VIA Selected as One of Vermont’s “Emerging Leaders”

SBA Emerging Leaders logoVIA was one of 20 applicants recently chosen to participate in the Small Business Administration’s Emerging Leaders Initiative beginning this April.  Over 70 Vermont business owners applied for this year’s inaugural offering of the federal program in Vermont.  Using the “Streetwise MBA” curriculum developed by Interise, a Boston-based entrepreneurial education organization, the seven-month program will help Andrea Murray, VIA’s president, develop a three-year strategic plan for the business, exploring areas such as financial planning, human resources, marketing, and profitability.  Taking place at Vermont Technical College in Williston about twice each month through October, the course promises to provide Andrea with the tools to plan for VIA’s future growth and become a greater presence in our local economy.

Andrea Attends Regional AIA COTE (Committee on the Environment) Leadership Summit

In June 2015, Andrea Murray attended the Northern New England AIA COTE (Committee on the Environment) Leadership Summit in Portland, Maine (see video summary here).  Invited by AIA-VT to represent one of several Vermont firms notably committed to sustainable design, Andrea joined a select group of design professionals from Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Boston to discuss how they can work as individuals and firms as well as a regional community to achieve the Architecture 2030 Challenge.  The 2030 Challenge seeks to transform the built environment from a major source of greenhouse gases to a central part of the solution to climate change, calling for all new buildings, developments, and major renovations to be carbon-neutral by 2030.  Participants in the summit explored ways to move beyond a handful of model green projects to adopting sustainability as a cultural norm throughout a firm’s portfolio and ultimately across architecture as a whole.  VIA is pleased to be part of this conversation and will continue to make sustainability an integral part of our design work.

VIA Wins AIA-VT Honor Award

Long out-of-use farm buildings are a common sight throughout Vermont.  Yet, on a pristine, historic farmstead in Cornwall, one old milking parlor has become a contemplative writing space that recognizes and honors its agricultural past.  At its annual meeting in early December, the Vermont Chapter of the American Institute of Architects recognized VIA with a 2015 Honor Award for Excellence in Architecture, Small Project for the transformation of this unassuming farm building into a contemporary writer’s studio (see Writer’s Studio in our portfolio).

The jury, made up of members of the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada, noted that the building was “skillfully restored around a wonderful interior space that has been transformed with imagination, ingenuity, and technical virtuosity.”  Of the hand crank mechanism fashioned from a salvaged dairy barn stanchion and farm equipment gears, the jury stated that “the new hardware associated with the sliding mezzanine is simple, thoughtful, familiar, but clearly innovative, and even playful.”  Overall they felt the project was “marked by a high level of consistency between language and imagination.”

VIA House Exceeds Passivhaus Standard

Carothers-Blower-Door

 

The recent blower door test on the Carothers’ new home in the White Pine Lane neighborhood in Middlebury demonstrated that the house exceeds the Passivhaus airtightness standard of 0.6 ach50 (air changes per hour at a pressure difference of 50 Pascals) with a reading of 0.4 ach50.   For comparison, the Vermont energy code requires a reading of 3.0 ach50 while the Vermont high performance building standard is 1.0 ach50.  This result ranks among the best of architect Jean Terwilliger’s work. The test was done prior to the addition of insulation; another test will be run when the house is complete.  You can learn more about blower door tests at the Green Building Advisor website.

 

We’ve moved!

 

 

 

As the VIA team moved the last of the boxes into our new location, we marveled at how we possibly fit it all into our previous office space!  Now at 137 Maple Street, Suite 29B in the South Marbleworks building (between Noonie Deli and American Flatbread), we are quickly back to project work while slowly settling in.  With a high ceiling and large windows, the new light-filled space feels much more conducive to creative collaboration.  Hopes for this new office include more efficient storage, a private conference area, and a loft, all in good time.  We hope you will stop by soon and see us!

How Low Can You Go? Home Energy Efficiency Explained

Acorn Progam Snapshot

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.

Town of Waterbury Breaks Ground on New Municipal Complex

Ashar and Andrea joined Governor Peter Shumlin, Congressman Peter Welch, and many Waterbury town officers and employees for the Waterbury Municipal Complex groundbreaking ceremony on April 13.

WMC-Ashar

 

Construction is expected to take about 40 weeks, with estimated completion in December 2015.  The new municipal complex will provide office space for many government services housed in temporary facilities since Tropical Storm Irene destroyed the municipal offices nearly 4 years ago.

 

Golden-Shovels---WMC

 

The design also includes a Community Meeting Room, an expanded library, and space for the Waterbury Historical Society, formerly housed in the historic Dr. Janes House.  The Janes House will undergo a full renovation and restoration as part of the project.  Check our facebook page and the Waterbury Historical Society website for construction updates.

 

 

Jean Terwilliger Becomes Passive House Certified

Jean Terwilliger Architect LEED AP Homes, NCARB, Certified Passive House Consultant

Jean Terwilliger, Project Architect with VIA, recently received certification as a Passive House Designer and Consultant through the Passive House Institute in Darmstadt, Germany. Certification was based on eight days of training and a written examination covering topics such as thermal envelopes, ventilation and exhaust systems, thermal bridge prevention, and renovations with Passive House components. Jean is also a certified LEED for Homes provider.

Passive House (Passivhaus in German) is a rigorous, voluntary standard for energy efficiency in buildings. It results in ultra-low energy buildings that require little energy for space heating and cooling while achieving high levels of comfort, durability, and indoor air quality. Passive House buildings provide wonderful, healthy, light-filled spaces for occupants while providing long term affordability and a path to large greenhouse gas reductions. Because each Passive House is unique based on the local climate and particular site, careful, site-specific planning and execution of the details is paramount. Certified designers have the expertise to provide the design and energy modeling required to help clients achieve Passive House energy standards. “While I have been using the principles of Passive House design for a long time,” says Terwilliger, “I look forward to integrating this deeper level of understanding into my work for even healthier and more efficient buildings.” Terwilliger’s past projects include many energy star homes including three for Habitat for Humanity of Addison County, and several homes in design and under construction which will meet Efficiency Vermont’s High Performance, Net-zero-ready standard.

Roundtable Discussion for Residential Building Professionals

Residential building professionals roundtable discussion

On Wednesday, March 25, VIA is hosting a roundtable discussion for residential building professionals – architects, builders, realtors, and others – to discuss the reasons behind the rising costs of construction of new energy efficient homes and ways we can work together to address these costs.  The roundtable will be held at the Town Hall Theater Studio in Middlebury at 7:00. We have a great group already planning to participate!  If you’d like to join us, please RSVP to gwen@vermontintegratedarchitecture.com.   We look forward to seeing you there!