About

ABOUT BRENT SAUSER

May of 1979 seems so long ago. That was when I graduated from Arizona State University-College of Architecture. In the 40-plus years since I have managed to practice architecture in every US time zone, Eastern Europe, and Bolivia, South America. I currently reside in Eagle Mountain, Utah.

In 1981, I was working as an architectural intern for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Salt Lake City. This opportunity opened the door for work all over the world. While there, I discovered a need for low-cost rural church buildings that would be smaller in scale and low in maintenance. On my own time I developed a passive solar, earth integrated church building that was designed to be cool in the summer and warm in the winter without the use of mechanical equipment. Solar panels would be placed on the south facing roof to power the lights, sound equipment, and outlets. It was a zero-energy facility. My presentation to church authorities (Presiding Bishopric) was well received, but nothing resulted from the attempt.

In 1983, the LDS Church hired me (now a registered architect) to relocate with my family to Bolivia, South America to design and build new church buildings. For two years I worked with local architectural professionals to teach them the level of effort expected for this type of work. I traveled to Chile, Argentina, Peru, and Brazil to select appropriate building materials. I traveled within Bolivia to observe construction at multiple project sites. While in Bolivia, I researched building temperature fluctuations on the Altiplano (altitude-14,000 feet) to determine the best way to design a church building in such a harsh environment. After careful consideration I designed a passive solar building utilizing a shed roof. Windows were provided on the high side to allow the maximum amount of sunlight (heat) into the building. The low end had few windows and was heavily insulated as well as the roof. Although an ideal design for the Bolivian Altiplano, it was rejected for not meeting the desired image of an LDS meetinghouse. However, my alternate design was approved and 15 of these buildings were constructed throughout Bolivia. I designed a version for cool climates (i.e., La Paz, Cochabamba, and the Altiplano), with insulation, low roof, and few windows, and a version for warm climates (i.e., Santa Cruz, Trinidad, and Sucre) with roof top venting, oscillating fans, and constant air movement. These turned out to be very well received and accepted by local church members. Prior to returning to the USA, I designed seven new prototypical church buildings that could be used in any climatic region or altitude. Each one incorporated some form of my original passive solar design.

Upon my return to the USA, I continued my research on passive solar design and environmentally sensitive design. In 1987, I began writing a book entitled “Ecotecture” that focused on the need to move from a dollar driven bottom line to a more environmentally sensitive design approach (precursor to the Triple Bottom Line). During this period, I made presentations to the Sierra Club and other interested environmental groups. However, there was no US Green Building Council in 1987, no local LEED Chapters to present to, and no nationwide movement to encourage sustainable design. At the time it appeared to be a mountain too tall to climb, so I decided to file my notes and wait to continue my sustainable architecture efforts sometime in the future. During the following years I explored clean room, semi-conductor and biotech design, hotel design, US Embassies in Eastern Europe, and nuclear facility design requiring a “Q” level security clearance, as well as airport hangars and air-traffic control towers, etc.

I came to practice architecture in Florida via Minnesota. In 2004, a headhunter discovered me and called to ask if I would be interested in moving to Orlando. His timing was excellent because it was the dead of winter, I didn’t hesitate in expressing interest. He matched me up with a firm that was looking for a senior architect with government experience. We had many telephone conversations before I was flown to Florida for a face-to-face interview. I recall one phone call where I was asked, “What do you know about Sustainable Design?” After an awkward pause, I tried my best to answer the question. If he had asked me what I knew about Ecotecture I could have told him, but the word “sustainable” was an unfamiliar way to say the same thing. By mid-2005, I had passed the LEED exam to become a LEED accredited professional.

Having worked in all US time zones and climatic regions and for several Architectural/Engineering (AE) firms, I finally decided to strike out on my own and reconnect with my former Ecotecture roots. I have attended the USGBC Greenbuild Conventions in Boston 2008, Phoenix in 2009, San Francisco in 2012, Philadelphia in 2013, Los Angeles in 2015, and New Orleans in 2017. I have also been invited as a public speaker for the NPCA Convention in Houston 2009, and Charlotte, N.C in 2010, on the subject of LEED and Sustainable Design. For ten years I authored a website, NetZeroMax.com, that served as an advocate blog for sustainable design. It was discontinued in 2019, after the proliferation of solar power solutions had become mainstream. NetZeroMax.com generated over five million hits and thousands of subscribers.

As of May 2022 I have officially retired from my architectural practice. With the relaunch of this website, I can transition from practicing architecture to the type of sustainable architecture I wish I had the opportunity to create earlier in my career. This website is my soapbox to advocate for sustainable architecture, for sensitive design that encourages the good in all of us, and for a never wavering vision to create environments that promote peace and inspire kindness to others, the kind that brings us together.

Who’s with me?