Maine Audubon
Falmouth, Maine

This project included construction of a new 5,000 sf Environmental Education Center and renovations of existing offices and a solar heated headquarters building to consolidate administration activities. The new building is the centerpiece of Maine Audubon’s environmental education and public outreach programs. It contains exhibits, gallery space, a teachers’ resource area, a kitchen, storage space, offices, a retail store, and a reception area. It also houses classrooms, which when interior partitions slide back, can be converted into a large meeting space. Daylighting, passive solar heating, natural ventilation, high performance envelope and windows, sunshades, and an innovative groundwater heat pump mechanical system are important elements in a carefully balanced sustainable design that, by all accounts, is a delight to work in and visit. Our work began with a comprehensive study and analysis of alternate building sites, configurations, and costs. We also played a major role in fundraising. Samuel Van Dam, Richard Renner, and Carol Wilson worked together as a team.

This project received an award for design excellence from the Maine Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and an award for sustainable design from the Boston Society of Architects.