite possibly the greenest city in the nation. May 4th marked the third anniversary of the deadly disaster and was celebrated with the opening of the new Eco Silo Home, which is not only environmentally friendly and energy efficient, it's also able to withstand 200 mph winds, making it practically tornado proof.

Three years later, the town has changed dramatically with over 100 new homes (40% more efficient than code) and many buildings headed towards LEED Certification.

Before the tornado, the town was already dying and had little industry or economy to support the new generation. Now the town has character and is living up to its name and making its mark as one of the greenest towns in the nation.

After the F5 tornado ripped through the town, 95% of the homes and buildings were destroyed. A week later the community began forming it's plans to rebuild in a sustainable fashion. Greensburg GreenTown, a non-profit started by Daniel Wallach, was created to provide assistance during the rebuilding process.

A wind farm with 10 turbines began generating renewable energy back in March and produces enough power for over 4,000 households, making the town carbon neutral.

John Deere Wind Energy owns the wind farm and sells the renewable energy credits to Native Energy.

At the beginning of May, the town held a three year anniversary celebration and honored the day with a weekend of openings, parties, strolls and showcases.

Here is the completed City Hall on main street designed by Kansas City-based BNIM architects to be a LEED Platinum building. It will be the first new construction LEED Platinum city hall building in America, and includes solar panels and geothermal technology. It has been built out of reclaimed brick from the Greensburg power plant (destroyed by the tornado), and recycled wood and materials. It will also have a green roof with vegetation growing on the east end of the roof.

Centera Bank, which was originally located in the downtown area, rebuilt a new facility out of ICFs and efficient glazing. The new bank also features water efficient fixtures, energy efficient HVAC and lighting systems, and an on-site bioswale. The building was opened during the anniversary celebration and is seeking LEED certification.

The Eco Silo Home is the first home in the Chain of Eco Homes and was officially opened during the anniversary weekend. Here, Daniel Wallch, founder of Greensburg GreenTown talks during the ribbon cutting ceremony.

The Eco Silo Home serves as both headquarters to Greensburg GreenTown as well as a bed and breakfast lodging for guests coming through Greensburg and as a way for people to experience green living first hand.

The Eco Silo Home was inspired by the town's grain silo, which was not destroyed during the tornado and was built by Armour Homes. The home is designed to withstand 200 mpg + winds, just like the town experienced during the 2007 tornado.

The home features a plethora of sustainable building strategies including, solar panels, green roof, eco friendly finishes, a bioswale, solar passive design, energy efficient mechanical systems, water efficient fixtures and much more.

The home's cylindrical design allows wind to flow around the building rather than building up pressure on one side, meaning that the home can withstand greater wind forces. To test the home, the builders even dropped a car on the roof and it didn't even leave a dent.