AMS Pictures creates House of What?! segment on Burh Becc
October 2022. EarthX TV, a global TV network dedicated to promoting the environment and sustainability and celebrating the people, places, creatures and cultures that make our planet worth protecting has aired a segment on Burh Becc at Beacon Springs in its series House of What?! The documentary was produced by AMS Pictures and may be viewed here. (Please note, the link to this may not be shared on social media.)
Zero-Carbon Homes Are Changing How We Live. Here’s What Goes Into Making Them.
February 27, 2022; Robb Report; by Helena Madden. We speak with homeowners and architects about what it takes to bring these clean builds to life. Read more . . .
Rethinking the Future Sustainable Project of the Year
April 28, 2021. Burh Becc at Beacon Springs has been named a 2021 Global Architecture and Design runner-up. “Each of these projects is one step forward towards a more sustainable future.” Read more . . .
Fast Company World Changing Ideas
April 26, 2021. Burh Becc at Beacon Springs has been named a finalist in the Fast Company 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards. Read more . . .
2020 AIA HV Awards
October 30, 2020. Burh Becc at Beacon Springs is the winner of the Recognition of Excellence in Sustainability given by the American Institute of Architects Huron Valley. “The architect has gone to such extreme measures to create a self-sufficient living environment, yet the solution is simply expressed as if it was no effort at all.” Read more (pp. 82–83) . . .
Sustainability for Health
Movement Magazine, University of Michigan School of Kinesiology, Fall 2020: “To Burbeck, this project is a symbol of how her passions have come full circle. . . . ‘The LBC requirements fit precisely with my lifelong concern for health, fitness, and excellent nutrition, strengthened and deepened during my college years in the U-M PE program.’” Read more . . .
Proof of Concept
Green Building Advisor; Kiley Jacques | Only the second Living Building Challenge−certified home, Burh Becc at Beacon Springs Farm is a study in regenerative design. Read more . . .
Matterport and Drone Coverage
Hommatti.com in Livonia, Mich provided this coverage for the Earth Day 2020 Virtual Tour:
Earth Day 2020: Virtual Tour of Burh Becc at Beacon Springs Farm
A new state of affairs in this coronavirus time leads to a new way to do tours of our home.
Some of the post-tour comments:
Thank you so much! Absolutely fantastic job on the design and such a wonderful benefit for them and the planet and for all of us who are going to benefit from their work and passions.
The virtual tour was really well done. In some ways that works better than being there in person. Thanks to everyone involved in front of the camera and behind the scenes. As in the past I come away from a “tour” with new information and inspired to act.
Thank you, this was wonderful, so informative and inspiring. I am a realtor and I joined the real estate industry because I saw no trace of care for a healthy, energy efficient, carbon sequestering and renewable materials used in any property sale. I think this needs to change.
I watched your presentation of Visible Green Home® VIRTUAL Burh Becc Earth Day Celebration Tour 2020 on Saturday. I thought it was an excellent presentation and only wish that more people were aware of the unfortunate path that we are taking to destroy our environment. I also want to thank Tom and Marti for sharing their home with us. Thanks again for the important message and excellent presentation.
Thank you again for this extremely interesting, informative, and inspiring event. It absolutely made my day (and week, and month…)!
Michael and Staff, Marti and Tom – Thank you for a superb virtual event today. It was beyond excellent, informational, and inspirational. It will cause me to be more active in regeneration efforts near and far.
I hope you will share this recording so I can share it with my family! This is an amazing accomplishment! Thank you.
Welcome Mat: Green-friendly Ann Arbor farmhouse hosts virtual home tour for Earth Day
Maureen Feighan, The Detroit News. Published 7:06 p.m. ET April 16, 2020. Environmentally-friendly Ann Arbor farmhouse opens up for virtual Earth Day tour. Read more . . .
Nurturing Nature With Architecture
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL; by Nancy Keates, June 6, 2019. When Marti and Tom Burbeck were designing their new four-bedroom home in Ann Arbor, Mich., they went to extreme measures . . . To make sure none of the materials they used contained toxic chemicals, they hired a consulting firm to check product contents, down to the glazing on tiles, with more than 900 manufacturers. Read more . . .
US Green Building Council West Michigan Chapter presents 2018 awards
On the night of November 8th, 2018, USGBC West Michigan celebrated this year’s accomplishments with the annual party and leadership awards ceremony. The USGBC-WM Leadership Awards promote outstanding green building efforts by recognizing projects, organizations, and people who have made extraordinary contributions to achieving healthy, energy efficient green buildings in the state of Michigan. USGBC-WM recognized 7 local leaders that exemplify outstanding green building practices in the community, including Burh Becc at Beacon Springs which received the 2018 Certified Green Home Award. Read more . . .
Congratulations 2018 FSC Leadership Award Winners
CHICAGO, November 15, 2018, Awards Highlight Diverse Commitment to Responsible Forest Management: Forest Stewardship Council, the world’s most trusted forest certification system, announced its 2018 FSC Leadership Awards . . . FSC Leadership Awards celebrate forest owners, builders, architects, retailers, paper mills, manufacturers, environmental organizations and many others who contribute to the movement toward responsible sourcing and forest management. Winners of the 2018 FSC Leadership Awards include Tom & Marti Burbeck, and Architectural Resource, LLC for Burh Becc at Beacon Springs Farm, which used 100 percent FSC certified new wood, complemented by reclaimed wood products, in this LEED Platinum, Living Building home. Read the full press release . . .
