Plasma cutting steel staircase Tung oil applied on trim woodwwork Floors milled from site grown trees Septic field restoration Reflecting afternoon sun Birth of a barn on Bragg Hill Radiant floors Solar panel installation Capping off the chimney Proud shape emerges on the hilltop Pumping concrete into the three gables Forming 12x12 Gables Delivering concrete from the sky Parallam beam positioning Flying flitch beam ICF window framing Precision concrete placement Lower level ICF fabrication Newly excavated driveway Finishing garage deck concrete Pouring concrete footers Rebar safety caps Surveying the construction site Checking out the excavation equipment Rapid soil stabilization Testing the soils for drainage Taking Solar Pathfinder measurements Milling downed trees onsite View to the Southeast over the Benzel Family Trust Future meadow to be cultivated Taking a stroll on Bragg Hill Road

60 Bragg Hill Architect Matthew Moger Featured in New Book on Eco-Friendly Homes

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Green” architect Matthew Moger’s ability to pair beautiful living spaces with sustainable, energy-saving materials, techniques and design is showcased in the new book, ECO-HOUSES: 40 of the world’s most interesting eco-friendly homes. Watch Moger’s new project unfold online at 60BraggHill.com.

West Chester, PA (PRWEB) January 24, 2010—When it comes to building a sustainable home, the traditional design-bid-build approach can force homeowners to settle for inflexible design, innumerable compromises and unnecessary costs. That’s what Barney and Nancy Leonard discovered after spending 14 months struggling with traditional architects to realize their vision of building a sustainable home in Pennsylvania’s rural Chester County. Seeking a more creative and collaborative approach, the Leonards started over with Matthew Moger, one of the new generation of environmentally savvy architects whose sustainable homes are featured in the lavishly photographed new book, ECO-HOUSES, by Barbara Linz.

Moger’s firm, Moger-Mehrhof Architects specializes in creating sustainable homes that integrate with the topography, landscape and environment. According to Barney Leonard, “a lot of architects say they do ‘green’ but Matthew Moger is an expert – and an inspiration.” After seeing the LEED Silver Topel house Moger had designed in Kennett Square, PA, the Leonard’s asked the architect to take the lead on their own sustainable home-building project on historic Bragg Hill Road. That project had been stalled for over a year because the old design-bid-build process simply couldn’t bring together all the environmental, construction and design considerations that fit within the fixed budget. Leonard’s vision of an inspired American “barn home” built on a wooded hill, will be constructed of eco-friendly materials, designed for maximum energy efficiency and equipped with geothermal wells, radient floors, rainwater capture, LED lighting, a 10 kW photovoltaic solar array and a vegetative roof.

Moger not only understood the homeowners’ vision, he has engaged them in a dynamic process the American Institute of Architects (AIA) calls “integrated project delivery” (IPD) where the homeowners, architect, builder, consultants and key subcontractors all work collaboratively from the earliest stages to embrace green technologies, solve problems and – vital to the Leonard’s –keep prices in check.

Though groundbreaking won’t begin until Spring, the Leonards have become so passionate about sharing their experience with others interested in sustainable home-building that they are presenting the 60 Bragg Hill construction site as a “living classroom” for designers, manufacturers, and specialty trades people who want hands-on experience with eco-friendly home building plus a chance to see their own innovations become part of this remarkable home.