The Stanley Center’s new home is an investment in our local community and aims for the highest standards of green and sustainable living. Follow our progress here.
For decades, the former Musser public library building at 304 Iowa Avenue served Muscatine residents as a hub of learning. The Stanley Center has invested more than $14 million in the community by acquiring, renovating, and transforming the space into one of the most environmentally-friendly and ecologically-sustainable buildings in the world to serve as our new home.
The center’s new permanent home includes space dedicated to our programming in Muscatine and provides opportunities to synergize with local resources such as the Musser Library, Muscatine School District, Muscatine Art Center, and international visitor programs. The renovated building models green practices in Iowa and raises awareness about the need for collective action on global challenges like climate change.
In late 2019, Stanley Center staff and governance members began a collaborative process of describing our ideal workplace. We knew we wanted a home that offers the chance to live and share our core values and demonstrate our commitments to mitigating climate change and building just and equitable communities within society. We also knew we wanted to remain in Muscatine for the outside vantage point it provides in the global policy space and to continue the Stanley family’s commitment to local programming that helps our fellow Iowans grow as involved, educated global citizens. This is the foundation we have built upon and guides the inclusive environment that furthers our mission at home and around the world.
As construction came to completion in early 2023, the Stanley Center’s new home is anticipated to be one of the greenest buildings in the world. With guidance from Neumann Monson Architects, we are aiming for it to become the first such structure in the state of Iowa to be fully certified as a Living Building.
The Living Building Challenge is the world’s most rigorous proven-performance standard for buildings. To achieve certification, Living Buildings must generate all of their own energy and be self-sufficient, create a positive impact on the human and natural systems that interact with them, and connect occupants to light, air, food, nature, and community. In short, a Living Building is one that gives more than it takes.
We hope that our commitment to the LBC will inspire and educate others to prioritize sustainability and well-being in their workplace design. Learn more about the Living Building Challenge and the seven different performance areas of the certification: Place, Water, Energy, Health & Happiness, Materials, Equity, and Beauty.
Beginning on August 8, 2023, public tours of the Stanley Center building will be available on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 10:00 AM. Private tours are also available by appointment (see contact info at the bottom of this page).
Read updates about #StanleyGreenHome, our local community engagement, and the process of achieving a Living Building certification.
LBC Petal – Place
According to the Living Building Challenge, the Place Petal seeks to realign how people understand and relate to the natural environment. The Place Petal challenges project teams to understand their site, its history and ecology, and the cultural and social issues impacting the surrounding community.
LBC Petal – Health & Happiness
The Living Building Challenge calls for creating healthy spaces that allow all species to thrive by connecting people to nature and ensuring that our indoor spaces have healthy air and natural daylight.
Stanley Center’s Living Building Story
The primary goal of the Stanley Center's Living Building is to educate and inspire others to be mindful of the planet, the opportunities for action, and the importance of diverse perspectives.
Find out what it means for us to embark on a living building project with our community and industry partners. Watch the full story:
Also, see all three episodes in our mini-documentary series filmed while the Stanley Center’s new home was envisioned, designed, and constructed.
Episode 1 – A Living Building
What does it mean to take on the Living Building Challenge? In this video, the first of three episodes, find out how the Stanley Center plans to transform our new home into a living building in Muscatine, Iowa.
Episode 2 – Seven Petals
What are the seven petals of the Living Building Challenge and how have the imperative requirements of each one guided the design and construction of Stanley Center's new home?
Episode 3 – A Living History
Episode 3 describes the living history of the Stanley Center home in Muscatine, from the Meskwaki villages that flourished on the land to the original Musser Library building that we are in the process of renovating.
Review the latest press coverage of the project:
The design and contracting phases of the project concluded in 2021, and construction began in September of that year. Substantial completion of the project allowed us to move into the building in January 2023. Finishing work, such as the installation of solar panels, independent water systems, and outdoor plantings will continue through spring.
Portions of Third Street and Iowa Avenue will remain open to traffic and may be partially closed at certain times during construction. We will actively work to minimize disruption to our neighbors while maintaining open lines of communication with them and the Muscatine Municipal Housing Agency which oversees Clark House. We are keeping our webpage dedicated to the project up-to-date and remain available for questions and comments anytime. Furthermore, given the cutting-edge, eco-friendly nature of the building, we are planning educational opportunities for the public about its features during and after construction.
In late 2019, we began a collaborative, staff-wide process that led to a description of our ideal workspace, including a prioritized list of desired features and elements. Reflecting on our core values, we knew we wanted a space that is rooted in our community, designed to be as environmentally-friendly and ecologically-sustainable as possible, and inclusive of the amenities, accommodations, and accessibility that communicate and reinforce our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Based on the values we share with them and experience they have with the kind of space we are seeking, we chose Neumann Monson Architects to assist in further evaluating our needs and potential spaces to accommodate those needs in Muscatine. After reviewing a number of options—including a new building and existing structures—we agreed that the former Musser Library is the ideal space for our future home. Its location in downtown Muscatine, historical connection to education and learning, size and cost, and potential for the existing structure to be renovated and rehabilitated were strong factors in our selection.
Alongside the architects at Neumann Monson, we are committed to constructing a building that has positive impacts on the environment and our community through the Living Building Challenge (LBC). Taking on the LBC means that the building must generate all of its own energy and be self-sufficient, create a positive impact on the human and natural systems that interact with it, and connect occupants to light, air, food, nature, and the community. There are currently no fully LBC-certified buildings in the state of Iowa and only one renovated building in the world has achieved LBC certification.
As an organization dedicated to its community and interested in its growth and success, the Stanley Center’s new home will provide opportunities to synergize with local resources such as the Musser Library, Muscatine School District, Muscatine Art Center, and international visitor programs. Intended building features include community gardens and green technologies such as solar arrays and rainwater capture systems that will double as teaching tools for what is possible to those in our hometown and visitors from around the world. The building’s incorporation of these green technologies will create demand and opportunities in our community and local economy in line with our values, instead of adding to demand for fossil-fuel generated energy and other consumables that stand in contrast to them. With the ability to model responsible and sustainable green practices—and share the story of their importance—children, families, and businesses in our community will better understand how solutions begin with individuals and how they can contribute to collective action.
We are dedicating a portion of our website to the project which, along with updates on our intentions and timeline, will feature educational content about the building’s cutting-edge green technologies and community integrations. When circumstances and safety allow, the community will be invited to tour the building and learn more about it. With few exceptions, tours will not be available until at least June 2023.
The project is being managed by a committee of our staff and governance members. Neumann Monson Architects of Iowa City are the lead designers and Graham Construction of Cedar Rapids are the general contractors.
The Stanley Center for Peace and Security is an endowed, private operating foundation funded by the long-term investment of our founders, Max and Betty Stanley, and the Stanley family. It is our intention to use a portion of our endowment to pay for all costs associated with the project and to not involve other public or private financing.
We are pleased to have been a tenant of the Laurel Building’s owners, Stanley Consultants, since 1998. Stanley Consultants and the Stanley Center celebrate our mutual founder—Max Stanley—and an enduring friendship as two separate entities, and we will cooperate in all ways possible as they assess the future of the two floors we previously occupied.
Follow us on Twitter at @StanleyConnect for news about our #StanleyGreenHome.
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Check back on this page for updates on the Stanley Center’s Living Building.
For inquiries about the project or tours of the building by appointment, please contact Mark Seaman. We look forward to welcoming tours and presenting a robust educational experience for our community and beyond.