In the Spring of 2022, Acorn Engineering was chosen to be part of the team including Aceto Kimball Landscape Architecture KTLA and Kaplan Thompson Architects to assist Maine Audubon’s master planning efforts across four sanctuaries throughout the State. After a series of roundtable discussions with design charettes, pricing exercises, and site visits and robust coordination with Staff, the master plans for each sanctuary were developed and presented to the Board of Directors and were subsequently approved.
Over the course of 2023, Maine Audubon’s (MAS) fundraising efforts took place, setting the stage for a phased approach to the implementation of the master plans. As part of Phase I, the design focus has been on the State Headquarters location at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth with some ancillary design work at the Fields Pond sanctuary in Orrington, serving the Eastern and Central Maine populations. Acorn's contributions as permitting agent and civil engineer helped the team achieve local approvals for new learning, event, and property stewardship space at the Gilsland Farm Sanctuary. Construction of the new buildings and site improvements commenced in the Spring of 2025 and should be completed in 2026. Additional work for MAS's Orrington and Scarborough facilities will advance shortly with the remaining phases to occur in future years.
Photos taken at the roundtable discussions show team members from Acorn, Aceto Kimball Landscape Architecture and Kaplan Thompson Architects.
