I am an architect
After 28 years with top Pacific Northwest firms—most recently as a Senior Designer and Principal at ZGF Architects—I founded GANTZ Architecture to get back to what I love most: the hands-on craft of design and working directly with people.
I offer a rare balance: you get the strategic depth and proven track record of a major firm, paired with a deeply personal, one-on-one process focused entirely on bringing your vision to life.
Design by hand
Drawing has always been my primary design tool—an immediate, unscripted way to test early ideas and catch a first glimpse of what a space can become. For me, putting pencil to paper isn't just about drafting a plan; it’s an active form of spatial problem-solving that keeps the design process human and intuitive. Outside the studio, drawing is how I record and digest the world around me. Sketching provides me information that will often find its way back into my work, enriching the spaces I design today.
Empower the future
Teaching and academic mentorship have been constants throughout my career—from teaching in Rome after graduating from the University of Oregon, to nearly a decade at Portland State University, and recent work with senior thesis students at Howard University in D.C. For my clients, this academic engagement keeps my practice connected to emerging and relative challenges of architecture and what we face as an industry. More importantly, decades of guiding students through complex design has strengthened my ability as a listener and communicator—helping me translate goals clearly, guide difficult decisions, and keep the design process engaging and collaborative.
