Firm Description
Architecture exists to serve people. Our approach to design is firmly rooted in the interpretation of basic human needs. We view design solutions as an integrated expression of function, purpose and sensory experience conceived in a holistic fashion to make perfect sense. How can this design best serve the people who will use it? How will it improve their lives, enhance the lives of their neighbors, serve their community and generations to come? For us, the focus remains, always, on people.PORTMAN is renowned for innovative, responsive design solutions that are sensitive to the local culture and the context in which they exist. Our architecture transcends national borders by striving for universal human appeal. Human beings are creatures of nature, perceiving their environment through the senses. Recognizing human values and the human response to space, nature, and light, we aim to weave sensory experiences into the built environment. We work to understand humanity better in order to create an environment that is more beneficial to people – culturally sensitive places that are designed for life – livable, stimulating and sustainable.
We believe in directing our energies toward an environmental architecture, born of human needs and responding to vital physical, social, and economic circumstances. While sustainability has become an industry buzzword, we have always embraced it as a responsibility. A healthy environment is intrinsically valuable and essential to a healthy society. Through the design of the built environment, we have the opportunity to positively impact the natural environment and enhance the quality of human life.
We also aspire to integrate design excellence with economic feasibility. Development knowledge and ownership interests give our team a unique perspective on the economic aspects of the design process as we resolve how to turn visionary ideas into practical realities.
We use technology, innovative systems and materials as tools to achieve our design philosophy. Buildings should serve people, not the other way around. This strong belief in how design should evolve and relate to people on a human level has sustained us and provided the world with significant and memorable projects.
