Walt joined our Atlanta office in 1973 following 4 years of U.S. Air Force military service, eager to learn from John Portman and his passion for design and people-oriented urban mixed-use developments. After completing an apprenticeship in design and construction, in 1979 Walt had the opportunity to work in the design team with Mr. Portman and his son Jack over in China.

To enhance our overseas work, Walt later joined the first Portman office in Hong Kong in 1981 before moving to Shanghai in 1984 for the design of the largest foreign-invested project in China at the time – the Shanghai Centre. His work there included coordinating the optimization of the design and preparation of construction documents. His success here led to him opening Portman’s Shanghai Representative office together with Grace Tan as well as his role as Chief Representative. Shortly after, Portman established a WOFE (wholly owned foreign enterprise), Shanghai Portman Consulting Co., Ltd. of which Walt is General Manager.

Ensuring that our teams work together effectively, Walt is involved in the design and coordination between clients and our Atlanta design team. He takes great joy in travelling and representing Portman throughout China, but most of all enjoys realizing projects that enhance quality of life and uphold Portman’s design philosophy and vision.