About us

  • BUTTER is a design-driven architecture practice, focused on creating spaces you want to spend time in.

  • BUTTER is a nimble architecture studio, focusing on crafting beautiful spaces through collaboration. Our experience includes ADU’s, single-family homes, multi-family housing, boutique restaurants/retail spaces, mass-timber high-rises, and concert venues. We listen, research, and understand the complexities each project brings to create beautiful, yet functional, architecture.

    Our process-driven design approach gives each project a unique solution to its location, program, and user(s). We take pride in thinking through the little details that make good architecture great. 

  • BUTTER is a forward-thinking architecture studio. We love honing our craft, learning new processes, getting to know clients, discovering new materials, learning from consultants and contractors, etc. to design and build amazing spaces. 

    We iterate, conceptualize, and collaborate repeatedly, ensuring that each space is somewhere you and we want to spend time in and enjoy. Every project provides a unique challenge and opportunity to create something special. There’s no reason we can’t think of an apartment building to the same level of precision as a single-family home and vice versa.

    Our passion for architecture isn’t limited to certain typologies or scales. We enjoy working on everything from furniture pieces and decor to large-scale developments of entire city blocks. Through each project, we take the same approach to create something amazing. 

    Seriously, we love what we do, we want to create beautiful, thoughtful, meaningful spaces crafted to the level we think the world deserves.

    If you’ve made it this far, we applaud you, and would love to make your project a reality.

So why BUTTER? Maybe it’s the smoothness that reflects the seamless integration we aspire to produce in each space. Maybe we love creating designs to effortlessly melt into their context.

Or maybe, we just really love butter.

Founded in 2025, our design-driven architecture firm was founded with a vision to create meaningful spaces that resonate with the lives and experiences of their occupants. Emphasizing an acute attention to detail and a deep care for the environment, our team strives to harmonize functionality with aesthetics. We believe that each building tells a story, and through thoughtful design, we aim to shape narratives that enhance communities and foster connections. Our commitment to innovative architecture and sustainable practices ensures that every project not only meets the needs of today but also honors the legacy we leave for future generations.

Who we are

  • Zach, originally from Chicago, developed an early love for architecture inspired by the city’s iconic skyline and rich design heritage. Since then, he has been perpetually headed west and currently calls Portland, OR, home. As a design-first thinker, Zach is passionate about getting to know his clients and deeply understanding their vision for each space. On weekends, he enjoys spending time with his wife and their butter-loving dog, Winston.

    Principal/Founder — Licensed Architect Colorado

    M.Arch University of Kansas, Danish Institute for Study Abroad