We are a minority & woman-owned, sustainability-focused, queer-friendly, community-oriented architecture firm based in Portland, Oregon.
Proudly situated in Cully, the most ethnically & racially diverse Census tract in Oregon, our mission is to help communities foster a sense of identity, empowerment, and connectedness through design.
We provide full architectural services for commercial, civic, and cultural properties.
We are (2) Registered Architects in the State of Oregon.
Since our founding in 2022, we’ve had the pleasure of working on the following types of projects:
Academic: Higher-Education
Event Space
Hospitality
Office
Mixed-use
Multi-Family Housing: Market Rate & Affordable
Retail
Restaurants & Cafes
We love breathing new life into old places.
Renovations
Additions
Adaptive Reuse
Sustainable New Development
Our clients include small business owners, non-profits, developers, and community-minded institutions.
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Incusivity. Accountability. Innovation. Play.
During their architectural training, Curious co-founders Pooja & Brian worked at 14 architecture firms across the nation, from San Francisco to Seattle, D.C. to Chicago. They encountered brilliant yet jaded designers struggling to modernize the profession. Challenging the status-quo in long-established firms can be difficult and risky, especially for women and minorities.
Ultimately, they realized that unless these modern values are in the DNA of the firm, they won’t drive projects:
Inclusive design for and with historically marginalized groups of people
Proposing energy-efficient, ecological design at the outset of every project
Revisiting completed projects, because architecture is a conversation, not a lecture
Utilizing new technology to streamline design, permitting, and construction administration
The power of curiosity and collaboration to achieve these goals as a team
Curious Architects was born out of necessity, to actualize a sustainable and equitable design future that feels right at our fingertips.
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Women Business Enterprise (WBE) | Minority Business Enterprise (MBE)
Emerging Small Business (ESB) | Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE)
Certification Office for Business Inclusion & Diversity (COBID)
Certification No. 13881
“What would you say… you do here?”
When and why to contact an Architect:
Acquiring a Property
Preliminary Zoning Review
Does this property allow the type of use & occupancy I need?
Preliminary Plan Sketches / Space Layouts
Do I have enough space to do what I am envisioning?
Preliminary Sustainability Analysis
What are the advantages of one site versus another, from a sustainability perspective?
Developing a Property
Visioning & Design
What are my options in laying out my space?
How do I come up with a design theme that combines my values and my programmatic goals?
Sustainability Strategies
How can I make my property more energy & water efficient?
How will my development affect the neighborhood?
What incentives can I use to save money on efficiency upgrades?
Permit Drawings
How do I get permits through the city?
What types of hurdles should I look out for?
What options do I have to expedite permitting?
Managing a Property
BOMA Assessment
What is my rentable square footage?
Sustainability Assessment
What can I do to save money on my utility bills?
Measured Drawings
How do I get updated drawings of my space to scale?
Tenant Improvement Projects
How do I get a permit to change the use, occupancy, and/or quantity of plumbing fixtures for a new tenant?
Marketing Materials
Plans & 3D graphics to help market your rentable spaces
Space layout options for prospective tenants
Thinking about your next project?
Introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your project (location, use, timeline, etc.)
Email Pooja at
pooja@curious-architects.com
Text or call the office at
(503) 303-0987
© 2022 Curious Architects LLC
