Documentary

An independent production company has been working with our team recently to put together a documentary about the first BrightBuilt Barn.  The documentary will focus as much on origins of the project and the process of bringing it to fruition as it will on the final product.  Many of us who were involved in the project will be screening a rough cut later this week to give feedback.   We look forward to debuting the final version.

BrightBuilt Barn is Awarded LEED Platinum

BrightBuilt Barn has recently received official notification that it has been awarded LEED Platinum status, the highest level of sustainability certification by the US Green Building Council. BBB thus becomes only the 7th home in all of New England to attain this highest level of certification, which is awarded to fewer than 10% of all projects that apply.

BrightBuilt Barn Goes International

On Wednesday, April 1, BrightBuilt Barn was featured on a segment of "This Week in the Americas", a weekly newscast of France24, who describe themselves as the CNN of France.

Check out the link below - the clip on BBB is toward the end of the show:

http://www.france24.com/en/20090402-week-americas-obama-car-industry-mexico-washington-against-drug-trafficking-el-salvador-oscar-romero

Own Your Own BrightBuilt Barn

We're almost there!

Now that the first barn is up, interest is increasing and we are working actively with Bensonwood to pull together a package outlining the process of producing subsequent BrightBuilt Barns.  They will be for sale through Bensonwood.  Thanks to the hard work by our friends there, we are pleased to announce that the range of prices for the BBB will be from roughly $165,000 - $230,000. The lowest price represents a base model which allows the owner to finish out some of the non essential aspects of the building. The higher price(s) reflect the addition of available upgrades such as appliances, fixtures, kitchen build out, exterior decks, etc. We are really happy with these prices for such an innovative and beautiful product, especially given that purchasers can add renewables to their barn which will ensure they will have virtually no utility costs down the road.  Stay tuned for more details, and be sure to send us an e-mail if you would like more information about purchase options.

Even More Great Press!

We are honored to be the cover story for Maine's newest home design magazine, Maine Home + Design. The folks at MH+D have been following this project's progress since its inception and were thrilled to finally showcase the beautiful finished product. Also this month, the project is featured in an article in Smart HomeOwner Magazine.

Maine Home + Design
http://www.mainehomedesign.com/

Smart HomeOwner
http://www.smart-homeowner.com/ME2/Default.asp

Start Spreading the News . . . .

Well the BrightBuilt Barn has truly arrived. In the Home section of the NEW YORK TIMES that is! A short pithy piece on the project and the cool glowing lights that monitor energy production and consumption were featured in Thursday's paper. We are so pleased that an organization like the Times is picking us up because the project will reach a much wider audience (not just us design and green tech groupies) who will have their consciousness raised about the cool side of being green.

Here is a link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/garden/15tools.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=brightbuilt&st=cse

A Working Manifesto

In the spirit of Sustainability and Collaboration, we - The BrightBuilt Team - dedicate ourselves:

-To immediately share all concepts, details and systems of the first BrightBuilt project (BB001) with all interested others

-To try to evoke critical thought and invite feedback, with the aim of improving these systems

-To work with builders to offer this first BrightBuilt model, as well as any subsequent prototypes, to others at a reasonable cost and with a greatly reduced construction timeline

-To encourage others to build and test their own BrightBuilt projects as examples of livability, sustainability and attainability

-To create a central online space for learning and interaction among like-minded parties

-To maintain ongoing transparency of operational performance, with the live and historical energy performance of all BrightBuilts continuously visible to all

These are ambitious goals. We look for the collaboration and input of others in the global community. If you are interested in taking part in this grand, and potentially transformative experiment, please sign up at www.brightbuiltbarn.com to be kept in the loop, or simply start commenting below...