Living Building Makers

“If you have seen these remarkable structures, you will want to read the stories behind them. But even if you’ve never been to Hampshire College, the stories in Living Building Makers will bring the process of sustainable building alive – to call them “Living Buildings” is entirely appropriate, for they stem from real people with real hopes and dreams.”

– Bill McKibben, author Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?
Schumann Distinguished Scholar, Middlebury College

“Architects, perhaps understandably, get the lion’s share of the public credit for exceptional buildings. But Living Building Makers introduces us to the engineers, electricians, carpenters, plumbers, and other unsung heroes who all perform at their peaks to achieve ultra-high-performance structures. This book is a powerful reminder that it takes a village to create Living Buildings.”

– Denis Hayes, President, Bullitt Foundation
Principal national organizer of the first Earth Day

“Living Building Makers is an extraordinary book. It is as much about the people and what motivates them as it is about the buildings.”

– Bruce Fowle, Founding Principal, FXCollaborative Architects

“Living Building Makers underscores what Antoine de Saint-Exupery allegedly said: “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” In the same spirit, this book teaches us to long for a more just, beautiful, and life-affirming world. Further, Jonathan A. Wright masterfully conveys the creativity and excitement that can go into building that “ship” – in this case, two Living Buildings in Massachusetts. With elegance, insight, and wit, Wright tells of builders and makers, and gives us a map, a compass, and a compelling invitation to join in tackling the challenge of creating a world in which all beings can thrive.”

– The Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, Missioner for Creation Care, Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, Mass. Conference, United Church of Christ. Author of Rooted & Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis, ed. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas and Leah D. Schade (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019).

“Living Building Makers is a life-restoring account of deep green and humane design and construction projects. It’s as if, after all these years, we’ve found “How I Built That Ark”, a book written by Noah to describe how he toiled… by hand, with boards close by, and with lots of inspired help.”

– Christopher Lydon, Radio Open Source