Award-Winning Sustainability

Sweet Fern in Asheville, N.C., designed by Alair Asheville | Red Tree is excelling the standard for sustainable home building. The project was designed to blend with nature, reflecting the builder’s philosophy of designing with thoughtfulness and practicality. The builder’s dedication to turn challenges into creative solutions resulted in Sweet Fern winning the 2025 Energy and Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA) Building Excellence Award for Custom for Buyer Award. 

“At the heart of every project we take on is the idea that building a home is more than just walls and finishes,” said Alair Asheville | Red Tree Owner Brandon Bryant. “It’s about creating spaces that connect to the environment, reflect the homeowner’s vision and stand the test of time.” 

A Challenging Lot 

When the client came to the builder in 2022 with a vision and a steep lot with an almost 40% slope, the builder had to find a strategic way to build the home in sync with the lot’s topography. Since there was not enough room to build beside the road, the house had to be placed about 50 feet deeper into the property. The main challenge was designing a driveway that could reach down into the site without an excessive grade, while still adhering to land boundaries and catering to the state’s weather conditions. Thoughtful coordination between the in-house team, engineers and trades resulted in an award-winning design with structural integrity and beautiful architecture. 

The project site feels like its own escape into nature, sitting at the end of a cul-de-sac on the edge of a steep hill overlooking a green forest and a river. The builder optimized the unique site, the breathtaking views and its naturistic ambience to fit the client’s vision for forest lodging meets luxury living. 

The screened-off porch is a key feature of Sweet Fern because it naturally invites the buyer to the outdoors. Bryant said that creating accessible outdoor spaces encourages time outside, connection to nature, and overall well-being. 

The interior of the home still connects the buyer to nature in its standout feature, the kitchen. Spacious windows provide both natural light and frame the view of the French Broad River. Custom Mercury Mosaic tiles beneath the window echo the river’s movement subtly. The home’s floor plan was designed for efficiency, but to still be open and inviting. 

EEBA Recognized Efficiency 

The steep lot called for more than architectural beauty; it called for strength and efficiency. The builder’s team collaborated with both Wilson Architects and Osgood Landscape Architects for the project. Having to carefully manage the water cutoff, the grading, catch basins, river rocks and swells all work together for water management.. Proper drainage and grading help to prevent moisture issues that could impact indoor air quality. 

The structure itself achieved an Air Changes per Hour at 50 Pascals of 1.74 and a Home Energy Rating System score of –9, speaking to both performance and construction. The project is also solar ready, with complementary Tesla battery backup and EV chargers. 

“When you build a home that’s tight, well-sealed and well-ventilated, you’re not just conserving energy,” Bryant said. “You’re creating a healthy, comfortable environment for the people who live in it. That connection between performance and livability is what makes the home truly sustainable and healthy.”

For Alair Asheville | Red Tree the EEBA Award is a celebration of a shared mission, to build with function, beauty and health in mind. The project achieved third-party certifications in Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready, Indoor AirPlus and Energy Star. 

A Generational Impact

Bryant founded the company in 2006. He grew up at construction sites, gaining a different perspective to the home building process after working with his dad on residential bridges, concrete work and later sales for developers. Bryant was looking for better ways to build with intention and efficiency when he established Alair Asheville | Red Tree, specifically diving into green building and sustainability. 

“For me, sustainability was never just about energy efficiency,” said Bryant. “It was about doing the work responsibly for the first time and creating homes that feel connected to their community.” 

The builder’s in-house interior design team allows them to guide the homebuilding process and keep everything aligned with the client’s vision from start to finish. The company relies on their relationships with local engineering companies and architects within North Carolina for a better understanding of the challenges that come with building on the western mountains’ terrain. 

The Alair Asheville | Red Tree’s design strategy in this project shows how a home can be built with care, intention and high standards and showcases how thoughtful design and construction makes an impact. 

Photos courtesy of  Alair Asheville | Red Tree 

By Taylor Moore. Taylor is an editorial assistant at Builder Media. She can be reached at taylor@builder.media. 

This story is featured in the January/February issue of  Green Home Builder, read the print version here.