GP is a
Global Practice
GP Architects is an international design practice based in Chicago and Shanghai with thirty years of built work spanning five continents across a wide range of scales and typologies.
Our work has been recognized for design excellence in Architecture, Interiors, and Planning by organizations including the American Institute of Architects, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, and the Urban Land Institute, and it has earned Architecture Firm of the Year from NAIOP Chicago.
We create buildings that outperform, leasing ahead of projections, anchoring their markets, and delivering strong returns.
Driven by
Guiding Principles
Four principles guide every project GP takes on, applied with the same conviction from the first concept sketch to the finished building, regardless of scale, typology, or location.
Bold Clarity
We design with conviction, placing every decision in service of a central vision.
Measurable Value
We believe great design is not an expense but a multiplier, one we are accountable to on every project.
Personal Service
We build trust the same way we build buildings: carefully, consistently, and collaboratively.
Unexpected Ingenuity
We bring inventive thinking to every project, knowing that the best solution is often unexpected.
Founded on the
Goettsch Philosophy
Jim Goettsch FAIA founded Goettsch Partners in 2005, building on his earlier work at Lohan Associates, and led the firm for more than three decades, defining an ethos built on unwavering quality and genuine service that still guides the practice today. In 2019, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat recognized Jim’s contributions to high-rise design with its Lynn S. Beedle Lifetime Achievement Award.
Today, his standard carries forward as GP Architects under James Zheng and Paul De Santis, who lead the practice with the same commitment and rigor.
