Project Groundwell
A design-build collaboration creating evidence-based, healthy and resilient places in nature, from finding the land to handing you the keys.
Groundwell brings together an architect and researcher in how environments shape wellbeing, and a builder with roots in real estate, lending and every construction trade. Together we design and build places that restore the people who live in them.
Every Groundwell place starts from the research: what decades of environment-behavior studies tell us about nature, rest, light, air, gathering and recovery. We turn that evidence into cabins, bunk houses, sauna houses and full retreats that are healthy to breathe in, calm to live in, and built to keep running when the grid goes down.
Our services, from property to keys
Choose the full path or the steps you need.
Land and property search
We help you find and evaluate land or an existing cabin to renovate, with licensed real estate support through purchase.
Site feasibility
Zoning, shoreline rules, soils, well and septic capacity, radon and water testing, access, solar exposure and a realistic budget range, before you commit.
Architecture and interiors
Evidence-based, biophilic design shaped around your site and how you want to live, including interiors, furnishings and wellness spaces.
Energy modeling
We model performance early, so insulation, windows, systems and solar are sized to reach net-zero ready targets.
Permitting and approvals
We prepare drawings and manage approvals with local building, zoning and health departments.
Construction
Built by our own general contracting team and trusted trades, with one budget, one schedule and one point of contact.
Certification
Testing, verification and documentation for Phius, LEED or net-zero programs, if you choose to certify.
Rental setup
Optional furnishing, listing and management support if your place will be shared with guests.
Customizable prototypesComing soon
Pre-designed Groundwell cabins and buildings you can tailor to your site, for a faster, more predictable path.
From a bunk house to a full retreat
Every Groundwell building shares the same health, performance and resilience standards, so you can start small and grow over time. Begin with a bunk house or sauna, add a family cabin when you're ready, and build toward a multigenerational family compound or a full retreat.
Tiny bunk house
200–400 SFSimple sleeping space for guests, kids, crews and retreats.
Sauna house and cold plunge
250–400 SFA wood-fired sauna, changing room and outdoor shower, steps from the water.
Nest cabin
500–650 SFA one-bedroom retreat for couples and small families.
Lodge cabin
900–1,100 SFTwo bedrooms, a wellness kitchen and a screened porch.
Yoga and meditation pavilion
600–1,000 SFOperable glass walls and a radiant floor for year-round practice.
Main lodge
2,500–4,000 SFGathering, dining and kitchen for groups, and the site's backup power hub and storm refuge.
Cabin cluster
2–4 cabinsCabins sharing a sauna house, trails and a fire circle.
Wellness retreat or resort
Full siteA lodge, cabins, bunk houses, pavilions, gardens and trails, master-planned and phased.
Build in phases, for generations
We start every project with a master plan for the whole site, then build it one phase at a time as your family and budget allow. Wells, septic, power and roads are sized for the full plan from day one, so each new building simply plugs in.
Start small
A bunk house or sauna house gives you a place on the land right away, often while you plan the next step.
Add the family cabin
A nest or lodge cabin with the wellness kitchen becomes the everyday heart of the place.
Grow the compound
Cabins for grown children, grandparents and guests, close enough to gather and far enough for privacy. Accessible, single-level designs let every generation stay comfortably.
Gather everyone
A shared lodge, sauna house, gardens and trails, a place for reunions, holidays and retreats for decades to come.
Why it matters
Time in nature, and in places designed with nature in mind, is linked to better health and lower stress.
- 120min
A week in nature is linked to better health and wellbeing, in a study of nearly 20,000 adults.
White et al., Scientific Reports, 2019 - 16%
Lower cortisol, a stress hormone, after a forest walk than a city walk, across 24 forests in Japan.
Park et al., Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 2010 - 63%
Lower risk of sudden cardiac death among men who used the sauna four to seven times a week, compared with once. An association, not proof of cause.
Laukkanen et al., JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015
Restorative by design
A plan of a Groundwell cabin and its site, showing the features that support rest, recovery and connection.
- 1Views to the waterThe great room and kitchen face the lake through south glass, so restorative views fill the places you spend the day.
- 2The window seatA sheltered nook with a wide view: prospect and refuge in one place.
