OUR MISSION
Our mission is to design, construct, and transform built environments to simultaneously support exceptional human and planetary health. We use time-tested and forward-thinking building methods, natural materials, and a science-based approach to reduce hazards and achieve optimal environments which support holistic wellness and vitality.
Paula Baker-Laporte, FAIA-Member Emerita, BBNC, BBEC, EcoNest Founder - Retired
Paula is an Architect, Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, Member Emerita, Building Biologist, author, healthy building consultant and educator. Graduating from the University of Toronto School of Architecture in 1978 and from the Institute of Building Biology and Ecology in 1994, Paula founded her own award-winning architectural practice in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1986-2009 and founded EcoNest Architecture Inc. in Ashland Oregon in 2010. Paula's first-hand experience with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities in the 1980’s was the impetus behind her search for healthier ways to build that has resulted in her unique architectural practice with a specialty in construction for health based on the principles of Building Biology. Her firm has designed, specified administered and consulted on the construction of many projects for the sublimely sensitive and has worked in various alternative building envelope systems including, light straw clay, adobe, pumice-crete, rammed earth, Aerated Autoclaved Concrete, and Wood Insulated Concrete Forms. Paula has lectured, taught, and published extensively on the topic of healthy and ecological design. She has been developing and teaching courses for the Building Biology Institute since 2008. Her books are available in our shop.
Paula has officially retired and is no longer taking on new clients or projects. Paula has entrusted the work of EcoNest Architecture to her Partner Architects, Andrea and Mae, who bring their own valuable expertise and unwavering commitment to creating healthy spaces.
Mae Yuuki, AIA, NCARB, Partner
Mae Yuuki is a licensed Architect based in Oregon with over a decade of experience designing homes that prioritize human health, connection with the environment, and a deep sense of sanctuary. Mae greatly values the power of healthy environments and the home as a nourishing place for healing and restoration. She brings a unique blend of design expertise, natural building experience, and a keen sensitivity to how buildings can support physical, emotional, and environmental well-being. Mae thoughtfully integrates research-driven and science-backed principles of Building Biology and Building Science into her designs - with a focus on natural daylighting, passive ventilation, thermal comfort, healthy indoor air quality, low-EMF strategies, and non-toxic, natural materials - while keeping the human experience and connection to nature at the core.
Mae graduated with honors from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Architecture and a Minor in Landscape Architecture, developing a strong foundation in integrating buildings with their natural landscape. She also holds a Healthier Materials and Sustainable Building certificate from The New School - Parsons School of Design and is advancing her specialization through coursework with the International Institute for Building Biology and Ecology. Since 2014, Mae has been a core member of EcoNest Architecture, designing and specifying natural, non-toxic homes rooted in health and sustainability. She’s passionate about designing homes for her clients that nurture their health and align with their lifestyle.
Andrea Allen Sis, AIA, NCARB, Partner
Andrea is a licensed Architect in the State of Oregon. She holds a Master’s degree in Architecture from the University of Nebraska and a Healthier Materials and Sustainable Building certificate from The New School – Parsons School of Design. Andrea joined EcoNest Architecture in 2015 and became the firm’s Materials Research Specialist. She has developed protocols for finding, vetting, and maintaining a database of healthy building materials which is the basis of EcoNest’s Healthy Home Design and Consulting practices.
Andrea is a faculty member of the International Institute for Building Biology® and co-teaches Healthy Design & Community Planning with Paula Baker-Laporte. She is on a continuous quest for knowledge about the ever-changing world of healthy and sustainable materials and is passionate about sharing this knowledge with other architects as well as contractors, builders, and homeowners. Andrea firmly believes that healthy, nurturing spaces should be accessible to everyone and is consciously focusing her architectural career on designing healthy and sustainable homes for her clients and consulting with other architects and builders to do the same, bringing the practice of building without harmful substances into mainstream design and construction.
Todd Shwayder, Assoc. AIA
Born and raised in Southern California, Todd Shwayder’s deep connection with nature was instilled early on while surfing and scuba diving the Pacific Ocean, rock climbing Yosemite Valley and kayaking the Kern River. After studying and practicing contemporary forms of architecture and construction, his interests flowed into alternative and more natural versions of the craft. Todd has hands-on experience with straw bale, cob, super adobe, natural paints and plasters, and timber framing. Todd received his Masters Degree in Environment and Community enriching his passion for environmental stewardship with tools for mobilizing communities into action. Todd approaches architecture and design with a holistic perspective that reconnects people to the ecosystems that support us.
Lynn Georgens
Lynn joined the EcoNest family in 2018. Her career in accounting and small business administration spans four decades and her friendship with Paula began that long ago as well. Interested in holistic wellness through her adult life, she finds it rewarding to support and be aligned with EcoNest Architecture’s mission. Lynn is passionate about the health of our environment within the home, our community and in nature; and volunteers locally in projects for raising awareness. She enjoys living in a newly built, cozy 400 square foot EcoNest home that Paula and Mae designed; finding that the indoor environment of natural and sustainable materials truly does create a living sanctuary.
Meet our Founders
Founded in 1998, EcoNest began as a design-build collaboration between architect Paula Baker-Laporte and builder, Robert Laporte. With Paula’s background in design and Building Biology and Robert’s experience in timber framing and pioneering development of natural building in North America, the EcoNest concept of natural, healthy timber frame, light straw clay homes was born.
Read more about how EcoNest got its start.