The Art of Listening | Honing your Firm's Community Engagement Strategies
How can architects turn community opposition into trust, dialogue, and buy-in?
Ross Barney Architects presented “The Art of Listening: Honing Your Firm’s Community Engagement Strategies” at AIA 26. Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, and Lena Reiff, AIA, shared practical tools for active listening, tailoring engagement strategies, and centering community voices in the design process.
As Carol Ross Barney reminds us, “we should see design not just as an elite practice, but as a vital superpower available to shape a better world for all.”
For Lena Reiff, meaningful engagement means “putting the community first and listening to all voices when designing.”
Investing in Auburn Gresham | The Architect’s Newspaper
Auburn Gresham is writing its next chapter on 79th Street.
Featured in the May/June 2026 edition of The Architect’s Newspaper, Auburn Gresham Apartments shows how architecture can help restore a once-bustling street, bridge generations, and create new possibilities for a neighborhood’s future.
Thank you to The Architect’s Newspaper and Anjulie Rao for spotlighting this project and the people shaping Auburn Gresham’s future.
Read more here.
Denver Affordable Housing Challenge
Ross Barney Architects was proud to be recognized for our shortlisted entry in the Denver Affordable Housing Challenge, presented by the American Institute of Architects Colorado and the City of Denver in partnership with Buildner.
This recognition reflects Ross Barney Architects’ deep and ongoing commitment to the design of affordable housing that is thoughtful, sustainable, and rooted in place. Our proposal, “Sharing the Square: Reimagining a Denver Classic,” rethinks urban living through prefabricated construction, combining modern efficiency with Denver’s historic character. Inspired by the Denver four-square, the design honors local heritage while advancing a more adaptable and accessible housing future.
Ross Barney Architects was pleased to be shortlisted alongside a strong field of architects and designers.
Design 50 2026: Architecture | Newcity Design
Congratulations to this year’s Newcity Design 50 honorees in Architecture.
I’m lucky to know many of you, and I’m continually inspired by the imagination, rigor and generosity you bring to Chicago. Your work reminds us that architecture is not only about buildings, but about the civic life we make together.
Chicago is better because of you. Congratulations to all!
-Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, Design Principal and Founder, Ross Barney Architects, AIA Gold Medal recipient
Bisnow’s Chicago Architecture & Design Real Estate Summit
Krista Simons Gliva, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Principal at Ross Barney Architects, joined industry leaders this week at Bisnow’s Chicago Architecture & Design Real Estate Summit, bringing together voices shaping the future of our city’s built environment.
From conversations on adaptive reuse and emerging technologies to collaboration across disciplines, the panel highlighted the ideas and partnerships driving Chicago forward.
Check out the website here.
2026 ACSA - Convergence / Divergence: Designing Futures in Architecture and Education
“As the worlds of practice and academia continue to rapidly evolve, we have an opportunity (and responsibility) to better prepare students for what’s ahead: new tools, new pressures, and new possibilities for impact. The opening Plenary for the 114th Annual Meeting of The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture in Chicago, featuring my colleagues Lee Bey, Kimberly Dowdell, and Eleanor Gorski, was an energizing conversation!”
- Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, Design Principal and Founder, AIA Gold Medal Recipient
2026 Global Community Professor, University of Monterrey (UDEM)
“It was an honor to serve as a Global Community Professor at the University of Monterrey. I was truly impressed by the talent of the students and the exceptional caliber of their instructors; the creativity and rigor of the work was inspirational! This week, they visited Chicago and explored my city, as they participated in the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture conference.”
- Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, AIA Gold Medal Recipient and 2026 UDEM Global Community Professor, University of Monterrey
Future Friday: Chicago | National Building Museum
Listen in to the National Building Museum’s program, Future Fridays, as Carol Ross Barney, Michelle Woods, our client, and Ciere Boatright, the Commissioner for the Department of Planning and Design, discuss the evolution and impact of the Chicago Riverwalk.
Learn more and register here: Future Friday: Chicago | National Building Museum
Date: February 20, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm (EST)
Green Building & Design Magazine: MCC Foglia Center
“On public projects where budgets are limited, and maintenance is an ongoing concern, we often look to utilize natural materials that are expressive, durable, sustainable, and cost-effective,” said Ryan Giblin, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, in this contribution to Green Building & Design Magazine, featuring McHenry County College’s Foglia CATI.
Read the full article here.
MCC Foglia Center for Advanced Technology and Innovation featured in Dezeen
Ross Barney Architects is featured in Dezeen for the Foglia Center for Advanced Technology and Innovation at McHenry County College.
The industrial-style building exposes ducts and mechanical systems—turning the very infrastructure students study into a learning tool, writes Ben Drieth of Dezeen.
“I like this term, noble space,” said Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, Design Principal and Founder. “They couldn’t just fulfill the purpose of being a lab. The client wanted it to be aspirational.”
Read the full story here: Ross Barney Architects exposes industrial elements at technical school
DuSable Park, our City's Next Great Public Space
Chicago, get ready!
Architecture critic Lee Bey (Chicago Sun-Times) is looking ahead to 2026—and the future is bold. Among the most anticipated projects includes DuSable Park, our City’s next great public space. Read more here.
Designed by the DuSable Park Design Alliance—with Ross Barney Architects and Brook Architecture—this long-awaited park is finally coming to life. After 39 years, Chicagoans will soon have a place worthy of celebrating the city’s founder, Jean Baptiste Point DuSable.
Decades in the making and a landmark for what’s next!
Reset the Bar Architectural Record: November 2025
The November issue of Architectural Record is out — and it features a fantastic story on our Foglia Center for Advanced Technology and Innovation at McHenry County College.
A single, flexible hub unites technical programs with hybrid-learning environments built for real workforce needs.
High-impact, low-carbon, and on track for LEED Gold, the center powers the future of advanced manufacturing, robotics, welding, digital media, and more.
Bold, forward-looking design—delivered on a real-world budget.
A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to realizing this thoughtful, high-performance building for MCC. We’re proud to see it recognized among outstanding contemporary designs.