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The center's gray-water system was challenging to plumb in a way that complied with current local building codes. Cisterns in the garage store up to 350 gallons of rainwater collected from the south-facing roof areas. To meet code, that water is treated onsite to drinking standards, and then used for flushing toilets. Overflow is directed to outdoor rain barrels and then underground to the pond via a pipe. The north-facing roof areas send water to a rain garden behind the building, with a path of porous Ecocrete™. The front driveway guides rain toward native plantings along the front walk.

Ken Leinbach and the project team searched and repeatedly found local used materials, from the wood floor of a old school gym that was given a second life on the Center's second floor, to the signature bricks of local brick makers — representing an industry with a long history in Milwaukee — which decorate the main atrium chimney.

As it turned out, these reclaimed materials brought with them priceless stories, threads of cultural continuity that could not have simply been purchased. In addition to their own physical history, in several cases the presence of specific salvaged materials led to human connections with the center for people who had had known them in past material lives. Small signs posted around the building share some of these reclaimed material stories.

For instance, the maple floor of the second story main space resonates for community members who lived with it, maybe went to their first dance, or an important basketball game, at the local school where the boards had served before.

Shortly after the building was finished and the expansive floor was revealed, it was recognized as filling a community void — there hadn't been a place to have local dances with all the life and enjoyment brought by a great old-fashioned wood floor.

Now the Center regularly hosts community dancing — and of course more people are exposed to the center and its goals. It was one of the many surprises to Ken that grew out of his thoughtful way of putting the center project together. He had no way of knowing just how far the construction project could go in connecting community to the organization.

Old bricks in the central chimney that helps warm the core of the building proudly display historic brick-maker names. On a tour of the newly-built center, one participant recognized her own family name on a brick. She asked Ken if he had any more of those bricks, hoping to reconnect to some of her family history.

Within weeks of the request, a different community member, clearing out his garage, offered Ken some additional bricks. One of those bricks matched the earlier visitor's family name. Ken was able to return this family artifact to her, found a new supporter for the center, and added another piece to the the larger story the Urban Ecology Center gives to us.

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The front yard garden and rainwater pond provide outdoor teaching opportunities at the Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo: Kevin Matthews / Artifice Images Extra Large Image A laboratory classroom in the Urban Ecology Center. Photo: Kevin Matthews / Artifice Images A spiral staircase connects first- and second-floor workspace for Urban Ecology Center staff. Photo: Kevin Matthews / Artifice Images A second-floor loft work space at the Urban Ecology Center. Photo: Kevin Matthews / Artifice Images A wall pivots to reveal the "Camouflage Room," a 'hidden' classroom space on the second floor of the Urban Ecology Center. Photo: Kevin Matthews / Artifice Images Inside the Camouflage Room, movable reused carpet tiles and sliding mural panels continue the spirit of play that permeates the Urban Ecology Center. Photo: Kevin Matthews / Artifice Images Extra Large Image South elevation drawing of the Urban Ecology Center. The Kubala Washatko Architects Extra Large Image West elevation drawing of the Urban Ecology Center. The Kubala Washatko Architects Extra Large Image A steel watchtower marks the western end of the Urban Ecology Center, looking out over Riverside Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. Photo: Kevin Matthews / Artifice Images To the north, the gardens of the Urban Ecology Center connect with the grounds of Riverside High School. Photo: Kevin Matthews / Artifice Images Extra Large Image   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.