- 3The wellness kitchenThe heart of the home, open to the view and the table (see the food cycle below).
- 4Sleep sanctuariesQuiet, dark, cool bedrooms on the forest side, with blackout shades and filtered fresh air.
- 5Gear entry and drying roomBoots, skis and paddles by the door, so getting outside is effortless.
- 6Screened porchAn outdoor room for meals, naps and the sound of rain, bug-free.
- 7Sauna by the shoreHeat, plunge, rest, repeat, along a short path from the cabin.
- 8Dock and lake plungeSwimming, paddling, fishing and a cold plunge in the lake itself.
- 9Fire circleEvenings outside, stories and stargazing, far from city light.
- 10Forest-bathing trailA slow loop through the woods with places to pause, for adults and children alike.
The wellness kitchen
Inspired by the Wellness Kitchen pioneered by Vera Iconica Architecture, Groundwell kitchens are designed around the full cycle of food, from garden to table and back to the soil, so healthy, shared meals become the natural rhythm of the day.
Healthy air, water and materials
Designed for children and for people with environmental and chemical sensitivities. Indoor air often carries far more chemical pollutants than outdoor air. The EPA reports many VOCs at up to ten times outdoor levels, from paints, finishes, cleaners and furnishings. We design to keep them out.
Air
- Continuous fresh air from balanced energy-recovery ventilation, with high-efficiency filtration
- No gas appliances or open combustion indoors; the wood stove is sealed with outside air
- Radon tested and mitigated. The EPA calls radon the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers
- Air-quality sensors for CO₂, humidity and VOCs, monitored remotely
- A flush-out with fresh air before anyone moves in
Water
- Well water tested before design and after construction for bacteria, nitrates, arsenic and other contaminants common to the region
- Whole-house filtration, plus drinking-water filtration at the kitchen tap
- Lead-free plumbing and fixtures
- An advanced septic system and shoreline buffer to protect the lake
Materials
- Zero- or low-VOC paints, sealants, adhesives and finishes
- Solid wood, stone, lime and clay plaster, wool and natural fibers
- Formaldehyde-free cabinetry and wood products
- Furnishings and fabrics chosen without added flame retardants or PFAS stain treatments where alternatives exist
- Materials screened against healthy-building lists such as the Living Building Challenge's Red List
- A fragrance-free, low-toxin cleaning protocol for rentals
Resilient when it matters
Storms, deep cold and long outages are part of life in the north. Every Groundwell place is designed to stay safe, warm and supplied when the grid goes down.
| System | Every day | When the grid goes down |
|---|---|---|
| Envelope | Superinsulated and airtight, so very little energy keeps it comfortable | Holds its heat for days instead of hours, protecting people and pipes |
| Power | Rooftop solar supplies the home's annual energy | Battery storage keeps heat, water, lights, refrigeration and communications running |
| Heat | All-electric heat pump and radiant floor | Sealed wood stove provides independent backup heat |
| Water | Filtered private well | Well pump on battery backup, stored water, and rainwater for non-drinking uses |
| Food | Garden, greenhouse and a well-stocked wellness kitchen | Cool pantry and root cellar, with wood or induction cooking on battery |
| Communication | Fiber or wireless internet | Satellite internet on battery, two-way radio and weather alerts |
| Structure and site | Snow-load roofs, wind-resistant connections, fire-wise landscaping | A safe, accessible refuge for the household and neighbors |
Inside a Groundwell cabin
A section through a typical Groundwell cabin, with the strategies and performance targets we design to for cold northern climates.
Envelope
- 1Roof insulationR-60 to R-80
Continuous insulation under a metal roof built for heavy snow. - 2Wall insulationR-40 to R-50
Thick, thermally broken walls behind dark vertical siding. - 3Slab and foundationR-10 to R-20
Insulation under and around the slab keeps floors warm. - 4Triple-pane windowsU-0.20 or lower
Big views and daylight without drafts or condensation. - 5Airtight construction0.06 CFM50 per SF of envelope or less
The Phius limit, verified by blower-door testing.
