Biography

Alex Duval, through his professional and personal work, is dedicated to creating a more just, sustainable and beautiful world. He is the Founder and President of Duval Companies. The companies create design, planning, real estate development and policy solutions for public, private and nonprofit ventures that enhance the built environment. He has over eighteen years of experience working on projects in the United States, France, Italy, China, Korea and India.

Prior to founding the companies, he was a Director with Portman Financial, the private investment office of the Portman family with assets under management of over $1.5 billion; a Director with Portman Holdings, a real estate development company that has developed over 50 million square feet of space; and Project Manager with John Portman & Associates leading the design and planning of large complex projects in the US and abroad.

Duval also served as Senior Project Manager at UrbanDATA, a Chinese company based in Shanghai that is engaged in urban planning throughout China. He began his career in New York City as an AmeriCorps VISTA, working with New York City’s homeless. The experience inspired him to make places for people.

Routledge, Urban Land Institute, Princeton Architectural Press and others have published his original research and writing on urbanism. He was a participant in the exhibition that was selected to represent the United States in the US Pavilion at the 12th Venice Biennale of Architecture.

Duval holds an appointment as Associate Professor in Practice at the University of Minnesota College of Design. He has been an invited speaker at Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University, Tongji University, Georgia Institute of Technology and other institutions of higher education.

He currently serves as a member of the board and Events Chair of the Harvard Club of Minnesota and is a past member of the board of the Harvard University Alumni Real Estate Board, and the French American Chamber of Commerce in Minnesota.

Duval earned the Master in Architecture from Harvard University and graduated from the University of South Carolina with the Bachelor of Arts.