Headquarters and Visitor Contact Station, Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge (Swanton, VT)

Department of the Interior

The Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters and Visitor Contact Station showcases renewable energy with a geothermal HVAC system, a net-metered 15-kilowatt solar photovoltaic array, a 10-kilowatt wind turbine, and a stand-alone clean-burning EPA-approved wood stove. The facility minimized its impact throughout construction by avoiding waste, conserving water, and incorporating recycled and low-emitting materials. Once constructed, the building's southeast orientation, large glazed windows, overhangs, super-insulated building envelope, and stone mass walls take advantage of natural daylighting and passive solar heating and cooling. Low-flush toilets and waterless urinals, on-site wastewater treatment, and groundwater recharge through wetlands demonstrate water conservation.