ASHFIELD — Combining creativity and community, Double Edge Theatre is working to create a sustainable future by providing eco-friendly housing and renovating old buildings into new apartments, while also constructing a Community Design Center.

Between a housing crisis, a climate crisis and economic challenges, artistic communities often struggle because there are limited capital resources to support them, said Adam Bright, executive director of Double Edge Theatre. To help combat some of these issues, the theater is working to transform old properties into eco-friendly housing.

On its main campus off Route 116, Double Edge Theatre has a farmhouse in addition to a residential site downtown where it houses its residents and guest educators, as well as a few Ashfield locals.

“We do a lot of subsidized housing for low-income individuals in the area,” Bright said.

Bright said the housing shortage is a major issue facing the community, and investing in housing infrastructure is a big goal for the theater as it crafts its future budgets. The topic is also being discussed with the Energy Committee, Zoning Board of Appeals and other town officials.

Finding solutions to these various problems will take a lot of creativity and teamwork between residents, businesses, government and arts organizations, Bright said.

“There’s no separation in my mind,” Bright said. “These things have to come together; there’s no rural community that will survive divided.”

He added that Double Edge Theatre is lucky to be based in Ashfield, where town officials and residents have been incredibly supportive of the theater’s efforts. Residents work together to find creative solutions to problems, Bright said, and he believes they will continue to do so.

“Whenever we can invest in the community, we try to do so,” Bright said.

The theater’s next investment will involve taking a few old buildings that have plenty of unused space and renovating them, making them habitable and eco-friendly.

“An enormous push for us is renewable energy,” Bright said. “We’re working with cutting-edge tech to be as sustainable as we can.”

Sustainability is a big part of Double Edge Theatre’s operations. On its main campus, it has a chicken coop, a goat barn, a garden and a small orchard that produces food for its members. Double Edge Theatre is also working to improve the energy efficiency of its buildings by installing solar panels, improving insulation, upgrading its heating and cooling systems, and more.

Double Edge Theatre has three buildings that it plans to renovate into apartments, and is working on securing building permits to start construction. Although the theater doesn’t need approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals as an educational nonprofit, the organization has kept town officials apprised of the plans, which were briefly shared at a recent ZBA meeting.

In addition to giving some old buildings a new look, the theater will also be constructing a new Community Design Center. The center will be open to the public, offering open workspaces and design rooms for puppet-making, visual arts, textiles, beading, sewing and costuming, as well as Indigenous practices such as traditional woodworking. The venue will also provide a space for workshops and classes on various trades.

“That building is being created to offer design spaces,” Bright said. “It’s got a lot of things and a lot of communities we’re working with.”

Bright said the new building will be net zero, meaning 100% of its energy demand will be met by on-site renewable energy. The center will be built using the latest technology and construction practices as well as local and sustainable materials, marking a big step toward the theater’s goal of having a sustainable campus.

“We don’t want to just buy plywood from who knows where and have it shipped across the country,” Bright said. “We want to use materials that are cleanly sourced.”

The Community Design Center is being funded with $1.2 million in grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Cultural Facilities Fund, the Barr Foundation and The Beveridge Family Foundation, as well as appropriations from the state budget. Construction is slated to begin next spring, with a hopeful completion and opening at the end of 2025.

While Double Edge Theatre continues to plan renovations and construction over the next five to 10 years and beyond, Bright hopes community members will share their thoughts and ideas. Bright said community input sessions will be planned in the future as they continue.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.