VNRC HEADQUARTERS  – 1880s

The historic “Gibson House,” located in the residential neighborhood of Montpelier’s Capitol Complex District, now serves as the new headquarters of the Vermont Natural Resources Council. To preserve its historic exterior facades and detailing, the building’s deep energy retrofit happened from the inside, taking care to salvage and restore the interior historic character to the greatest extent possible. Novel insulation and waterproofing strategies in the basement and an innovative saw kerf and air-sealing approach to impede air infiltration at the floor sheathing (a common problem in historic structures) helped the project toward its net-zero goal. In addition, restored and reused hardware, fixtures, and trim maintained the building’s historic character throughout. This project demonstrates that with a clear vision, a collaborative team, and an effective balance between analysis and creativity, preserving historic buildings while retrofitting them to net zero energy using low-carbon strategies is a challenge entirely possible to meet. (See more of VNRC Headquarters)