fbpx

Green Building Comedy vs Concrete Jungles with Eric Corey Freed

eric corey freed with vegetation in background, green building matters podcast image

Eric Corey Freed is a nationally known architect, author, speaker and thought-leader based out of Portland, Oregon. Eric has 25 years of experience with deep green and innovative buildings. He is the Founding Principal of organicARCHITECT, a visionary design practice focused on biophilic and regenerative design.  Additionally, Eric serves as a Sustainability Disrupter at Morrison Hershfield.

Eric Corey Freed – Concrete Jungle to Rolling Hills

Eric grew up in Philadelphia and went to Overbrook High School.  Living in a city with a strong sense of urban planning. His environment at the time was a concrete jungle of asphalt and graffiti and it was an unnatural place to play.  Consequently, Eric sought out nature. Behind his house, a fence with a hole in it lead to a golf course and ultimately a sustainability career! He earned his B. Arch from Temple University and his Masters in Ecological Design from San Francisco Institute of Architecture.

We went from a concrete jungle to rolling hills…it was our hidden escape.” – Eric

 

The Journey

From the age of 8 years old, Eric knew he wanted to be an Architect.  During college he was able to live a year in Rome and then he worked for Beverly Willis in New York.  He was planning his escape from New York and started reaching out to mentors. One of the mentors he reached out to offered him an opportunity in Sante Fe, New Mexico.  Eric jumped at the chance.

New York is an exciting place to be but not when you are broke.” 

Light Bulb Moment

In Sante Fe, Eric built a dozen houses out of unusual materials and was able to apply this to his practice.  Becoming restless, he went to San Francisco. Eric had 21 interviews in 3 days and was offered 21 jobs. He lasted 6 months at one of these jobs and then was ready to branch out on his own.  His firm was originally his namesake, but his clients referred to it as organicARCHTECT.

“I knew if I could speak passionately about sustainable architecture it would start to attract clients.”

Bucket (and Book) List

Eric creates a bucket list each year.  He wants to travel to Japan and scuba dive in the Maldives.  Books he recommends are:

          

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara

To hear more about Eric’s passion to affect change and make an impact to build green, download and listen to the episode!

Learn more about Eric:  

LinkedIn

Website

Blog

Portfolio

Twitter

Publications:

Architect Registration Exam (ARE) Study Guides (Series of 7 books)

“Green$ense for the Home:  Rating the Real Payoff from 50 Green Home Projects”

Green Your Home All in One For Dummies

“Sustainable School Architecture”

“Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies”

Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES:

Charlie on LinkedIn

Green Building Educational Services

GBES on Twitter

Connect on LinkedIn

Like on Facebook

Google+

GBES Pinterest Pins

GBES on Instagram

If you truly enjoyed the show, don’t forget to leave a positive rating and review on iTunes.  We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the Green Building Matters Podcast!

Copyright © 2018 GBES

Books Our Podcast Guests Have Recommended

                                                                                                   

Welcome. Join Us.

Your personal data will be used to support your experience throughout this website, to manage access to your account, and for other purposes described in our privacy policy.

Your Cart

Your cart is empty

SubTotal $0.00

CHECKOUT

You Might Also Like

If you need assistance selecting CE courses, we're here to help with LIVE CHAT or by email.

chat with us Chat Box