minnesota valley action council | mankato,mn

Since 1966, the Minnesota Valley Action Council has been an essential component for low income families in Mankato and the surrounding nine county area designated “Region Nine.”  In recent years MVAC has seen substantial growth and found the need to move from their old office and retail building into a more spacious facility.  MVAC, with the assistance of Brunton Architects and Engineers, had a goal in mind that utilized a conscientious sustainable design solution.  An additional goal was to create an office space that was bright, enjoyable, and energetic for the employees and also offered a more pleasant shopping experience for the customer.  These ideas materialized into the approximately 44,000 s.f. renovation of an existing Shopko & Johnson Outdoors building, with new offices, meeting rooms, retail space, and storage.  There were many sustainable practices within the new design of MVAC, including; solar panels, solar shading devices, occupancy sensors, low flow plumbing fixtures, recycled materials, new exterior windows to maximize daylighting, and a high efficiency HVAC unit.