The Ecology School is a non-profit residential environmental learning center linking human and natural systems through immersive learning experiences. Students and educators from across New England are welcomed to participate in field trips and overnight programs focused on environmental stewardship, conservation, farming, and sustainability.

After years of renting, the School purchased a 105-acre working riparian farm within a conservation easement along the Saco River. Our three-firm architecture team collaborated with consultants and landscape ecologists to understand the site’s potential and successfully design the world’s first Living Community Compliant Master Plan within it.

Mindfully developed on only 8.2 acres, The Ecology School’s campus introduces a minimal built footprint to nurture its programs and exemplify its pedagogy of regenerative human-nature relationships. A new Dining Commons featuring an innovative all-electric commercial kitchen and a trio of interconnected Dormitories containing 144 beds supplement the farm’s existing historic infrastructure. The greater property serves as an expansive outdoor classroom to anchor lessons and engage the community in connecting with the environment.

Per the requirements of a Living Community, the campus achieves both Net Positive Energy (generates more energy than it consumes) and Net Positive Water (water leaves the site cleaner than it entered). Two onsite photovoltaic arrays meet approximately 105% of the School’s energy demands without the use of combustion or fossil fuels. A closed loop system extracts potable water from a well and uses activated carbon filters and UV light to treat wastewater without the use of chemicals. Captured storm- and rainwater nourish the fields and gardens, which in turn grow nutritious produce for the Dining Commons.

All project materials are free of Red List chemicals, come from responsibly managed industries, and are sourced locally whenever possible. The buildings are PVC-free, constructed with exclusively FSC-certified lumber, and built to Passive House-quality air tightness standards.

The Ecology School

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Winner Status