Winner of the 2023 AIA Gold Medal
Noble — but not prestigious — projects were the foundation of the remarkable career built by Design Principal and Founder, Carol Ross Barney, FAIA. As the 2023 Gold Medal recipient, Carol took the stage at A’23 in San Francisco as the first living woman to individually accept the award.
Take a look at the video as Carol shares highlights from her 40-plus years in the profession.
One of the things that thrills me most about the Gold Medal is the recognition of Chicago.
Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, 2023 AIA Gold Medal Recipient
“A resolution adopted by The City Council of the City of Chicago, Illinois. Presented by Alderman Brendan Reilly on September 14, 2023.
WHEREAS, Architect Carol Ross Barney has been at the forefront of contemporary civic space design since the founding of Ross Barney Architects in 1981 in Chicago, IL; and
WHEREAS, Carol graduated from the University of Illinois School of Architecture in 1971, receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Architecture; and
WHEREAS, Carol has been a tireless advocate for great design as a right, not a privilege, and that cities everywhere should embrace it to further equity and quality of life aims; and
WHEREAS, Carol’s architectural and planning contributions have left an indelible mark from Costa Rica to Oklahoma City to Chicago, and through every conceivable type of intervention — including the design of parks, government buildings, schools, libraries, flagship retail buildings, and CTA stations; and
WHEREAS, Carol became the first woman to design a federal building when commissioned in 1997 as lead architect for the new Oklahoma City Federal Building, which replaced the bombed Alfred B. Murrah Federal Building; and
WHEREAS, Carol’s vision for and 20-year investment in improving and extending the Chicago Riverwalk, completed in 2016, helped transform a forlorn waterfront into a great public space and a recreational asset for millions to enjoy annually; and
WHEREAS, In addition to her commitment to enriching the urban experience, Carol has long showcased environmental sustainability in her buildings to inspire others to live responsibly and break boundaries in their own ways; and
WHEREAS, throughout her career, Carol has sought to advance opportunities for female architects, co-founding Chicago Women in Architecture in 1971 to unite against the numerous challenges to women in the profession, which persist to a somewhat less degree today; and
WHEREAS, Carol continually teaches, mentors, and empowers young architects to contribute their ideas and designs to progress the profession; and
WHEREAS, Carol was awarded the 2023 Gold Medal from the American Institute of Architects, the most prestigious national honor an architect can receive for their influence on the profession; and
WHEREAS, Carol is the first living woman to solely receive the AIA Gold Medal and the first Chicago architect to win since Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe in 1960; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, The Mayor and the members of the City Council of the City of Chicago do hereby proclaim Wednesday, September 14th, 2023 as Carol Ross Barney Day in the City of Chicago in recognition of Carol’s nearly 50 years of inspiring services to her profession and to the vitality of our city, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Carol Ross Barney and her loving family.
Signed,
Brandon Johnson, Mayor
Andrea M. Valencia, City Clerk”
“Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, is the founder of her eponymous, Chicago-based firm Ross Barney Architects. She has won more than 200 awards over more than four decades of practice, continuing the Windy City’s storied heritage of trailblazing architects. Ross Barney is just the second woman to be individually honored with the AIA Gold Medal.”
The Board of Directors and the Strategic Council of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) are honoring Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, with the 2023 Gold Medal.
The Gold Medal honors an individual whose significant body of work has had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture.
Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, Hon. ASLA has been in the vanguard of civic space design since founding Ross Barney Architects in 1981. With a career that spans fifty years, Carol has made significant contributions to the built environment, the profession, and architectural education. From her early days in the United States Peace Corps planning National Parks in Costa Rica to collaborations with public agencies designing civic spaces that are sustainable, Carol has relentlessly advocated that excellent design is a right, not a privilege.
Her body of work, being almost exclusively in the public realm, represents these aspirations and occupies a unique place within the panorama of contemporary architecture.
Carol’s projects vary in type and scale, but always uphold a deep commitment to the quality of life. This commitment manifests into spaces that enrich the metropolitan experience; buildings that are environmental stewards, embodying and showcasing sustainability; and spaces that inspire young, curious minds to learn, invent, and break boundaries.
An unrivaled architect for the people, Barney exudes design excellence, social responsibility, and generosity. Throughout all of her work, she has endeavored to make the world a better place.
2023 AIA Gold Medal Press Release
Philosophy
The work of Carol exudes a lack of pretense about often forgotten buildings and infrastructure, the lifeblood of our cities, to be united through design.
To date she has realized a remarkable succession of compelling projects. Each takes on a honed process of giving voice to all members of a community. It is the ability to listen with intention to the history, context, and aspirations of a community first, and then respond. It is a story, told through design, about fairness, equity, and inspiration.
