Christopher Briley RA

Principal | CPHC® | LEED AP

Chris Briley is a founding partner and principal architect at BRIBURN. In late 2012 he teamed up with Architect Harry Hepburn and founded BRIBURN where they practice “architecture for life”, specializing in energy efficient, environmentally friendly design. For seven years prior to this he was the principal architect and founder of the Green Design Studio in Yarmouth, Maine.

Chris is a Maine Licensed Architect and a Certified Passive House Consultant. He is an adviser and blogger at greenbuildingadvisor.com and co-host of the Green Architects’ Lounge podcast. He is an enthusiastic participant and part-time moderator for the Building Science Discussion Group in Portland, Maine, a founding member of the USGBC Maine Chapter, and a founding board member of the passivhausMAINE.

Chris is passionate about sustainability and is known for his expertise in high-performance buildings. He is a frequent speaker at sustainable building conferences in Maine and throughout New England, and is the author of the book ‘The Pretty Good House’ with three other colleagues for the Taunton Press OUT NOW!

When not designing planet positive buildings, Chris can often be found spending time with his family (especially his daughters, and partner Jen), sailing in Casco bay, skiing, camping, or hiking the beautiful mountains and trails of Maine.

Harry W Hepburn IV RA

Principal | LEED® AP | AIA

Principal architect and founding partner of BRIBURN, Harry is a Maine native with a passion for designing buildings that are beautiful, unique, and sustainable. Since co-founding BRIBURN in 2013, Harry has led numerous design charettes, providing design, leadership, and management on many residential, commercial, educational, and Institutional projects.

Harry’s career started in 1997, after graduating from Roger Williams University with a Bachelor of Architecture degree, and a minor in historic preservation. In the years that followed, Harry worked for leading firms in Hartford, Boston, and Portland, never straying far from his roots in Maine.

Harry is passionate about design, the relationship between interior and exterior spaces, energy efficiency and the environment. In his spare time, he enjoys Sailing the Maine coast, mountain biking, skiing at Sugarloaf, and spending time with his wife and two children.

Rachel Stoudt Russell RA

Manager | LEED AP BD+C

With a background in art and a love of the outdoors, Rachel approaches architecture with an eye for design and a passion for environmentally responsible architecture.

Rachel has experience from several firms but gained the majority of her experience at a world-renowned firm in Philadelphia where she learned the value of research, innovation, and collaboration.

Outside of work, Rachel enjoys spending time with her husband hiking, sailing, cross country skiing, and exploring the Maine coast – as well as slowly renovating their 1860s home near the beach in South Portland.

KiKA Nigals

Business Manager

KiKA runs the day-to-day operations at BRIBURN. She has worked for a number of institutions and businesses mostly in the educational and non-profit sectors. She’s worked as a college varsity coach, created community art organizations, directed adventure expeditions for teens, was the founding director of a gallery and creativity center, financial manager at a university, among several other curious other careers.

KiKA lives in Portland with her two daughters, partner, and dog named Pablo. When not working, KiKA enjoys international travel, fine food, hiking, cooking, snow and water skiing, and perusing vintage furniture stores.

Sam Day

Designer

Sam studied architecture at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and initially was drawn to the sheer scope of the profession and its interdisciplinary nature. Overwhelmed, Sam grasped for as many practice areas as possible, ranging from digital fabrication and woodworking to filmmaking and literature. In the end, his fascination with architecture only grew. After graduating, Sam advanced his interest in sustainability and residential architecture and moved to Colorado. There he developed a new understanding of place, with the Rocky Mountains a towering element of the landscape. After working in both commercial and residential sectors in Denver, Sam moved to Portland, not far from where he grew up. He is currently seeking licensure in the state of Maine.

Sebastian F. Espinoza Villota

Designer | LEED AP ID+C

While taking an access course to Arts and Design in London, Sebastian discovered a passion for architecture. In 2014, he obtained a Bachelor of Architecture at the Universidad de San Buenaventura in Cali, Colombia. After working for a couple of years in the industry, he honed his interests towards the environmental impact of architectural design and building techniques and, in 2017, completed a master’s degree in Sustainable Intervention in the Built Environment at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain, where he was involved in real-life case studies in the city.

Eager to learn from different cultures and attracted by the social dynamics of the cities, in 2019, Sebastian joined a lighting-design firm in Tucson, Arizona. He participated in several projects, including building retrofit, interiors, and lighting design.

Sebastian enjoys spending time in nature, playing soccer, and listening to music in his free time. Seeking balance in all things by making time for family, friends, and spirituality keeps him grounded and ready to take on exciting design projects.

Rowan Sloss

Manager

Rowan Sloss is a half-English half-American amateur food critic and failed opera singer who occasionally dabbles in architecture. He began his career at Welsh School of Architecture at Cardiff University, performing solar gains calculations before they were cool, then returning to London to study at Westminster University because it was the kind of place you could write a building as a series of short stories. He worked at studios in London and New York, before discovering that BRIBURN is an architecture firm as well as a podcast, finding a home at their office in Portland.

Rowan is a proud Londoner and Arsenal fan, who nonetheless delights in having given up endless grey skies and lukewarm beer for bountiful shellfish and snowy beaches. He lives in Portland with his wife, child, and a large collection of Gary Numan records.