Built to Learn: Envisioning a Living Future in Maine

The Ecology School is a nonprofit organization dedicated to innovative ecology education for the youth and adults of New England. River Bend Farm, situated in the Saco River watershed in southeastern Maine, is the site of this living-and-learning community. Drew Dumsch, President and CEO of The Ecology School, was introduced to the Living Community Challenge and the Living Building Challenge by architect Jesse Thompson of Kaplan Thompson Architects in Portland, Maine and he never looked back. The campus now boasts a new 144-bed dormitory and a 7,000-square-foot dining facility and Dumsch has plans to renovate the 1794 farmhouse and an 1840s barn on the River Bend Farm property.  They are currently working towards Living Building Certification for the two new buildings and the entire campus has the Living Community Challenge Master Plan compliant seal. Drew is all in. 

Dumsch’s process is unconventional in a few ways. When he interviewed for architects, he liked proposals from three local firms and asked them to come together on the project, so Kaplan Thompson Architects, Briburn, Simons Architects, and Richardson & Associates were all engaged in the campus design. Dumsch sees an element of Maine Pride in this work, too, and is thrilled with how the Living Building and Community Challenges are helping to, as he puts it, “show what the Maine economy can do for resilience and sustainability.” He talks about the community of contractors involved, including Zachau Construction and Hancock Lumber, which handled the FSC lumber and renewed their certification to handle the trusses; Revision Energy for installing the 712-panel solar array to help them get to net positive; and many more. The Ecology School is in the midst of the certification process now, with Kaplan Thompson leading the documentation. Read the full article here.