Christopher Briley RA

Principal - Director of Sustainability | CPHC | LEED AP | AIA

Chris Briley is a founding partner and principal architect at BRIBURN. In late 2012 he teamed up with Architect Harry Hepburn and founded BRIBURN where they practice “architecture for life”, specializing in energy efficient, environmentally friendly design. For seven years prior to this he was the principal architect and founder of the Green Design Studio in Yarmouth, Maine.

Chris Briley is the Director of Sustainability and a principal architect at BRIBURN in Portland, Maine where he practices “architecture for life” specializing in sustainable design. Recently he co-authored a best-selling book, Pretty Good House – A guide to creating better homes. He is a Certified Passive House Consultant, an enthusiastic participant of the Building Science Discussion Group in Portland, and a founding board member of PassivhausMAINE. He is also a cohost of the Green Architects’ Lounge podcast. Chris is passionate about sustainability and is known for his expertise in high-performance buildings. He is a frequent speaker at sustainable building conferences throughout New England.

When not designing planet positive buildings, Chris can often be found spending time with his family (especially his daughters, and partner Jen), sailing in Casco bay, skiing, camping, or hiking the beautiful mountains and trails of Maine.

Harry W Hepburn IV RA

Principal - Studio Director | LEED AP | AIA

Principal architect and founding partner of BRIBURN, Harry is a Maine native with a passion for designing buildings that are beautiful, unique, and sustainable. Since co-founding BRIBURN in 2013, Harry has led numerous design charettes, providing design, leadership, and management on many residential, commercial, educational, and Institutional projects.

Harry’s career started in 1997, after graduating from Roger Williams University with a Bachelor of Architecture degree, and a minor in historic preservation. In the years that followed, Harry worked for leading firms in Hartford, Boston, and Portland, never straying far from his roots in Maine.

Harry is passionate about design, the relationship between interior and exterior spaces, energy efficiency and the environment. In his spare time, he enjoys Sailing the Maine coast, mountain biking, skiing at Sugarloaf, and spending time with his wife and two children.

Rachel Stoudt Russell RA

Project Architect | LEED AP BD+C

With a background in art and a love of the outdoors, Rachel approaches architecture with an eye for design and a passion for environmentally responsible architecture.

Rachel has experience from several firms but gained the majority of her experience at a world-renowned firm in Philadelphia where she learned the value of research, innovation, and collaboration.

Outside of work, Rachel enjoys spending time with her husband hiking, sailing, cross country skiing, and exploring the Maine coast – as well as slowly renovating their 1860s home near the beach in South Portland.

Sam Day

Project Architect

Sam studied architecture at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and was initially drawn to the sheer scope of the profession and its interdisciplinary nature. Sam explored as many practice areas as possible, ranging from digital fabrication and woodworking to filmmaking and photography. After graduating, Sam entered the profession with a focus on residential architecture and sustainability, working in the North Shore of Massachusetts, the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and ultimately Portland, Maine where he currently resides. He is still drawn to digital fabrication from his time at school, constantly tinkering with 3D printing workflows, in the office and on his own time. Sam is a licensed architect in the State of Maine.

Rowan Sloss

Director of Production

Rowan Sloss is a half-English half-American amateur food critic and failed opera singer who occasionally dabbles in architecture. He began his career at Welsh School of Architecture at Cardiff University, performing solar gains calculations before they were cool, then returning to London to study at Westminster University because it was the kind of place you could write a building as a series of short stories. He worked at studios in London and New York, before discovering that BRIBURN is an architecture firm as well as a podcast, finding a home at their office in Portland.

Rowan is a proud Londoner and Arsenal fan, who nonetheless delights in having given up endless grey skies and lukewarm beer for bountiful shellfish and snowy beaches. He lives in Portland with his wife, child, and a large collection of Gary Numan records.

Ashley Nowicki

Architectural Designer

Ashley is an architectural designer at BRIBURN, bringing experience from a small non-profit firm in Kigali, Rwanda as well as a large, world-renowned firm in Boston. She has a background in molecular biology and research, which has driven her large interest in the relationship between architecture, health and sustainable design. She is currently studying to become Passive House Certified and excited to be at BRIBURN during this pivotal time for sustainable and energy efficient architecture.

Outside of her work with BRIBURN, Ashley can be found running by the beaches in Southern Maine, hiking the mountains in the Northeast, snowboarding, attempting a new recipe at home, or reading the latest book she found at a local bookstore.

Alex Melamed

Senior Architectural Designer | CHPC

After earning an M.Arch in Savannah, GA Alex spent a year in an office environment before leaping to the Midwest and off the traditional architectural career path into the world of design-build where he could put his ideals and skills to the test. Passive House, High-performance affordability, small business development, and design advocacy consumed the next  10 years. In that time physically building a few high-performance homes was the best education. Living with the consequences of design decisions in a tight community solidified his sense responsibility of as a designer, and dissolving a business partnership provided Alex with another set of lessons about community and life.   After a couple more years in a more traditional architecture environment, Alex and family decided to relocate to a city with more opportunity.  Alex is very happy to be working with the BRIBURN team who all share similar ideals and are designing a low carbon future together.

When not at work Alex is busy being a dad, and hopes that he can incorporate fatherhood into some of the things he used to enjoy like hiking, biking, sailing and woodwork.  Maybe someday he’ll build another boat – this one big enough for the whole family.

John Buzbee

Architectural Designer

John studied art history at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie.  After taking an architecture studio, he fell in love with the studio camaraderie and design. John decided to continue his architectural education experience at the Harvard Design Discovery Program and then at Washington University in St. Louis at the Sam Fox School of Design—where he earned his Master of Architecture degree.  While at WashU, John competed in the Solar Decathlon Build Challenge designing a carbon neutral occupational therapy and healing facility. After graduating, John found BRIBURN the ideal place to continue his professional career and learn more about sustainable design.  In his free time, John likes to sail, play soccer, and watch way too many movies and tv shows.