Founded in 2008 by Mela Breen and Dave Good, Atmosphere Design Build, is a multidisciplinary and integrated architecture, design, and construction practice rooted in a deep respect for people and place. We create soulful, high-performance, homes that unite clear architectural vision with craftsmanship and building science.
As a small, dedicated team, we work closely with our clients, guiding each project with care, clarity, and intention. Our work is shaped by a lifelong connection to the Northern California landscape and a commitment to building responsibly—crafting enduring homes that are both deeply personal and environmentally attuned.
Mela Breen
Founder + Creative Director
Mela has guided Atmosphere Design Build’s creative and philosophical direction since its inception. She grew up amongst craftspeople and filled her days building forts made of pruning clippings in the organic apple orchard her parents owned. Initially interested in becoming a writer, Mela studied English literature at Reed College and influenced by writers like Gary Snyder and Terry Tempest Williams, wanted to seek an understanding of place through the written word. However, after some time away from academics, working as a wildland firefighter and whitewater kayaking the rivers of the west, Mela decided to pursue a more direct experience in the understanding of placemaking. She returned to school to study architecture at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and since then has spent the last two decades exploring design thinking as a multiple disciplinary act – one that strives to synthesizes the poetry of form making with the practicality of a craft rooted in building science.
Mela is the mother of two boys– who have taught her about the durability of surfaces. She finds inspiration and solace in wild places– connecting to nature’s teachings through backcountry skiing, river running, biking and rambling on foot.
Erin Humphrey
Architect, CPHC
Raised in Mammoth Lakes, CA, Erin’s early job site experiences with her contractor father fostered an appreciation for buildings and construction. Spurred by her fascination with how buildings go together, Erin majored in architecture at the University of Oregon, graduating with a BArch. Her early career included work as multi-family residential design, waterproofing consultant, and overseeing the reroofing of Frank Lloyd Wright's Marin Center. Erin is a licensed California architect that has broad technical knowledge of building assemblies, provides energy modeling for all Atmosphere’s designs, and is a Certified Passive House Consultant. She listens attentively to client goals and seeks to translate their desires into buildings that are comfortable, durable, and inspiring to be in.
In addition to the built world, Erin loves mountain biking, skiing, cooking and baking. The High Sierra holds a dear spot in her heart and when the snow melts, she scrambles up granite peaks with her husband. Most importantly, however, Erin is mother to a new baby.
Dave Good
Founder + Builder, CPHC
Dave Good is an inventor at heart and seeks out solutions that use less resources. He is a well-rounded and seasoned craftsman who wore his tool belt for decades before transitioning out of the field and into leading Atmosphere’s build projects as the general manager. He is deeply committed to creating high performance buildings and was an early adopter of the Passive House Standard, becoming a Certified Passive House Consultant in 2009. When he established Atmosphere Design Build, with his wife, designer Mela Breen, it was with a clear commitment to building sustainable and resilient homes that are built with care from start to finish. Dave holds a BS in Geological Engineering, minor in Environmental Science, from the Colorado School of Mines.
Dave’s love of adventure is infectious and he is an accomplished backcountry skier, whitewater kayaker, and mountain biker. He is the person you want to follow for fresh powder lines. His favorite thing is to be in the wilderness with his family. He can also be found tinkering - making handmade skis, building out a van, or making funky yard art sculptures.
Jacob McIntire
Site Supervisor + Lead Carpenter
Jacob grew up on the edge of civilization, in the Klamath Mountains of northwestern California, and feels at home where the symmetry of the built world gives way to the wildness of nature. A detail-oriented carpenter who can form concrete or put the finishing touches on interior trim, Jacob appreciates clean lines and a clear process. He thinks there is something to be said about the design-build dialectic and working together to actualize a client’s dream and the architect’s vision. He has been building for a long while…and also found time along the way to graduate from Cal Poly Humboldt where he studied botany & soils earning a Interdisciplinary Studies, B.A.
When he’s not working or hanging out with his wife Sara and their cat Johnny Pinches, you can find him hiking the Sierra–taking in the flora or taking a cool dip in an alpine lake.