By creating a place for people and ideas to come together, architecture becomes a medium for experiences to be shared and memories to be made.
Educator and Mentor
Carol’s commitment to education has embedded a generation of architects with her philosophy of designing for people while driving the importance of adapting sustainable systems.
Research topics have been interrelated to active explorations; water transportation, equitable mixed-used developments, material innovations such as heavy timber, and floating markets. Her popular design studio at IIT has garnered interest from a wide cross section of students in Architecture, Urbanism, & Landscape Architecture.
Selected Teaching Experience:
Adjunct Professor, IIT, 1993-present
Pelli Distinguished Lecturer, UIUC, 2022
Bruce Goff Chair of Creative Architecture, OU, 2002
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Architecture, UIC, 1976 – 1978
Equity in Practice and Design
At the forefront for equity in the architectural profession, Carol has long sought to move beyond her gender as a contributing factor or hindrance to success. But it’s not enough just to blaze the trail, Carol continually teaches, mentors, and empowers young architects to contribute their ideas and designs to progress the profession. Her focus on social justice and public good has attracted a dedicated group of architects to her studio.
Environmental Stewardship
Carol has a deep commitment to sustainable design, whether or not a project pursues industry Certifications. Pairing environmental stewardship, energy performance and design excellence is the challenge. Her building designs take these contradictory ideas and put them in harmony.
Ross Barney Architects has been a leader of sustainable design strategies, long before it was fashionable, integrating a belief in planetary stewardship. We know that making buildings sustainable for the environment, the community, our clients, and the world is the single existential challenge of our time.
Designing Democracy
Carol believes that excellent design is a human right.
Architecture must be welcoming and inclusive; inviting all community members to come together.
Good design is democratic, protecting and creating healthy and sustainable environments for the earth’s people.
Infrastructure of Hope
Typically, designing infrastructure is not even considered architecture.
Infrastructure plays a vital role in the connectivity and efficiency of our cities. And its design contributes to the quality of urban life.
With a growing portfolio of projects situated on these “fringes of architecture”, Carol has continued to tackle increasingly complex cultural, social, and spatial challenges; transforming everyday moments into design opportunities.
Repairing the World
Carol’s embrace of sustainability is inspired by her service with the U.S. Peace Corps for the National Parks of Costa Rica where she worked on the restoration of natural ecologies.
With a remarkable succession of projects at all scales and uses, and whether or not it received a LEED certification, each project embeds sustainable principles. It is this ethical belief that a project should improve the world and teach the community about environmental stewardship.
About the Gold Medal
The Gold Medal honors an individual whose significant body of work has had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture.
Jury:
Nathaniel Hudson, AIA, Chair, FormGrey Studio, Reno, Nev.
Joseph Benjamin, AIA, Lake | Flato, San Antonio
Arathi P. Gowda, AIA, ZGF Architects, Washington, D.C.
Anne Hicks Harney, FAIA, Long Green Specs, Manasquan, N.J.
Jaime Torres Carmona, AIA, Canopy/architecture + design, Chicago
Andrew Tyley, RIAI, RSHP formerly Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, London, United Kingdom
Melodie Yashar, ICON, Austin, Texas
From the Press:
ArchDaily: “An Unrivaled Architect for the People”, Carol Ross Barney Receives the 2023 AIA Gold Medal
Architect Magazine: Carol Ross Barney Wins 2023 AIA Gold Medal
The Architect’s Newspaper: AIA awards 2023 Gold Medal to Carol Ross Barney
Architectural Record: Carol Ross Barney Wins the 2023 AIA Gold Medal
Architectural Record DESIGN:ED Podcast: Conversations with Leading Professionals — Carol Ross Barney
Chicago Sun-Times: Riverwalk designer brings home the gold, wins architecture’s highest award
CityLab: Construction Paper: Carol Ross Barney Wins US Architecture’s Highest Honor
Daily Herald: ‘An unrivaled architect for the people’: Former North Shore resident wins AIA’s highest honor
Dezeen: “Unrivaled architect for the people” Carol Ross Barney wins 2023 AIA Gold Medal
ENR Midwest: Five Minutes with Carol Ross Barney
IIT COA News: Faculty Member Carol Ross Barney wins Prestigious AIA Gold Medal
Office Insight: AIA Gold Medal to Carol Ross Barney for architecture “that betters daily life“
The Plan: AIA Gold Medal 2023 to Carol Ross Barney
WTTW: Chicago Architect Behind Riverwalk, CTA Stations and Eye-Catching McDonalds Designs Awarded Prestigious Medal (Video Interview)
For additional information about Ross Barney Architects, please contact:
Laura Saviano, Marketing Principal
las@r‑barc.com