Key architects Carol Ross Barney Founder Carol Ross Barney | Location Chicago, Illinois Founded 1981 | |
Ross barney architects ethos
Ross Barney Architects is an architectural firm founded in 1981 by Carol Ross Barney in Chicago, Illinois.
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History
Organized in February 1981 as Carol Ross Barney Architects, the firm served clients with cultural and social agendas but not necessarily high profile, big budgets. These clients were similar to ones founder, Carol Ross Barney, had worked with at Holabird and Root. In 1982, Jim Jankowski, FAIA, a college classmate of Carol's, joined the fledgling practice and the name changed to Ross Barney + Jankowski from 1984-2006.
The Cesar Chavez Multicultural Academic Center, completed in 1989, and Little Village Academy, completed in 1996, are early works of community conscious design. Today both schools have remained neighborhood sanctuaries virtually devoid of gang sponsored graffiti.
In 1997, the firm was chosen to design the Oklahoma City Federal Building. Following the attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in 1995, the General Services Administration was tasked with developing standards for the protection of government buildings. The new building was both the philosophical and practical response to the tragedy. In 2005, Carol Ross Barney was awarded the Thomas Jefferson Award from the American Institute of Architects for her distinguished portfolio of public work.
In 2008, the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation Synagogue in Evanston, Illinois, was the first house of worship to receive the highest LEED certification achievable by a building.
Throughout the studios history, a focus on transportation infrastructure has evolved, allowing them to look for sustainable solutions at an urban scale. The Morgan Street Station for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is the first new inter system station constructed in more than thirty years. This acute understanding has led to designs for the Cermak McCormick Place CTA station and the multi-phase expansion of the Chicago Riverwalk.