About the program
Founded in 1981 by Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, the 2023 AIA Gold Medal recipient, Ross Barney Architects has received over 200 major awards for our commitment to community, environment, innovation, and to design excellence. Our mission is to create well-designed spaces for everyone.
Dedicated to the design of “noble” projects, those that are important to daily life and require innovative interventions, our notable projects include the Chicago Riverwalk, McDonalds’ Flagship Restaurants in Chicago and Disney World, CTA Cermak-McCormick Place and Morgan Street Stations, and the Oklahoma City Federal Building. The studio has adopted a holistic approach, engaging the client, user, and community to allow a project to grow out of its place, history, and function.
Ross Barney Architects is housed in a converted 1883 wool trade building located at 10 W Hubbard Street in a row of brick loft structures designed by Stephen Shipman, and formerly owned by Harry Weese, a renowned Chicago architect, the building had been home to his practice since the 1970’s. Ross Barney Architects located to this space in 2001 and retained much of the existing design features, including the 3 story, sky lit atrium that floods the entire studio with natural light. It has become a laboratory and proving ground for ideas about productive workspace and reflects the collaborative nature of design.