Common Chicago Guided Tour
Take a guided tour of Common Chicago, the exhibition that is part of the 2025 Chicago Architecture Biennial and showcases twenty projects that put community at its center. The projects focus on different programmatic needs, including housing, civic, institutional, and open space for a shared present and future.
Created by Ross Barney Architects Lena Reiff and Simon Peschong, the Chicago Riverwalk is presented in a reimagined model image, celebrating this activated, civic space in the heart of Chicago.
Guided Tour: Common Chicago – Chicago Architecture Biennial
Oct 19, 2025
2:00pm–3:00pm
Guided Tour: Common Chicago
at MAS Context Reading Room
1564 N Damen Ave #204, Chicago, IL 60622
America By Design; Special Feature on Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, Design Principal and Founder, Ross Barney Architects
Enjoy an engaging America By Design conversation with Mike Chapman as he gets an exclusive behind-the-scenes look from AIA Gold Medal recipient Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, Design Principal and Founder of Ross Barney Architects. Together, they explore the Chicago Riverwalk, Ross Barney Architects studio, and the LEED Platinum-certified McDonald’s Chicago flagship restaurant.
Watch on Primetime CBS News (New York Livestream) Saturday, October 11 at 9 pm (EDT)
Concrete Culture: Chicago and Beyond
Krista Simons Gliva, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, and Mordecai Scheckter, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, led a tour of the Chicago Riverwalk during ‘Concrete Culture: Chicago and Beyond, ' a symposium sponsored by UIC that focused on Chicago’s concrete legacy, contemporary design explorations and challenges, and the future of concrete-based architecture.
Click here for more information on 'Concrete Culture: Chicago and Beyond.'
Auburn Gresham Apartments
Ross Barney Architects has always advocated for quality design that serves the people of Chicago, and the Auburn Gresham Apartments are a thriving addition to the community with light-filled and connected spaces.
“It has been a privilege to collaborate with the Auburn Gresham community to bring this project to reality. Our dedicated team, including Nia Architects, alongside lead developers Evergreen Real Estate Group and Imagine Group, worked to create transformative new homes for the community," said Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, Founder and Design Principal of Ross Barney Architects.
Chicago Architecture Biennial, Studio Visit at Ross Barney Architects | Wednesday, October 1, 5–7 pm
Get an inside view of Ross Barney Architects’ architecture studio as we host the Chicago Architecture Biennial, Studio Visit. Experience the collaborative environment and learn how building designs are developed through collaboration. Click here to register.
The 2025 Biennial, themed "SHIFT: Architecture in Times of Radical Change," runs from September 19, 2025, to February 28, 2026, and includes both exhibitions and public events across the city. Click here to see more events.
Tips from the Top: Architects Share Their Advice for Success
Tips from the Top: Architects Share Their Advice for Success features insights from over sixty architects worldwide, including Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, Founder and Design Principal of Ross Barney Architects. Renowned for earning the admiration of their colleagues, these professionals share their expertise on building a successful and meaningful architectural career.
Whether you're an aspiring architect, a student, or passionate about architecture, pick up your copy here.
“Design always matters. Not just when it’s affordable or convenient.” – Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, Founder and Design Principal, Ross Barney Architects, and the 2023 AIA Gold Medal recipient
Ross Barney Architects at Open House Chicago 2025
Ross Barney Architects is proud to announce that we’re participating as a site in this year’s Open House Chicago with the Chicago Architecture Center.
This free annual architecture festival features more than 200 sites across Chicago that will open their doors the weekend of October 18–19. We look forward to welcoming visitors into the Ross Barney Architects studio again this year.
Click here for more information about Open House Chicago 2025.
Common Chicago Opening Reception, Friday, September 19, 5-7 pm
Common Chicago is an exhibition that is part of the 2025 Chicago Architecture Biennial and will showcase twenty projects that put community at its center. The projects focus on different programmatic needs, including housing, civic, institutional, and open space.
Created by Ross Barney Architects, Lena Reiff, and Simon Peschong, the Chicago Riverwalk is presented in a reimagined model image, celebrating this activated, civic space in the heart of Chicago.
The exhibition will take place at the MAS Context Reading Room, 1564 North Damen Avenue, Suite 204, Chicago, Illinois 60622, with an opening reception this Friday, September 19, 5-7 pm
Join our colleagues from Chicago-based studios that have reimagined a ‘shared present and future’. You won’t want to miss this and it’s free with no need to RSVP!
Click here for more information.
Carol Ross Barney Day
Carol Ross Barney Day, observed on September 14th, 2025, is a special occasion proclaimed by the City of Chicago to celebrate Carol Ross Barney in recognition of her receiving the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal, as well as her nearly five decades of inspiring design, dedicated service to the architecture community, and significant contributions to our built environment.
Click here to learn more about the history and career of Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, the 2023 AIA Gold Medal Recipient.
Did You Know... Ross Barney Architects contributed to the habitat restoration along the Chicago Riverwalk
Did you know, while humans enjoy summer fun on the Chicago Riverwalk, the number of fish species has significantly increased over the last 50 years. Pollution and habitat destruction negatively impacted the river’s fish, but improvements to water quality and habitat restoration have led to a rise of over 70 fish species found in the river today.
In 2005, the Friends of the Chicago River pioneered the installation of fish hotels—floating artificial habitats that provide shelter and food for fish. Ross Barney Architects and the design team contributed to this positive change by installing new fish hotels in the Jetty section of the Chicago Riverwalk during its redesign.
"They laughed when the late Mayor Richard J. Daley said there was nothing so wholesome as a fish and people should be able to pluck their lunch from the Chicago River".
Did You Know... Ross Barney Architects in Evanston, Illinois
Did you know that Evanston, Illinois, is home to several building designs by Ross Barney Architects?
Ross Barney Architects are proud and privileged to have contributed to Evanston’s urban landscape through the design of several landmark projects that have become community icons. Since the early 1990s, our work in Evanston includes notable building designs such as the LEED Platinum Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation Synagogue, the Levy Senior Center, the Howard Street/Theo Ubique Theatre, the Wells Fargo Bank (formerly World Savings Bank), and multiple design projects for the Evanston/Skokie School District 65.
Working with a community that values design excellence—functional, sustainable, cost-effective, and engaging public spaces—has been an inspiring and rewarding experience for Ross Barney Architects.
Happy 10th birthday, The 606! | Chicago Tribune
Built on the concrete remains of the century-old Bloomingdale Line—an abandoned industrial structure—the 606 has become a vibrant rails-to-trails destination, celebrating 10 years.
In 2012, architect Carol Ross Barney of Ross Barney Architects led community engagement that produced the Bloomingdale Trail and Park Framework Design Plan and contained the basic design for the 2.7-mile park. Brooklyn-based landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh later refined the design, and the park opened in 2015.
This week, The 606 marks its 10th anniversary. During planning, community members raised concerns about gentrification and displacement. Barney recalls: “One of the main issues was the disparity in income and amenities between the west and east sides of the trail. We aimed to design a space that brought neighborhoods together.” She adds, “Architecture, planning, and landscape architecture are vital, but they don’t solve social issues alone.”
Edward Keegan of the Chicago Tribune notes: “There was nothing obvious about this old Bloomingdale Line that led to its revival as a park. Yet, many residents recognized its potential and dedicated years of effort, now rewarded with its enduring beauty.”
Click here to read the column by the Chicago Tribune.