We’d like to welcome our latest Accelerator Partner, Buck Moorhead Architect (BMA)! Founded in 1984 by Principal Buck Moorhead, BMA is a full-service architectural firm based in New York City that specializes in high-performance, low-energy, and carbon neutral design. Moorhead has personally been active in the efficiency and decarbonization movements for even longer (visiting and researching solar communities along the West Coast back in the 1970s), and the firm has been an early adopter and champion of Passive House building standards. Buck is a long-time Board Member of New York Passive House (NYPH) and now its Chair. Remy Moorhead is BMA’s lead Project Architect and a certified Passive House Designer (CPHD).

BMA provides a wide range of commercial, residential, institutional and municipal consulting and design services, from master planning and programming to full construction documentation and observation. BMA also provides consulting services to help owners and development teams comply with New York City’s Local Law 97, one of the most ambitious pieces of climate legislation enacted in the United States and part of the city’s larger effort to reduce carbon emissions.

From a workflow perspective, BMA takes a systems-minded approach to design that allows for greater collaboration with other designers, engineers, and contractors. Better communication and cooperation results in fewer surprises, fewer delays, and a more efficient use of resources. Projects remain on time and on budget, and clients can rely on BMA as the single point of contact for all aspects of project development.

BMA has worked on projects throughout the state of New York and beyond, but some of their most well-known work has focused on enhancing and invigorating public spaces around landmarks throughout New York City. One of the most notable examples includes the Pier i Café, which is nested beneath the West Side Highway at Riverside Park South (see above). BMA also helped convert a barge and a historic lightship, the Frying Pan, recovered from Chesapeake Bay into the Frying Pan and Pier 66 Maritime, a full-service seasonal restaurant and event venue situated on the Hudson River just north of Chelsea Piers.

BMA has also worked on new construction in the region, including the design for a Passive House Habitat for Humanity. Though not yet constructed, the project is modeled for the deep forests of Upstate New York. They're also Principal Architect and Development Partner at The Catskill Project, a 90-acre community in Livington Manor where all homes are designed to be net zero, Passive House-level performance, 100% solar-powered, low maintenance, and to provide a healthy environment for owners.

Visit BMA's site to learn more.

Accelerator Partners are Passive House practitioners who share our commitment to building better, building cleaner, and sharing knowledge about Passive House methodologies with wider audiences. They allow us to reach new builders, developers, architects, and policymakers who want the benefits associated with Passive House construction (lower energy bills, a continuous supply of filtered air, more durable construction, and happier occupants!), but have yet to learn that there are passive design principles and established, performance-based building standards that can provide them.

If you want to learn how to become an Accelerator Partner, please email [email protected] to see how you can help us accelerate the wider adoption of passive design and construction!