Architect John Calvin "Jack" Portman III has passed away at age 71. 

Jack, who passed away from natural causes, led Portman Architects following the death of his father, John Portman, in 2017. Jack earned a Bachelor of Architecture from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Architecture from Harvard University Graduate School of Design before beginning to practice at his father's firm in 1973. 

An obituary on the Portman Architects site commemorating Jack's life explains, "While exceedingly successful as a real estate developer, Jack was passionate about being an architect, particularly the creation of meaningful architecture with a focus on culturally sensitive design. He once said, 'The challenge of the architect is to do something that seems to belong where it is situated.'"

Portman helped lead the international expansion of his father's firm over his nearly 50-year career with the Portman Companies, particularly after the resumption of diplomatic relations between the United States and China in the 1970s. Fluent in Mandarin, Portman helped establish a global foothold for the Portman practice, engaging with massive projects in China, India, and other locales. 

More recently, the architect also helped establish the John Portman Visiting Chair in Architecture at Harvard GSD named after his father, among other philanthropic and cultural initiatives he undertook throughout his life.