Recognition
9 2025 Recognition Header Railyard Park

Honors and Awards

Rai­l­yard Park — 2024 AIA Chica­go Design Excel­lence Awards, Cita­tion of Merit

Ross Bar­ney Archi­tects’ ideas and projects have been rec­og­nized by orga­ni­za­tions from around the world. The studio’s work has been exhib­it­ed in Chica­go, New York, Wash­ing­ton D.C., and San Fran­cis­co; and has received more than 200 design awards.

Per­son­al Accolades

Gold Medal, Amer­i­can Insti­tute of Archi­tects, 2023.

Design Leader, Archi­tec­tur­al Record Women in Archi­tec­ture Awards, 2022.

Notable Lead­ers in Sus­tain­abil­i­ty, Crain’s Chica­go, 2022.

Order of Lin­coln, The Lin­coln Acad­e­my of Illi­nois, 2021. 

Con­tri­bu­tion to Archi­tec­ture, Female Fron­tier Awards pow­ered by World Archi­tec­ture News, 2021.

Award for Excel­lence in Design, Lead­er­ship, and Ser­vice, Soci­ety of Archi­tec­tur­al His­to­ri­ans, 2019.

Illi­nois Medal, School of Archi­tec­ture at the Uni­ver­si­ty of Illi­nois, 2019.

Hon­orary Mem­ber­ship. Amer­i­can Soci­ety of Land­scape Archi­tects, 2018.

Game Chang­er, Metrop­o­lis Mag­a­zine, 2018.

Chicagoan of the Year, Chica­go Mag­a­zine, 2017.

Life­time of Hip­ness, Inte­ri­or Design Mag­a­zine, 2017.

Gold Medal, Amer­i­can Insti­tute of Archi­tects Illi­nois, 2015.

Award of Hon­or, Chica­go Build­ing Con­gress, 2011.

Chicagoans of the Year for Archi­tec­ture, Chica­go Tri­bune. 1997 + 2017.

CRB Chloe Jackman Photo

Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, HASLA, recipient of the 2023 AIA Gold Medal Award

Stu­dio Recognition

Ross Bar­ney Archi­tects’ ideas and projects have been rec­og­nized by orga­ni­za­tions from around the world. The studio’s work has been exhib­it­ed in Chica­go, New York, Wash­ing­ton D.C., and San Fran­cis­co; and has received more than 200 design awards.

Best Large Mid­west Archi­tec­ture Firm, The Architect’s News­pa­per, 2022.

World’s Most Inno­v­a­tive Com­pa­nies, Fast Com­pa­ny, 2022, 2019.

Nation­al Design Award for Archi­tec­ture and Inte­ri­or Design, Coop­er Hewitt, Smith­son­ian Design Muse­um, 2021.

Firm Award, Amer­i­can Insti­tute of Archi­tects Illi­nois, 2000.

Firm Award, Amer­i­can Insti­tute of Archi­tects Chica­go, 1995.

Design Awards
Railyard Park 53

Railyard Park - Archello Awards Longlist: Pavilion of the Year, 2023

Design Excel­lence Awards, Archi­tec­ture Medi­um — Cita­tion of Mer­it, Amer­i­can Insti­tute of Archi­tects Chica­go, 2024.

Lerch Bates People’s Choice Award — Final­ist, Amer­i­can Insti­tute of Archi­tects Chica­go, 2024.

AIA Hon­or Award for Region­al & Urban Design, Amer­i­can Insti­tute of Archi­tects, 2023, 2018. 

Archel­lo Awards Longlist: Pavil­ion of the Year, 2023.

Design Excel­lence Awards, Archi­tec­ture XL, Amer­i­can Insti­tute of Archi­tects Chica­go, 2023.

Inno­va­tion by Design Award, Fast Com­pa­ny Mag­a­zine, 2022.

CODA­worx Award, 2021.

Final­ist Trans­porta­tion, Col­lab­o­ra­tion of Design + Art, 2021.

Decar­boniza­tion Award, Amer­i­can Insti­tute of Archi­tects Chica­go, 2021.

Dis­tin­guished Build­ing Award, Amer­i­can Insti­tute of Archi­tects Chica­go, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2011(2), 2010, 2008, 2003, 1999, 1997(2), 1996, 1995, 1992, 1989.

World Chang­ing Idea, Fast Com­pa­ny, 2021.

7 Kendall Mc Caugherty c Hall Merrick 1217 013

O'Hare International Airport, Multi Modal Terminal - Design Excellence Awards, Architecture XL, 2023

Inter­na­tion­al Archi­tec­ture Award, Chica­go Athenaeum Muse­um and Design Cen­ter and the Euro­pean Cen­ter for Archi­tec­ture Art Design and Urban Stud­ies, 2020.

Best of Award, Unbuilt, The Archi­tects News­pa­per, 2020.

