Ripple Effects
What’s in a name? Our office is located on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay, at the mouth of one of the largest watersheds in the country. The actions of millions of people and businesses upstream have significant impacts on the health of our bay, and therefore our local economy. While not everyone lives in such an extreme location, we chose the name Watershed as a reminder that we all live downstream.
The alternate meaning of “a watershed moment” inspired us to start a new business while in the depths of a recession. Our founding concept was that the economic downturn could be a watershed event, stimulating people to examine the way we build and the way our communities grow, so that we can chart a more sustainable course.
Our mission is to create and improve buildings so that they to leave this region better than we found it. We want to go beyond “mitigation” or reducing the harm of development, to creating positive impacts on the natural world, positive economic gains, and positive social impacts.
Our method is threefold: to build expertise around affordable, sustainable building solutions for our hot humid climate, to create built environments that inspire a greater connection with the natural world, and to perform our work in the spirit of collaboration, sharing information with our communities and clients.
Meet the Team
At Watershed, we work with design, development, and construction teams, businesses, and homeowners to create healthy buildings and landscapes that conserve energy and resources while fostering a greater connection to the natural world. Our expertise revolves around building design, construction, and operational solutions for a hot humid climate. While the growing green building movement is international, our solutions are local.
Rebecca Dunn Bryant, AIA
Founder & Principal
Rebecca Dunn Bryant, AIA co-founded Watershed in 2008 in order to build expertise around affordable, sustainable building solutions for a hot humid climate and create built environments that inspire a greater connection with the natural world. Originally from Alabama, Rebecca moved to Colorado to study sustainable design in 1990, receiving a BA in Social Ecology from the University of Colorado and a Masters of Architecture from Tulane University.
She worked in San Francisco, New York, and Houston, before returning home to get red dirt back under her feet. Rebecca has spent almost three decades focused on sustainable design and is frequently a featured speaker at conferences across the Southeast. Her work has been recognized with a Synergy Award from the Citizen’s Environmental Coalition, a LEED Fellowship, and AIA Alabama’s Presidents Award for leadership. She was also highlighted as one of 9 “Green Leaders in Red States” and Mobile Bay’s “Top 40 under 40” class of 2011.
Rebecca’s passion for sustainable development is focused on a biophilic design approach that seeks to restore a connection to place, and design, construction, and operational strategies tailored to meet the unique challenges of a hot humid climate. While the growing green building movement is international, her approach is decidedly local.
Registered Architect in Alabama and Florida | LEED Fellow | LEED Accredited Professional, BD&C | Living Future Accredited | CAL OES Safety Assessor | Permaculture Designer
Photo Credit: ChadRilyPhoto.com
Jessica Tolbert, AIA
Architect
Originally from north of Atlanta, Jessica is a graduate of Georgia Tech and Tulane. As her graduate thesis at Tulane, she was a member of the selected design team and full-time construction team for the university’s Urban Build Program, an initiative dedicated to studying and constructing affordable housing prototypes within the context of the surrounding New Orleans community.
As an architect on the Watershed team, Jessica brings experience in luxury residential, K-12 educational, and hospitality projects. She is especially drawn to K-12 projects because of the ways they spark curiosity through design and incorporate interactive learning opportunities. She also finds inspiration in residential projects, exploring ways to simplify and elevate everyday living. What excites her the most about sustainable design is that it allows her to creatively combine modern technologies with climate-driven design strategies to build high-performing buildings.
Outside of work, she has been a Volunteer Advisory Board Member for The Barnwell Community Organization since 2022. In her free time, she enjoys hiking new trails with her husband and two dogs, trying new restaurants, and spending time at the beach.
Photo Credit: Stephen Savage
Baleigh Hull, AIA
Intern Architect
A graduate of Mississippi State, Baleigh has specialized in higher education projects, including sports fields, housing, and academic buildings. She was awarded the 2020 Arts and Humanities Award at Mississippi State’s Undergraduate Research Symposium for her research into low-income housing. In 2021, she was awarded the Burris Wagnon Travel Scholarship to study abroad and tour Renzo Piano’s “Water Projects,” which exemplify the ways that buildings can adapt to their context, respect historical culture, and emphasize environmental differences.
Baleigh is pursuing her architectural registration and is eager to roll up her sleeves on projects that inform the community of green design and help people adapt to a changing environment.
Outside of work, Baleigh loves to play with her labradoodle and fire up her competitive side in the Southern Pickleball League. She has also been a board member for Tupelo Young Professionals and the Historic Preservation Commission.