At Carrier Johnson + Culture, we define architecture through culture-focused design. We craft experiences by immersing ourselves in the unique culture of each project and shape spaces that narrate distinctive stories for the user. As multi-disciplinary placemakers, we dedicate ourselves to the positive impact people have on design and design as on the world with the end goal of elevating the human experience.
Environmental Responsibility
We think critically and creatively about how beautiful designs can perform better for their users, owners, and the planet. Each completed project is a step towards our goals of resilience, utility and beauty for the modern age.
We do this through an Integrated Design approach, which entails collaborating with clients and industry partners to explore project performance goals and options early in the design process to ensure that sustainability, resilience, and energy savings are holistically weaved into the design vision. Carrier Johnson has coordinated LEED Certification more than 60 projects across three states.
As signatories of the AIA 2030 Commitment program, our firm has pledged to significantly reduce our use of natural resources, non-renewable energy sources and waste production while simultaneously promoting the regeneration of natural resources.
Integrity & Trust
We value the strong relationships we’ve built with clients, contractors, and communities. Over the past 45 years, we’ve been fortunate to work with many clients who have repeatedly returned to us to solve their design challenges. We believe it is our duty as design professionals to do what is right for our clients, our profession, and our community. It’s how we have earned the trust of private developers and public entities across the country – by holding ourselves to exceptional standards.
Design Focus
We believe in crafting beautiful designs that respond to their urban, natural, historical, and social contexts. For us, each project is an opportunity to craft a new piece of art – an inhabitable sculpture. Our Design Principal Ray Varela, Head of Design Luca Maffey, and Director of Design Alex Gutierrez, oversee the design of each project to ensure that every technical and logistical challenge is solved with a performative and elegant solution.
Collaboration
As an interdisciplinary firm, we not only love collaborating with each other, we find even more joy in collaborating with our clients, their stakeholders, end users, and surrounding community. We know that each project we design effects more than just those who commissioned it. The built environment is just that – an environment, a collection of individual projects that don’t exist in a vacuum, but together make up the world in which we all live. Therefor, we think it only makes sense for each project to be informed by the many people it may impact.
Social Responsibility
We believe that the quality of our work is stronger when it’s influenced by and catered to the experiences of many people. Our firm thrives on the unique diversity of communities our projects serve and colorful backgrounds of our team members, who come to us from around the world. As such, we strive to incorporate the views and needs of all demographics and user groups in our work. With each project, we investigate the ethical, physical, economic and cultural implications of our design decisions on the community, environment, end users, and industry, guided by a goal of improving our world with each move we make.
We also continually strive to improve our own industry and practice by reaching out to and engaging with our greater design communities through collaborations with local schools, colleges, professional organizations, and community groups. We often host group visits to our own offices and have several in-house experts who also serve on boards, committees, and mentorship programs.