Sharon Porter - Personal Bio

Sharon grew up in Ft. Worth, Texas and began "playing" with home design at the age of 8, grasped her love of the process during high school drafting classes, and graduated several years later from the School of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin. She then furthered her education through specialized courses such as Urban Design Studies in Oxford England, the School of Engineering at UT Austin, and two Permaculture Design courses in Colorado.

Sharon gained her first architectural license while working with a number of large architectural firms in Boston MA.  There she refined the art of assuming personal responsibility for contractual obligations, and standing her ground when it comes to protecting her client's best interests and honoring her fiduciary duty to them.

After completing her professional internship, becoming licensed and practicing architecture in Boston, Sharon yearned for the landscape and culture of the West ... so she pulled the rip-cord on city living and landed in Taos NM.  There she established her own architectural private practice which quickly grew to be a dominant design force in northern New Mexico.  Her firm, Tres Ventanas Architecture, employed a half-dozen strong and talented architects. They worked tirelessly to make their client's dreams come true, and they all (clients included) had a ton of fun in the process.

During the later phase of Sharon's time in Taos, she focused on creating development projects as a way to bring her own personal design vision into reality.  These projects offered Sharon the opportunity to "create" from the more comprehensive role of being the project owner, developer, architect and general contractor ... as well as landscape designer, interior designer and marketing maestro. Sharon's time in Taos lasted almost 20 years till 2011, when she and her husband move to Colorado in pursuit of fresh goals.

While the world watched the mortgage crisis recession settled in, Sharon took some time to pursue a personal goal and became certified as a Nutritional Therapy Consultant. This education gives Sharon a deep understanding of human anatomy, physiology and biochemistry which has proven invaluable in her quest to create healthy living environments that minimize toxic exposures. Because the quality of our shelters can have direct impact on our well being, Sharon's detailed knowledge of natural health brings unique insights to the decision making process for crafting homes and landscapes that support true wellness.

During this same period Sharon cultivated skill in the art and science of internet marketing, and she and her husband created an online eCommerce business that is still thriving today, helping people all over the world to be healthy.

A few years later Sharon moved to Durango, and Sharon added a real estate license to her tool belt in order to serve her clients at a higher level and to facilitate her own development project goals. While representing buyers and sellers as a Realtor, Sharon has gained deep insights into the psyche of how people ascribe purpose and value to real property, especially their personal homes, and what motivates them in their buying and selling decisions.

As a licensed architect and Certified Permaculture Designer, her current multi-faceted practice focuses on designing environmentally sustainable, energy independent, toxin-free homes, retreats and communities with integrated food-producing landscapes.

For decades Sharon has been cultivating her spiritual awareness and environmental education - from this, she has developed a profound respect for the "laws of nature" which form the basis of her philosophy toward design ... respect for the holistic cycles of environmental ecology can guide our design choices, so that we may live in harmony with our environment.

For fun, Sharon loves to ski, hike, garden, cook and dance!

To read Sharon's extensive professional Curriculum Vitae, click here.