Inter­na­tion­al Archi­tec­ture Award, Chica­go Athenaeum Muse­um and Design Cen­ter and the Euro­pean Cen­ter for Archi­tec­ture Art Design and Urban Stud­ies, 2020.

Divine Detail Award, Amer­i­can Insti­tute of Archi­tects Chica­go, 2019, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2005, 2003, 1997, 1995.

AIA Hon­or Award for Archi­tec­ture, Amer­i­can Insti­tute of Archi­tects, 2018, 1999, 1994, 1991.

Archi­tec­ture + Urban Trans­for­ma­tion (Pop­u­lar Choice and Jury Hon­or), Archi­tiz­er, 2018.

Glob­al Award for Excel­lence, Urban Land Insti­tute, 2018.

Hon­or Award, Amer­i­can Soci­ety of Land­scape Archi­tects, 2017.

Nation­al Plan­ning Excel­lence Award for Urban Design, Amer­i­can Plan­ning Asso­ci­a­tion, 2016.

Trans­porta­tion High Com­men­da­tion, World Archi­tec­ture Fes­ti­val, 2013.

COTE Top Ten Award, Amer­i­can Insti­tute of Archi­tects, 2013, 2009.

Sus­tain­ABIL­I­TY Award, Amer­i­can Insti­tute of Archi­tects Chica­go, 2013, 2012, 2004.

Inte­ri­or Archi­tec­ture Award, Amer­i­can Insti­tute of Archi­tects Chica­go, 2009, 2005, 2003, 2002 (2), 1997, 1996, 1994.

Com­mu­ni­ty Build­ings High Com­men­da­tion, World Archi­tec­ture Fes­ti­val, 2009.

Archi­tec­tur­al Excel­lence in Com­mu­ni­ty Design, Richard H. Driehaus Foun­da­tion, 2006, 2002, 2001.

AIA Hon­or Award for Inte­ri­or Archi­tec­ture, Amer­i­can Insti­tute of Archi­tects, 2002.

Fed­er­al Design Achieve­ment, Nation­al Endow­ment of the Arts, 1992.

Exhi­bi­tions

Venice Archi­tec­ture Bien­nale, Venice, Italy, 2025.

DIS­RUPTERS: 50 Years of Chica­go Women in Archi­tec­ture, Chica­go Archi­tec­ture Cen­ter, Chica­go, Illi­nois, 2024.

ReCov­ered: Chicago’s Urban Tree Canopy, Chica­go Archi­tec­ture Cen­ter, Chica­go, Illi­nois, 2023.

Par­al­lel His­to­ries, Chica­go Archi­tec­ture Bien­ni­al, Chica­go, Illi­nois, 2023.

From Me to We: Imag­in­ing the City of 2050, Chica­go Archi­tec­ture Cen­ter, Chica­go, Illi­nois, 2019.

Riv­er Edge Ideas Lab, Chica­go Archi­tec­ture Bien­ni­al (spon­sored by the City of Chica­go Depart­ment of Plan­ning and Devel­op­ment and the Met­ro­pol­i­tan Plan­ning Coun­cil), Chica­go, Illi­nois, 2017.

50 Design­ers, 50 Ideas, 50 Wards, Chica­go Archi­tec­ture Cen­ter, Chica­go, Illi­nois, 2016.

Fit Nation, The Cen­ter for Archi­tec­ture, New York City, New York, 2013. 

Rein­vent­ing Rit­u­al: Con­tem­po­rary Art and Design for Jew­ish Life, The Jew­ish Muse­um. New York City, New York and San Fran­cis­co, Cal­i­for­nia, 2009 – 2010.

Parallel Histories 05 c Hall Merrick Mc Caugherty Photographers 1

Parallel Histories, Chicago Architecture Biennial

Thresh­olds Along the Fron­tier: Con­tem­po­rary U.S. Bor­der Sta­tions, Gen­er­al Ser­vices Admin­is­tra­tion, Trav­el­ing, 2007.

5 Archi­tects (Car­ol Ross Bar­ney, Jeanne Gang, Zaha Hadid, Kazuyo Seji­ma, Julie Snow), Chica­go Archi­tec­ture Foun­da­tion, Chica­go, Illi­nois, 2005.

Renew­ing, Rebuild­ing, Remem­ber­ing, Van Alen Insti­tute, New York City, New York, 2002. 

Fed­er­al Design Now! The 2000 GSA Design Awards, Nation­al Build­ing Muse­um, Wash­ing­ton, D.C. 2001.

Mate­r­i­al Evi­dence: Chica­go Archi­tec­ture at 2000, Muse­um of Con­tem­po­rary Art Chica­go, Chica­go, Illi­nois, 2000.

Peo­ple + Places, The Work of Car­ol Ross Bar­ney, Ispace, Gallery of the School of Fine and Applied Arts at the Uni­ver­si­ty of Illi­nois Urbana Cham­paign, Chica­go, Illi­nois, 1999 – 2000.

Up arrow