Payton Narancic
Architect
Payton grew up in the South Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, where redwood forests, coastal landscapes, and California modernism shaped her early appreciation of nature, place, and design. That appreciation led her to pursue a BArch at the University of Oregon. After working in Oakland on office and life science buildings, Payton returned to the University of Oregon to specialize in mass timber, earning a Master of Science in Architecture in 2022, where her thesis explored wildfire, forest, and building resilience through the use of mass timber in the Sierra Nevada. Before joining Atmosphere Design Build, Payton worked at a nonprofit in the northern Sierra Nevada, on the design and implementation of a cross-laminated timber (CLT) roundhouse for the native Mountain Maidu community and CLT homes as part of the post–Dixie Fire rebuild. Payton is a licensed California architect.
Outside of work, she enjoys adventures near and far, learning Norwegian, and yoga.
Mathew Moeller
Site Supervisor + Lead Carpenter
As a project supervisor, Matt enjoys and is skilled at ensuring all the building components come together properly across the different trades, materials, and stages of the project. His curiosity and ability to retain seemingly everything he reads, from the plumbing code to building science white papers, is inspiring and he is student of building science. This focus on the particular translates into an astute attention to detail, from building assembly through finish. Matt believes “if you can learn one creative skill, you can apply the same metacognitive process to any other one.”
From a young age Matt has been an avid backpacker and he appreciates spending his workdays on sites located in the foothills of Northern California. On the weekends he bakes ancient grain bread, handcrafts fresh pasta, and amongst other things researches the most recent developments in building science.
Mason Guild
Carpenter
Mason joined the Atmosphere team in 2026 and is a passionate carpenter who has experience in foundation, framing, and finish work. He loves building custom homes and takes pride in being part of a team that creates high performance homes for our clients. Mason holds a BA in Environmental Studies and Planning from Sonoma State and is also a certified EMS responder.
In his spare time, he enjoys woodworking, backpacking, hunting, playing airsoft and sharing his like with his wife Holly and their 3 dogs.
Steve Tiller
Master Carpenter + Woodworker
Steve is a master carpenter and woodworker, with over 30 years of diverse industry experience. Prior to joining the Atmosphere team, he worked as a furniture maker, product designer, and sculptor, earning recognition for his craftsmanship and was featured in a variety of media outlets. A native to Nevada County, he returned to the area to help care for family and joined the Atmosphere team. He brings a depth of creative and technical knowledge to the creation of our custom elements and architectural details and is our sage craftsman.
Outside of work, Steve is focused on his family and enjoys backcountry hiking trips and gardening.
Neil Layton
Carpenter
Neil has worked as a carpenter on tenant build-outs, restaurants, and residential projects, gaining a range of construction experience. Before becoming a carpenter, he worked in restaurants, where his craft took a different form. He is still passionate about cooking, especially smoking meat. And whether plating food or installing trim, he brings that attention to detail and commitment to craft.
Neil a proud father of 3 children and musician. In his spare time, he plays in a band.
Mike Tierney
Apprentice Carpenter + Painter
Mike is a visual artist that works with aerosol paint to create evocative pieces that often highlight the winter beauty of the mountains. He has had pieces commissioned by Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, created art for the top sheets of skis, as well shown his work in galleries. He has worked as a house painter and fine finisher and brings his artist’s eye and adventurous attitude to Atmosphere’s projects.
In the 2000’s Mike was a professional skier that stacked up first descents throughout the Tetons and was featured in ski journals and movies.
Megan Dobbs
Bookkeeper + Office Support
Megan was born and raised in Grass Valley, California and went on to study at Western Colorado University. After a well spent youth of diverse exploration including service travel, Megan settled in South Lake Tahoe. She returned to Grass Valley, in 2012, to raise her family and joined the Atmosphere team in 2022. She helps us dot our “i’s” and cross our “t’s” and brings optimism and kindness to everything she does.
Megan is mother to two boys, a skier, mountain bike rider, and baker of exceptionally good banana bread.