EcoNest Architecture
Healthy custom homes in clay, straw, timber, and natural plaster. Founded by Paula Baker-Laporte, FAIA — co-author of Prescriptions for a Healthy House and the firm that helped bring light straw clay into the IRC. Now run in Ashland, Oregon by Partner Architects Mae Yuuki, AIA, NCARB and Andrea Allen Sis, AIA, NCARB — both Oregon-licensed with Healthier Materials certificates from Parsons.
About
EcoNest Architecture designs healthy custom homes from natural materials — light straw clay walls, Douglas-fir timber frames, natural plasters, masonry heaters, low-EMF detailing — for clients across North America, Europe, and beyond. Founder Paula Baker-Laporte, FAIA brought Building Biology to architectural practice after her own experience with environmental illness; she co-wrote Prescriptions for a Healthy House (4th ed., a #1 Amazon Best Seller) and helped bring light straw clay into the IRC.
The practice now runs under Mae Yuuki, AIA, NCARB and Andrea Allen Sis, AIA, NCARB — both Oregon-licensed architects with Healthier Materials certificates from Parsons. Mae is design lead; Andrea is Materials Research Specialist and BBI faculty.
Photo Gallery
Why Choose Us
Most healthy-home builders bolt natural materials onto a conventional plan. EcoNest does the opposite: it starts from how a body wants to feel in a room — air, light, temperature, EMF, the materials your hand rests on — and the architecture follows. Paula spent forty years writing the books that the rest of the industry now uses; Mae and Andrea inherited a practice that already knew what to specify, what to refuse, and where the supply chain lies.
Two licensed Oregon architects, full AIA, NCARB
Mae Yuuki (ARI-14829, active) and Andrea Allen Sis are both Oregon-licensed architects. Both hold the Healthier Materials and Sustainable Building Certificate from The New School / Parsons. Both are full AIA members. Clean public records, no disciplinary actions.
Founded by Paula Baker-Laporte, FAIA
Paula is a Fellow of the AIA (elected 2007), certified Building Biologist (BBNC/BBEC since 1995), and co-author of Prescriptions for a Healthy House, 4th Ed — a #1 Amazon Best Seller. Now Member Emerita; succession to Mae and Andrea is complete.
Light straw clay into the IRC
EcoNest's three books and decades of demonstration projects were instrumental in bringing light straw clay into the International Residential Code as a recognized wall system. Robert Laporte's hands-on workshops trained 2,500+ builders worldwide.
Materials Research Specialist on staff
Andrea Allen Sis built and maintains the firm's healthy-materials database — the same one she co-teaches from at the Building Biology Institute. Every product spec in an EcoNest home goes through that vetting before it lands on a drawing.
Real natural-building system, not greenwash
Light straw clay, adobe, pumice-crete, wood-insulated concrete forms (Faswall), autoclaved aerated concrete, and conventional wood frame with healthy material specs. Masonry heaters, natural plasters, earthen floors, low-EMF wiring strategies. The system the rest of the field references.
Designed for the chemically sensitive
Paula's own Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is what put her on this path. EcoNest is one of the few practices in the country that designs from MCS-first principles — every material, every adhesive, every coating chosen by what the body can tolerate.
Services List
Design Services
- Custom Healthy Home Design
- New Construction Architecture
- Renovation & Addition Design
- Material Specification (healthy-only)
- Light Straw Clay Wall Detailing
- Timber Frame Design
- Masonry Heater Integration
- Natural Plaster Specification
- Low-EMF Wiring & Detailing
- Sacred Geometry Layout (select projects)
Healthy Home Consulting
- Remote Healthy-Home Consulting
- Architect & Builder Material Vetting
- Developer Consultation
- Homeowner Pre-Design Consultation
- Chemical-Sensitivity Design Review
- Indoor Air Quality Planning
- Daylighting & Ventilation Strategy
- Building Biology Site Review
- Speaking & Workshops
- Continuing Education for Practitioners
Mae Yuuki, AIA, NCARB
Partner Architect — University of Oregon B.Arch, Oregon License ARI-14829, Healthier Materials Certificate (Parsons)
Contact Information
Visit WebsiteBooks & Publications
Featured Projects
Press & Podcasts
- TALKdesign with Adrian Ramsay — EcoNest: Architecture, Nature & Japanese Design (Mae + Paula)
- Ben Greenfield Life — Healthy Home episode with Paula Baker-Laporte
- Building Biology Institute — Preventing Mold Later by Building Better Now
- Building Biology Institute — EcoNest Architecture Inc. directory listing
Service Area
Studio
Ashland, Oregon 97520
Markets Served
Coverage
Design clients across North America, Europe, and beyond. Site visits coordinated by phase. Healthy Home Consulting available remotely for architects, builders, developers, and homeowners working with their own design team anywhere in the world.
Credentials
Mae Yuuki — Oregon Architect License ARI-14829 (Active)
Verified in the Oregon State Board of Architect Examiners public registry. Issued 4/1/2024, expires 12/31/2027. No disciplinary actions. Registered by examination.
Mae Yuuki — NCARB Certificate
National Council of Architectural Registration Boards certification (claimed on firm About Us page).
Mae Yuuki — AIA Member (full)
Full American Institute of Architects membership. Transitioned from Associate AIA to full AIA in the past year, matching her 2024 license issue.
Mae Yuuki — Healthier Materials & Sustainable Building Certificate (Parsons)
The New School / Parsons School of Design — Healthier Materials and Sustainable Building program graduate. Continuing further coursework through the International Institute for Building Biology and Ecology.
Mae Yuuki — University of Oregon B.Arch + Landscape Architecture Minor
Bachelor of Architecture with minor in Landscape Architecture, University of Oregon (graduated 2014). Studied abroad in Japan in 2012 — Japanese architectural style and garden design inform her work.
Paula Baker-Laporte — FAIA Member Emerita, ARI-5770
Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (elected 2007). Oregon license ARI-5770 active, no disciplinary actions, expires 12/31/2026. Certified Building Biologist (BBNC/BBEC) since 1995 through the International Institute of Bau-Biologie and Ecology. Founder of EcoNest Architecture; now Member Emerita / retired.
Andrea Allen Sis — AIA, NCARB, BBI Faculty
Partner Architect, Materials Research Specialist. Licensed Oregon architect, full AIA, NCARB-certified. Master's in Architecture from University of Nebraska, Healthier Materials Certificate from Parsons. Faculty member of the International Institute for Building Biology — co-teaches Healthy Design & Community Planning with Paula Baker-Laporte.
Light Straw Clay in the IRC
The firm's books and demonstration projects were instrumental in bringing light straw clay into the International Residential Code as a recognized wall system. Robert Laporte's workshops have trained 2,500+ natural builders worldwide.
Platinum Member
Healthy Building Alliance
Professional ·