John Francis Torti, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C President
As President of Torti Gallas+Partners, Mr. Torti has provided strong conceptual leadership to bring his firm to international recognition. Torti Gallas’ focus on the “architecture of real estate” has provided an important catalyst for transformation in numerous cities and suburbs around the world. The firm’s role in neighborhoods like Columbia Heights and Capper Carrolsburg in Washington, DC, City West in Cincinnati, MacArthur Park in Los Angeles and Kemer Country in Istanbul has been integral to successfully transforming these places and the lives of the people who live there. Current projects such as the revitalization of the former Walter Reed Medical Center, the addition to Rockville Town Center, and the Twinbrook Metro in the Washington Area, the Alice Griffith Neighborhood in San Francisco, and the Soyak Revitalization in Istanbul are places that are just beginning their comprehensive transformations. Torti Gallas takes its responsibility seriously to understand the shifting patterns of society and how people will live in a changing world in applying their skills to make a better world. With offices in Washington DC, Silver Spring, Tampa, Los Angeles and Istanbul, Torti Gallas has focused their practice on TransNational Urbanism, transit-oriented mixed-use architecture and mixed-income neighborhoods. Mr. Torti and his partners have built a firm that understands the inextricable tie between urban design and architecture for clients and communities. Torti Gallas has been the recipient of over 100 national and international design awards in the last 15 years, including 93 LEED Platinum Certificates, the ULI Award for Excellence for Columbia Heights, the ULI Impact Award for the Capper Carrollsburg Neighborhood in Washington, and CNU Charter Awards for Wyandanch, NY, a TOD in the poorest neighborhood on Long Island, and The Corridor Plan for South Bend, Indiana. Prior to joining Torti Gallas+Partners, Mr. Torti worked with NASA and the National Capital Planning Commission, where he worked on numerous designs to rebuild Washington after the 1968 riots. He was also a Principal in an architectural firm in the Midwest, the Director of a non-profit housing and community development corporation and a Principal with CHK Architects and Planners, the firm that is now Torti Gallas+Partners.
Mr. Torti’s professional affiliations and education include:
-American Institute of Architects College of Fellows
-Member of the National Board of the Congress for the New Urbanism
-Member of the Advisory Council for the School of Architecture at the University of Notre Dame
-US Green Building Council LEED AP BD+C
-The Paul H. Kea Medal for Leadership by the Potomac Valley Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 2007
-University of Notre Dame Bachelor of Architecture
-Catholic University of America Graduate Studies in City and Regional Planning
A selected listing of Mr. Torti’s recent speaking venues includes:
-American Institute of Architects
-Urban Land Institute
-Congress for the New Urbanism
-Multi Housing World Info Expo
-National Apartment Association
-National Association of Home Builders International Builders’ Show
-The Mayor’s Institute on City Design: Northeast
-National Conference of the American Planning Association
-Multi-Family Housing Conference
-University of Notre Dame
-University of Maryland
-Andrews University
-University of Miami
-Harvard University