The past five months have weighed heavily on everyone in so many ways. And, the future feels similarly fraught and uncertain. We at VIA are deeply grateful for our growing and continued volume of work, thanks to our clients, dedicated staff, and our diligent construction partners and consultants, who have exercised patience and flexibility as we’ve all had to adjust to a new way of communicating and doing business. Many of the things we have always strived for in our design work – connection to the outdoors, good ventilation, durable and flexible spaces, delight – have become higher priorities of late. VIA is honored to be helping so many in our community adapt and adjust their homes and work and learning environments to accommodate healthy lifestyles long term.

We are also especially grateful for our Middlebury community. As if the pandemic wasn’t enough of a challenge, we are in the midst of the most disruptive stretch of a multi-year downtown construction project that has effectively closed Main Street to all but the bravest pedestrian souls. While the rail tunnel construction is mesmerizing to watch and will ultimately improve our little town, the double dose of hardship in our community this summer is real.

But Middlebury again and again rises to that challenge. Special activities and promotions keep inviting people to patronize local businesses and business owners keep dreaming up new ways to meet changing demands. In an effort to maintain some downtown pedestrian traffic, our local arts hub, the Town Hall Theater (THT) sponsored the Bridges 20/20 Outdoor Architecture Exhibit. VIA is one of five architecture and construction companies to donate time and materials to design and build bridges displayed throughout the downtown area. We even made the national news! Ashar, Jesse, Nick, and Ben led the design and construction of VIA’s “Bridge-ette,” which spans the rain garden in the Marbleworks, right near our office. In October, all five bridges will be auctioned to benefit the THT.  We kind of hope “Bridge-ette” gets to stay right here in the Marbleworks, though!

We are confident that the Middlebury community will not only make it through this unprecedented time, but emerge stronger and more prepared for new challenges. So many examples of kindness, support, and generosity bolster our hope for light at the end of the literal and figurative tunnel! As we reach out to VIA friends around the world, we hear stories about communities similar to ours that are building strong relationships and resilience that will ultimately be their bridge to a brighter future.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Slade Hall is a 24-bed student residence on UVM’s Redstone Campus designed by McKim, Mead, and White and constructed in 1928. For many years, it served as a home for the Ecological Cooperative, a group of students dedicated to sustainable living, until the discovery of environmental hazards like black mold and asbestos necessitated relocation of students and plans for a full renovation of the building. In addition to remediation of environmental problems, renovations included replacement of the slate roof, energy and life safety upgrades, and general interior and exterior cosmetic repairs. Phase II of the project included replacement of most of the windows – a complex process involving a careful and thoughtful collaboration with UVM and the State Division of Historic Preservation to find the most appropriate replacement windows and develop a strategy for restoring the beautiful, arch-top window on the east façade (see “Historic Windows: Restore or Replace?”). Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a ratings system from the US Green Building Council that awards points for various sustainability strategies. The Slade Hall project received Gold certification for earning between 60-79 points (see scorecard here).

VIA is committed to serving you and your project needs as we weather the COVID-19 storm. As architects, we are planners by nature and are planning to maintain working functions as follows:

– Several staff will be working remotely;
– A few staff will work from our office/studio on a rotating schedule;
– We are excited to meet with our clients, consultants, and other collaborators remotely VIA Zoom and other tele-conferencing services;
– We will limit in-person meetings and site visits to those that are critical or entirely outdoors;
– We have instituted heightened hygiene protocols in our office; and
– We are trying to find the silver lining in all of this, which may simply be the opportunity to slow down, consider priorities, and take care of our clients, consultants and each other.

VIA continues to prioritize communications, and thanks to technology, we are well-equipped to do so.

If you have any questions at all, please do reach out. Jesse will answer the office phone – 989-7249 during most office hours.

Take care of yourselves!

On August 7, 2016, Jean Terwilliger, Sam Ostrow, and Ashar Nelson gave a sermon during worship at The Champlain Valley Unitarian Universalist Society in Middlebury, VT.  The three-part presentation entitled “Place, Path, Practice” explored the ways that architecture is spiritual.  Jean (“Place”) discussed how buildings, from modest homes to magnificent cathedrals, can evoke feelings of peace and awe and offer a means to greater appreciation of the natural world.  Sam (“Path”) explained how the underlying purpose of creating spaces is to increase opportunities for connection with our surroundings; how the construction of space, done thoughtfully and with care, can facilitate a deep sense of presence, much like meditation.  Ashar (“Practice”) illustrated how the craft of architecture in and of itself can be a meditative and spiritual experience. Click here for the full text of the presentation.

On Wednesday, April 29, Jean Terwilliger participated in a panel discussion of Home Energy Efficiency Standards in a program sponsored by the Acorn Renewable Energy Co-op and moderated by board member Andrea Murray.  Other panelists included Alex Carver of Northern Timbers Construction, Richard Faesy of Energy Futures Group, and Peter Schneider of VEIC.  They explained the difference between different standards of energy efficiency, discussed current trends in the industry, and addressed questions from the lively and attentive audience. A video of the event is available here.