About Us

Based in Portland, Oregon, Woofter Bolch Architecture is a collaborative design practice equally committed to providing excellent design and outstanding client service. We are driven to create architecture that is environmentally sound, grounded in place, and responsive to its time and culture. We emphasize optimism, simplicity, clarity, and craft in our work with a process that is focused on the best interests of the project.

Our practice is set up as an open studio that encourages teamwork and impromptu dialogue in an environment in which creativity, diligence, and humor are all highly valued. We approach all of our projects with an open mind and are inspired by and learn from the diverse knowledge and expertise of those we work with, from clients to craftspeople, from consultants to contractors.

Our studio methodology centers on an iterative, interactive design process that includes learning from all project team members, testing options, and together discovering appropriate and innovative solutions. It is a shared exploration with the client—a collective journey that involves both analysis and synthesis, both finding and making. Through thoughtful design we seek to enrich the human spirit, improve well-being and strengthen community.

DESIGN THINKING FRAMEWORK

  • Iterative
  • Non-linear
  • Multidisciplinary
  • Collaborative
  • Adaptable
  • Scalable
  • Visual

Charles Owen, Design Process Newsletter, Institute of Design, 1993

Our process emphasizes iteration and the importance of craft. We explore and test concepts using a variety of tools, from analog to digital, from physical to virtual. We see design as an accumulation of knowledge that gets richer with more input and exploration.

We work in the spirit of partnership with our clients in an open,  team-oriented process that is always focused on the best interests of the project.  We work to build trust and to establish long-term relationships. We embrace each project with determined tenacity and joyful enthusiasm.

We find beauty in simplicity and clarity and feel that design is a manifestation of values. We believe architecture should thoughtfully engage its place and use and create meaningful connections inside and out.  In our work we seek to celebrate and intensify what is special about a project’s site and situation and to create a careful balance between the familiar and the unexpected, continuity and contrast, built and natural.