Waitsfield, Vermont, January 18, 2016— Are you part of, or do you know of, a Vermont nonprofit or community organization in need of a small, year-round, sustainably-built and -operable, permanent or portable structure? Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Waitsfield seeks a client-partner for its fall 2016 Semester in Sustainable Design/Build program and offers pro-bono design and construction services for a building to serve an organization’s programmatic, mission-related operation. Yestermorrow’s structures are known for evocative design, energy efficiency, and quick completion.

If you are planning for a small-scale building under approximately 700 sq. ft., you can explore a cost-saving partnership with Yestermorrow. Client-partners are responsible for all material and subcontracted costs, logistics, and site infrastructure plus an operational overhead fee; a typical budget for materials, any necessary subcontractors (e.g. electrical, plumbing), and overhead is $35,000-70,000. All design and in-house construction services are completed by students, led by our expert faculty, and are provided at no cost. The project must be located on a site within a reasonable driving distance from Yestermorrow’s campus in Waitsfield, or built at the campus and then transported to a site preferably within Vermont.

The 2015 partner-client was Educational Praxis, a training center for social justice-based educators in Putney. A three-part unit—built in Waitsfield and set for delivery in the spring—will serve as a group meeting space and study library as well as a residence for visiting scholars. The collaborative design process is a great benefit to the client as well as Yestermorrow students who are preparing for architectural, environmental, and related disciplines.

Yestermorrow is interested in discussing prospective projects at varying stages of development and can work with clients to match programmatic and budgetary needs with the size, time, and construction constraints of the Semester Program. Particular attention will be paid to projects that aid low-income or other high-need groups. A project will be selected by or before July 1, 2016; those interested in finding out more should contact Eric Cook, Yestermorrow Semester Program Director, at (802) 496-5545, or eric@yestermorrow.org. Inquiries for 2017 and beyond are also welcome.

Yestermorrow Design/Build School was founded in 1980 on the belief that the best built structures, furnishings, and environments depend on the joint cooperation of designers, builders, and user/occupants. The school empowers students to develop skills through an integrated design/build process, and to “think with their hands” whether building a chair or designing a house. Yestermorrow’s hands-on courses are taught by nationally recognized architects, builders, and craftspeople, and are for people of all experience levels.