The design for the character-defining architectural elements of the Portola Springs Community at Irvine Ranch is derived from the elemental classical structures found in the Italian countryside.

At Portola Springs, BCV has worked to create a distinctive community architecture rooted in this tradition.  Befitting the landscape, which transitions from lush flatlands to a more arid hillside environment, the architecture seeks to be more elemental than decorative. The plans for the community buildings and pool/recreation facilities recall both the importance of the courtyard as a magical space in Romanesque building complexes and the academic refinements of these ideas at a domestic scale by Palladio. The public buildings of Portola Springs seek to set a specific tone for this community drawing on a diversity of sources to create a “rustic classical architecture.”