We are excited to welcome a new member to our BrightBuilt Home team of designers and high-performance fanatics. Meet Alex Kieda, who joins us as our new Architectural Designer, bringing along his extensive experience in sustainable single-family homes and even some know-how in pre-fabricated builds! Originally from Massachusetts, Alex’s journey took him through UMass Amherst and Southern Connecticut before finding his way to Portland in search of new opportunities and a vibrant community.

As a way to get to know Alex better, and to introduce him to our BrightBuilt family, we thought we’d ask him some of our signature pointed questions. Read on to discover which BrightBuilt design he’d move into tomorrow, his thoughts on Net Zero building, and why he’d love to have a home perched over a serene river in the woods!

Tell us a little about yourself! Where are you from, where have you been, and how did you get here?

I grew up in Massachusetts and went to school at UMass Amherst. Afterwards I ended up finding a job in Southern Connecticut. I worked on sustainable single-family homes for 8 years. I even got some experience with pre-fabricated builds! I wanted to explore new horizons in my architecture career and on a more personal level, find a vibrant community of people in a good city. Both of those dreams brought me here to BrightBuilt Home in beautiful Portland!

Why is Net Zero building important to you?

I think that it is the future of architecture and how we'll best fight climate change in our industry. The science is there. The methods are there. It's up to the architects and builders to step up and walk-the-walk. So much of our world has changed due to new technology, we should fully embrace the discoveries in building science and build like it's the year 2024.

If given the option, which BrightBuilt design would you build and move into tomorrow?

I would like to live in one of the smaller models, and for me the “Jewel” would be the perfect choice! I love its elegant New England charm and the cathedral ceilings and lofted spaces give the interior such an open feeling!

If the BrightBuilt Home team were to become stranded on a remote island, what role would you take on to ensure everyone’s survival?

I would do my best to cook the team decent meals. I'm not a top chef by any means but I really enjoy taking care of people. I'd probably be fussing over a fish cooked on a piece of aluminum wreckage. I would probably try to forage some edible plants too, or at the very least pick some flowers. I have a few dozen plants crammed into my apartment and they always make me feel better.

A new sitcom about the daily antics of the BrightBuilt team has been picked up by all of the major networks. Who is cast as you?

Neil Patrick Harris. He's silly, funny, he's got style, and he's very handsome!

You have figured out how to place a BrightBuilt Home anywhere; not just in terms of geographic location, but rather, on, under, over, inside, on top of, or beside anything.Where is the first place you set one?

I would love to have a home built cantilevered over a nice bubbling river somewhere in the woods. I love the serenity that can be found in the woods. It's the perfect ambiance for reading a book or getting lost in your thoughts.

And most importantly: What fashion trend did you use to rock that you now wish you could delete from your past?

There was a time during college when guys with full beards surged into popularity. At the time, I did my best to grow a beard but it's just not in my DNA. After a few months, all I had was sad mustache that I shiver to think about. Also the baggy disheveled clothes of the early 2000s. Those can both be deleted.

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