Yestermorrow Design/Build School

Since its founding in 1980, Yestermorrow has been located in the Mad River Valley of central Vermont.  After ten years of renting space in the summer, in 1990 the school purchased the derelict Alpen Inn property and began the renovation and transformation of the campus into what you see today.

A classic example of adaptive re-use, Yestermorrow staff, students and faculty have transformed the former inn into a multi-use space with about 10,000 s.f. of classrooms, dormitories, administrative offices, bookstore, kitchen and dining facilities.  While the main renovations are mostly complete, the design/build process continues in different corners of the building with constant additions of decorative touches that make Yestermorrow's aesthetic so unique.

The renovation of the main building has been grounded over the past 20 years by an overriding commitment to sustainable design and creativity.  When Yestermorrow first purchased the building it had been vacant for nearly ten years, was in disrepair, and was stripped of most wiring and plumbing.  The first phase of the renovation, from 1999-2000 focused on the building envelope: adding a monitor for daylighting and ventilation, super-insulating walls with cellulose, and replacing windows on the south end of the building.  The second phase of renovation in 2002-2004 focused on creating a year-round heated and insulated studio space and library upstairs and the addition of 5 dorm rooms and bathroom facilities downstairs.  In 2006 renovations continued with the creation of a kitchen and dining room to bring meals on site.  In 2009 we installed a vertical platform lift to provide full access to the building for people with mobility limitations. in 2010 we installed a 28kW array of photovoltaic panels that produce 90% of the electricity needed to power the campus over the year, as well as a solar hot water system which heats water for the kitchen, showers, bathrooms and laundry.

In addition to the main building, Yestermorrow's 38-acre campus hosts a variety of additional demonstration structures built and renovated over the years by classes and interns.  We have three sleeping cabins, a camping area with tent platforms, treehouse, solar shower, composting toilet, garden shed, Quonset hut, chicken coop, lawnmower shed, and a small chalet where the interns live.  Two new cabins are under construction in 2010.  These outbuildings are connected by a trail system.