When green|spaces set out to change the way that buildings are constructed in Chattanooga's downtown, the nonprofit project approached the project with design thinking front and center. Like any good design project, its goals were prescribed by both objectives and outcomes. Like any great design project, the approach was collaborative from the moment the idea was hatched. And to our delight, Widgets was invited to develop the brand and collateral surrounding green|spaces' many efforts for the greener good.

A foundation for building

The stated, measurable and achievable goals of green|spaces include enabling 20 LEED certified buildings in the downtown Chattanooga footprint within 3 years, as well as helping 150 local contractors, designers and others to become LEED accredited professionals. For a city of Chattanooga's size and — unbelievably — total lack of LEED buildings this was an earth-shaking vision.

What makes it possible, and makes green|spaces uniquely positioned to help, is that the project is supported by two local foundations and a planning agency, as well as partnerships with the City of Chattanooga and the Chattanooga branch of the University of Tennessee system. Why such a high degree of interest and engagement in supporting this good work? Forty years ago, the committee that became the EPA named Chattanooga as America's most polluted city. An old manufacturing town in the New South tradition, the now-Scenic City was largely unseeable under a blanket of coal dust and worse. Since that day conservationists, entrepreneurs and community groups have made sustainability a priority and today the city is a model turnaround story.

But construction and renovation lagged behind, until Jeff Cannon and Anj McClain banded together to change it.

A brand by any other name wouldn't smell as green

After going through naming and verbal articulation with writer Caleb Ludwick, green|spaces teamed up with Widgets as a whole for the creation and launch of a full brand identity. The challenge was to communicate the scope of the project's efforts, to its widely varied audiences.

Contractors, architects and interior designers, commercial, building owners, City code inspectors and more needed to be connected with an incentive fund for commercial projects to be built green, certified sustainable and include high profile green features - as well as a Main Street resource center for both commercial and residential projects, showcasing the best eco-friendly materials and methods available in the marketplace.

green|spaces sign fabricated by Ray Padron.

The brand also needed immediately to communicate the credibility and quality standards that it would uphold. A three year-timeline, after all, does not leave much time for building a reputation: green|spaces needed to bust out of the gates at top speed. The project's name emphasized the directors' belief that we do not need a sharp dividing line between urban park space (eco-beneficial) and buildings (eco-harmful) - that instead we want buildings that are green|spaces.

The brand, likewise, called to mind collaboration, connectedness, and building blocks that — working together — build a greener good.

Identity as a platform for many projects

green|spaces' influence grew quickly. Within a few short months they were not only working with building owners and architects on projects to be LEED certified, they were also creating new ways to engage the public, as well as being asked to endorse and support the many burgeoning green efforts shouldering into the local limelight.

Their green|spokes bicycle scavenger hunt now educates participants on local sustainability efforts; they were instrumental in building the first-ever energy efficient Habitat House built in Chattanooga; they established a new internship program with UTC's department of environmental science; their fingers can be found in new City recycling efforts and the hybrid employee shuttle of the local Blue Cross.



The identity as we created it provided a single unifying voice — both verbal and visual — for as many projects as green|spaces can dream up and make real.

In their resource center, we wrote and designed information for the "pods" that Jeff and Anj designed to educate visitors about priorities in sustainable design and construction. The simple pods were also designed to be used for storage space as well as movable dividing screens for when the office holds large group presentations or small group charrettes (clever green|spacers).

modular pods fabricated by Matt Sears

One down, only two to go

One year in, green|spaces already has 17 live projects that are in the design, construction or documentation phase of LEED certification and have helped nearly 50 locals to pass their LEED accreditation exam — in addition to their many other projects. Contractors are learning smart skills that are changing the way that they conceive of best practices, and even in a difficult economy is helping to prove that sustainable can be efficient, affordable and worth the extra effort. The resource center has become known as a hub for great thinking and reliable information, for vendors, commercial interests and homes alike, as well as an incubator for eco-minded designers and entrepreneurs who are being attracted to Chattanooga.

The project, by design, will end in 2010. But there are miles to go before they sleep, and Widgets is delighted to help them along the way, for the greener good of us all.

For more / larger images of this project, visit our photostream.

Brand Design: Widgets & Stone; Director: Paul Rustand; Writer/Strategist: Caleb Ludwick; Designers: Brad Dicharry, Joseph Shipp, Matt Greenwell, Grant Dotson and D.J. Trischler; Photographs: Grant Dotson.