Michigan Farmhouse: Living Building Challenge-Certified House. HIVE 50 CATEGORY: DESIGN
November 07, 2018, Builder Magazine. Last year, the solar farmhouse that homeowners Tom and Marti Burbeck and Fireside Home Construction designed in Ann Arbor, Mich., became the second house in the world to achieve Living Building Challenge certification through the International Living Future Institute, a Seattle– and Portland– based nonprofit. The certification focuses on “regenerative design,” meaning buildings that can output more than they intake. Read more . . .
Michigan Is Now Home to the World’s Second ‘Living Building’ Residence
ANN ARBOR, Mich., Feb. 15 /CSRwire/ – Tom and Marti Burbeck – in search of truly sustainable living – brought together an architect, builder, green building project consultant and multiple building science engineers to design and build Burh Becc at Beacon Springs. They have succeeded in creating a home that will still be standing 200 years from now and will still be regenerative to the surrounding ecosystem. In late 2017, their home at Beacon Springs Farm, in Ann Arbor, became the second house in the world to achieve a Living Certified ruling via the Living Building Challenge™ certification by the International Living Future Institute. The Burbecks hope their truly restorative farmhouse inspires others to reimagine common building techniques. Read more . . .
This idyllic 15-acre farmhouse is the world’s second ‘Living Building’ residence
02/21/2018; by Nicole Jewell. A picturesque farmhouse on 15 acres in Ann Arbor, Michigan was just officially crowned the world’s second “Living Building” residence by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI). The owners of Burh Becc at Beacon Springs, Tom and Marti Burbeck, spent five years working with a team of 20 designers, engineers, architects and sustainability experts to transform their 2,200 square foot home into an icon of truly sustainable living that gives more than it takes. Read more from Inhabitat.com . . .
Incredible farm in Michigan becomes the world’s second ‘Living Building’
Updated on February 21, 2018 by Alexandru Micua. A beautiful, 15-acre farmhouse in Ann Arbor, Michigan has been officially recognized as the world’s second Living Building by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI). Read more from ZME Science . . .
Second U.S. “Living Building” Home Certified
Posted on February 22, 2018. Built by Fireside Home Construction, the Michigan farmhouse meets the requirements of the stringent building program: A recently completed home in Ann Arbor, Mich., is the second home in the country to be named to the rigorous Living Building Challenge. Read more from BuilderOnline . . .
Ann Arbor Home Becomes World’s Second Residence to Achieve Highest Sustainability Certification
By Addie Wallace; published Tuesday, February 27, 2018. Located in Ann Arbor, Tom and Marti Burbeck have transformed their home at Beacon Springs Farm to become the second house in the world to achieve a Living Certified ruling from the Living Building Challenge™ (LBC) certification by the International Living Future Institute. Read more from dbusiness.com . . .
Solar farmhouse near Ann Arbor one of world’s greenest homes
By Ryan Stanton. Posted Feb 28, 2018. ANN ARBOR, MI – Nestled on 15 acres of sprawling farmland outside Ann Arbor is one of the most eco-friendly homes in the world. Read more from MLive! . . .
Burh Becc at Beacon Springs, outside Ann Arbor, is just the second home in the world to meet the Living Building Challenge.
By Patrick Sisson. Mar 13, 2018. A new farmhouse in southeast Michigan has recently been certified as one of the world’s most green, sustainable structures. Named Burh Becc at Beacon Springs, the home showcases one of the most efficient, sustainable examples of residential construction in the world. “I liken this to a moonshot for residential design,” says architect Michael Klement, a partner in the local firm Architectural Resource. “This is possible, this is doable, and it’s extremely healthy.” Read more from Curbed . . .
Net Positive Energy Is the New Net Zero
Apr 3, 2018. Buildings that produce more energy than they use suddenly are viable . . . For certain building categories, such as skyscrapers and energy-intensive data centers, it’s still a stretch to provide more than enough electricity onsite. But the buildings below demonstrate that net positive is achievable on buildings that are a lot more substantial than a summer cottage [including] Burh Becc at Beacon Springs Farm. Read more from United Rentals . . .
Eco-friendly Ann Arbor farmhouse is built to last
By Maureen Feighan, The Detroit News, published 5:18 p.m. ET April 19, 2018; updated 7:08 p.m. ET April 19, 2018. Midway through the building process for Tom and Marti Burbeck’s Tuscan-inspired farmhouse on 15 acres in Ann Arbor a few years ago, Tom posed the crew a question: “What, he wondered, was different about building this house compared to others the crew had built?” “They looked at him and said, ‘Everything,’ ” remembers architect Michael Klement with a laugh. Read more from The Detroit News . . .
DESTINATION MICHIGAN: Burh Becc at Beacon Springs
Clip, Season 9 Episode 6 | 5m 53s | Aired June 28, 2018: In this story, Destination Michigan‘s Matthew Ozanich introduces you to Tom and Marti Burbeck of Ann Arbor who, along with a dedicated team, create one of the most eco-friendly homes on the planet. Burh Becc at Beacon Springs is only the second residential building in the world to gain ”Living Building“ status from the Living Future Institute.
Local Couple on Quest to Build Greenest House on the Planet
By Melinda Baird, The Sun Times News, Chelsea, MI, published November 4, 2015
While the United Nations is predicting a world population of nine billion by 2050, an Ann Arbor couple is throwing their lives, and livelihood, into creating the greenest home on the planet. Read more . . .