The Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op, founded in 1976, had been operating since 1985 in a cramped downtown storefront. The Co-op chose Bread Loaf to double the size of the store on an adjacent but confined site. Bread Loaf’s design centers on a new plaza that creates an inviting entrance courtyard, encourages outdoor dining, and serves as a gathering place for Co-op sponsored events.

The new store offers a large uninterrupted interior space, without losing the unique, small-scale, quirky character of their old store. The building also fits into the scale and character of Middlebury’s historic downtown district.

• Redevelopment of downtown site
• Removal of hazardous materials and reclamation of site
• Deconstruction of existing buildings – major building components such as windows, doors and other salvaged materials were recycled for reuse
• Demolition waste management plan - demolition waste was diverted from landfill
• Tight, well-insulated building envelope
• Daylighting provided by skylights
• Energy efficient lighting
• Use of low-emitting interior finishes
• Overall building energy efficiency
• Water conserving plumbing fixtures