Air, heat and energy
- 6Energy-recovery ventilationBalanced, filtered, continuous
Fresh air in every room while keeping heat inside. - 7Cold-climate heat pumpAll-electric
Efficient heating and cooling, no fossil-fuel furnace. - 8Radiant floorLow-temperature
Quiet, even warmth underfoot. - 9Rooftop solarSized to 100% of annual use
Roughly 6–8 kW for a 1,000 SF cabin, set by the energy model. - 10Battery storageCritical loads for days
Heat, water, lights and refrigeration through an outage. - 11Heat-pump water heaterAll-electric
Hot water at a fraction of the energy of a standard tank. - 12Sealed wood stoveBackup heat
Outside combustion air protects indoor air quality.
Site and water
- 13Passive solar and shadingSouth glass, deep overhangs
Low winter sun warms the interior; high summer sun is shaded out. - 14Rainwater collectionFor landscape and garden
Gutters feed a cistern, reducing well use. - 15Well, septic and native landscapeProtect the lake
Filtered well water, advanced septic and native shoreline plantings.
Insulation targets follow Building Science Corporation's cold-climate guidance (via BuildingGreen); the airtightness target is the Phius CORE limit. Final values for every project are set by its energy model, site and climate.
Designed from the evidence
Environment-behavior research studies how the places we live affect how we think, feel and act. These are the ideas that shape every Groundwell design.
Nature-deficit disorder
Children and adults are losing daily contact with nature, and with it attention, creativity, activity and calm.
At GroundwellOutdoor rooms, forest trails and a gear entry that make going outside the easiest choice, in every season.
Biophilia
People have an innate tendency to connect with living things and natural processes.
At GroundwellWood, stone, water, plants, daylight and the sounds of the forest, inside and out.
Attention restoration
Modern life drains focused attention. Natural scenes engage a gentle "soft fascination" that lets the mind recover.
At GroundwellViews of water and trees framed from every place you sit, cook and wake.
Stress recovery and views
Surgical patients with a view of trees recovered faster and needed less pain medication than those facing a wall.
At GroundwellBeds, tubs and window seats oriented to nature, not to walls or parking.
Prospect and refuge
Jay Appleton, The Experience of Landscape, 1975
We feel safest and most at ease where we can see out widely while feeling sheltered and protected.
At GroundwellGlass gables for prospect; window seats, lofts and deep eaves for refuge.
Patterns for living
Timeless patterns such as light on two sides of every room, the window place and communal eating make spaces feel alive.
At GroundwellDaylight from two sides, a long shared table, and a seat at every window.
Our own research
Devan Castellano, environment-behavior design
Devan's doctoral work and published research in environment-behavior design inform how each Groundwell place supports rest, connection and wellbeing.
At GroundwellEvery project is designed, and then evaluated, through this lens.
Certification, if you want it
The same strategies serve every major program, so each project can choose the certification that fits its goals and budget.
| Program | What it recognizes | How Groundwell gets there |
|---|---|---|
| Phius CORE | Passive House performance: a superinsulated, airtight, comfortable building | The envelope, window and airtightness targets above, verified by modeling and testing |
| Phius ZERO | Passive House performance plus on-site renewables that offset annual energy use | A Phius CORE envelope with rooftop solar sized to the energy model |
| DOE Zero Energy Ready Home | A high-performance home ready to reach net zero with renewables | All-electric systems, efficient envelope and ventilation, solar-ready roof |
| LEED for Homes | Whole-building sustainability: energy, water, materials, site and indoor air | Our energy strategies plus healthy materials, water efficiency and low-impact site design |
The collaboration
Groundwell is a design-build collaboration between two partners who cover every step, from research and design to land, financing and construction.
Devan Castellano, RA, LEED AP
Design partner
Architect and founder of Devan Castellano Design Group, with doctoral work and published research in environment-behavior design and years of teaching sustainable design in higher education. Devan has focused on sustainability since studying with Phius founder Katrin Klingenberg, and designed a net-zero home in La Grange Highlands, Illinois, the first in the Midwest to use radiant cooling. She leads research, design, interiors, energy modeling, permitting and project management.
Nunzio Castellano
Building and development partner
A career in lending, real estate and general contracting, backed by an extended family working in every construction trade. Nunzio leads property search and purchase, construction as on-site superintendent, and the trades who build every Groundwell project.
Start your Groundwell project
Tell us about your land, or the place you're dreaming of, and we'll help you plan the next step.
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