Alexander Ber

Alexander Ber was welcomed into this life surrounded by beautiful blue mountains and green tree lines in Denver, Colorado. His father, Dr. Harold Ber is a lawyer for disabled veterans. His mother, Cynthia Clyde Ber, spends her time gardening, doing crafts and raising their two english setters.

His mother was raised on a farm and insisted that the Ber family have their own plot of land to grow and live off of. Thus Alexander learned from a young age how to work with the soil, get his hands dirty and raise chickens and cattle. Alex’s first attempt at architecture was the family’s chicken coop that he built and designed.

The mountains of Colorado spoiled Alexander Ber, setting him on a quest to always see more of the outdoors. As an adult, Alex still enjoys getting his hands dirty and spending time in nature. If not hiking, camping or rock climbing, Alex enjoys sailing, surfing and snowboarding.

Tiny Home and Tree Houses 

As part of the small homes movement, Alex has taken up designing and building tiny homes and tree houses. Alex’s tiny homes range from 50 to 750 square feet. Some of Alex’s customers use their tiny homes as extensions to their homes, business offices or vacation cabins.

Alex has lived in his 250 square foot tiny home since 2008. He says this lifestyle has afforded him the luxury of living the simple life he loves. When not in his tiny home or living on his sailboat, Alex finds himself falling asleep under the stars high up in one of his livable tree houses.

Besides tiny homes, Alex has built many live-in tree houses both in the United States and Costa Rico. Some of Alex’s tree houses are featured in magazines such as Treehouse Magazine, Mother Jones, Outside and Living Green Magazine.

More Loves

Besides a coffee enthusiast, Alex brews his own beer and kombucha. His goal is to make a 12% imperial stout with the perfect blend of coffee, coco and dark cherries. Alex spends much time reading in his backyard, as well. Alex will have his nose in anything from classic english literature to science fiction, to alternative spirituality.

Alexander Ber is also an avid meditator, with a decade practice in Transcendental Meditation and Vapassana Meditation. Alex has traveled to India to deepen his meditation practice on numerous occasions. He has also studied under Don Miguel Ruiz, Sonya Choquette and Thich Nhat Hanh.

Most weekends Alex is sailing his 44’ Island Packet sailboat, cooking in his backyard, reading or exploring the outdoors. Alex also spends much time biking, either on his motorcycle through the Blue Ridge Mountains or pedaling his 5 speed to the grocery store.

Alex plays guitar and banjo and has an eclectic taste in music ranging from Sun Ra to Band of Horses. While Alex doesn’t consider himself a musician, he enjoys playing around campfires with friends and in his spare time.

Healthy Living 

Alex embraces living a healthy lifestyle by staying active, staying connected to nature and eating light. Growing much of his food, Alex supports the local farmer’s movement. Alex even raises his own chickens for eggs and goats for milk.

Alex is featured for healthy eating and green living in blogs such as:

• Gluten-Free Basics
• Locally Grown
• And Green Living

Education and Experience 

Alexander Ber graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a Bachelor’s degree is Sustainable Architecture and a minor in English Literature. Alex followed his passion for creating green sustainable housing to the Southern California Institute of Architecture. Here, he received his Masters in Appropriate Technology and Architecture and learned how to surf.

After he received his Masters, Alex took an internship at Green California Architecture. Green Architecture prides themselves as one of the leading architecture firms in California for environmentally sustainable design practices. Alex was able to hone his ability for innovative design and promote the advancement of green architecture here.

After finishing his internship, Alex worked for Green Architecture as an Integrated Sustainable Designer for two years. In this position, he worked on projects to restore historic churches in Southern California, create sustainable hotels and apartments and designed plans for many celebrity homes. Feeling a pull to return back to the mountains, Alex took a job in Boone, NC at AndersonBoone Architects.

Alexander Ber: The Tree House

In August of 2005, Alex branched out to open his own architecture firm, The Tree House. In six short years, Alex has turned his humble design firm into something that has a positive impact on our community and to the environment. Alex’s approach to sustainable design includes raw, innovative designs. He is respected as a pioneer in the green architecture industry.

Since the start of The Tree House, Alex has provided interior design, landscape architecture, and private architecture in many diverse facilities. The Tree House now employees 10 designers dedicated to the sustainable building movement.

Alex has embraced his love for travel into his business, taking his designs overseas. The Tree House’s designs are found throughout Europe, Asia, and parts of Egypt. The Tree House’s philanthropic pursuits are found in the Middle East, Eritrea, Africa and many parts of India. Their sustainable designs are implemented in schools for children and adults to receive education in parts of the world in need.

Alex’s designs and essays have appeared in a number of books, periodicals and television shows including:

• The Wall Street Journal
• The New York Times
• CNN
• Oprah
• And HGTV 

Alexander Ber continues to make better designs as he extends his business to all parts of the world. The positive impact of his desire for simple, clean living, are seen in his efficient designs. Alexander Ber challenges designers to start thinking of sustainable solutions for a better planet. We all wait with anticipation to see what new designs Alexander Ber will create and what leaps he will make in sustainable architecture in the years to come.