Maclay Architects was hired as the design architect for the new offices of the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation(VEIC), the parent company of Efficiency Vermont, at the Innovation Center in Burlington. The old mill building presented great opportunity in terms of creating a dynamic office space in the football field- sized building, while also posing challenges with a low ceiling compromising the daylight and poorly insulated walls.
The design concept centered on creating a village community for the large organization with a central street connecting small neighborhood centers and leading to a central two-story town center.
The ‘town center’ space allows the entire VEIC community to gather as one, and is punctuate by playful elements for private use, such as telephone booths, a suspended gondola and a sailboat. Removal of the low ceiling tiles allows the natural daylight from the windows to illuminate the open offices flanking the perimeter. Skylights along the central street highlight the neighborhood gathering areas, the planter walls lining the street and the key private spaces such as the conference room and library. Salvaged wood and ceiling tiles from the existing building were used in conjunction with metal panels and vibrant colors, a modern look that honors the building’s history as an industrial mill.
Burlington, VT
2011
51,800 sf
“Thanks to Maclay Architects for designing our open and collaborative space that is also truly efficient and sustainable. Their experience provided us an unique mix of aesthetic and function that provided for a bright and modern environment taking advantage of salvaged materials and efficient technologies.”
Chad Nichols,
Sustainability & Asset Manager