AIA Chicago to Honor Lamar A. Johnson, FAIA, LEED AP, Founding Partner of Lamar Johnson Collaborative (LJC), with 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award 

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 Award to be given on October 1 at Designight 2026, AIA Chicago’s signature award program, at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park 

(August 5, 2026) CHICAGO – AIA Chicago, one of the largest local chapters of The American
Institute of Architects and the collective voice of over 3,500 licensed architects, emerging
professionals, architecture students, and allied professionals, today announced that Lamar A.
Johnson, FAIA, LEED AP, cofounding partner of the Lamar Johnson Collaborative (LJC)
alongside his wife and business partner, Lisa Johnson, and former Managing Principal at
Gensler Chicago, will receive the 2026 AIA Chicago Lifetime Achievement Award Presented by
Clune Construction Company. Johnson will be honored at Designight 2026, AIA Chicago’s
signature awards program honoring Chicago architects’ global design achievements, which will
be held at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park on Thursday, October 1,
2026.

“AIA Chicago is proud to honor Lamar Johnson, FAIA, as this year’s AIA Chicago Lifetime
Achievement Award recipient,” said AIA Chicago President Kelly Moynihan, AIA. “This award
recognizes his achievement for building a global practice that shapes cities around the world,
lifting a generation of architects through intentional mentorship, and consistently proving that
great design and civic responsibility can, and should, always coexist.”

Johnson’s impact on Chicago is both deep and broad. His professional achievements include opening Gensler’s Chicago office and building it into a respected practice with over 250 employees, ultimately serving as Managing Principal. After nearly thirty-two years at Gensler, in 2017 Johnson founded Lamar Johnson Collaborative (now known as LJC Design & Engineering), a firm established under his own ownership and direction that brought together exceptional people and technology to quickly become recognized for the quality of its work and the caliber of its talent.

Johnson’s approach to his design work has been centered on the belief that the prioritization
and elevation of people, community, and the profession provides a model that can be replicated
to the benefit of the profession. Johnson’s collaborative approach attracted exceptional talent to
Gensler and LJC teams, which drew, in turn, visionary clients who trusted him with their projects
and the neighborhood and community partners who shared their mission.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is nominated by the AIA Chicago general membership and
selected by the AIA Chicago Board of Directors.
In awarding the Lifetime Achievement Award, the AIA Chicago Board of Directors noted, “There
isn’t a Chicago architect, client, or industry colleague that hasn’t heard of, worked with, or been
positively influenced by Lamar.“

Previous recipients include Adrian Smith, FAIA, RIBA (2025), Linda Searl, FAIA (2024), Cynthia Weese, FAIA (2023), Ralph Johnson, FAIA, LEED AP (2022) Stuart Cohen, FAIA (2021); Phillip C. Johnson, FAIA (2020); John Syvertsen, FAIA (2019); Peter Landon, FAIA (2018); Carol Ross Barney, FAIA (2017) among many others. 

Raised in a family where post-secondary education was not the norm and a technical profession like architecture was unheard of, Johnson received his Bachelor of Environmental Design from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Colorado at Denver. 

Understanding the importance of a diverse workforce, Johnson collaborated and worked to actively promote and elevate women and people of color within both firms. To elevate those voices, he actively embraced organizations and programs such as ACE Mentor Chicago, National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), United Way’s Board Leadership Institute, and the AIA Chicago’s Bridge Mentorship. Johnson also sought to partner with a range of small and diverse firms and to encourage AIA membership and Fellowship (FAIA) candidacy of diverse architects. 

Johnson’s support for the community extended beyond the workplace. He served on the boards of Marwen, Adler Planetarium, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, and World Business Chicago, which provided him with an understanding of the city’s challenges and opportunities and the resources needed to solve/capitalize on them. Together with his wife Lisa, Lamar supported these organizations with philanthropic gifts both personally and professionally. 

Led by Lamar Johnson, FAIA, and the teams at LJC and Gensler, significant projects include: 

Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, Transformation of the former US Steel South Works site into a global hub for quantum computing. Chicago, 2024-present; LJC 

Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation, Transformed a shuttered elementary school into a community hub to stimulate economic development and empower the youth of the Austin neighborhood. Chicago, 2025; LJC 

The Salt Shed, A mixed-use repositioning of an iconic and highly visible site, formerly home to Morton Salt’s Headquarters. Chicago, 2022; LJC 

Willis Tower Repositioning, A new base design for Willis Tower turned unused spaces into a collection of mixed-use amenities and street life that revived the iconic building. Chicago, 2021; Gensler 

PopCourts! Chicago, transformed a vacant lot at the height of the pandemic into a place for activity, gathering, and commerce and created a sense of place and identity for a community with limited access to public open spaces. Chicago, 2021; LJC 

Triangle Square, A new seven-story mixed-use development featuring apartments, condominiums, and retail space in East Bucktown. Chicago, 2021; LJC 

Fulton East, 12-story, 125,000 SF office building with ground-level retail space, 3 levels of indoor parking, and a green rooftop amenity deck for tenants. Chicago, 2020; LJC 

Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (formerly Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago), 27-story facility brings patients, clinicians, researchers, innovators, and technologists together in a 1.2M SF translational hospital where discoveries can be applied to rehabilitation care in real time, Chicago, 2017; Gensler 

Gratz Center at Fourth Presbyterian Church, 1.3M SF, LEED Silver-designed addition expands the campus with classrooms, a day school, library, 

dining and multipurpose spaces, a 350-person chapel, and a double-height gallery connecting new five-story building to original church, Chicago, 2012; Gensler 

Center on Halsted, created the Midwest’s most comprehensive community center dedicated to advancing community and securing the health and well-being of the local LGBTQIA+ community. Chicago, 2007; Gensler 

As LJC grew, Johnson renewed his commitment to AIA by co-chairing and reimagining the Large Firm Roundtable in 2023 alongside Sara Beardsley, FAIA. 

“Lamar’s dedication to the civic conversations in our city has truly exemplified the role of ‘citizen architect’, highlighted by his remarkable achievement of building two significant firms that didn’t exist in Chicago twenty years ago,” said AIA Chicago’s Executive Director Jen Masengarb, Assoc. AIA. 

Projects under Lamar Johnson’s leadership have received more than fifty major design awards, including twenty-four AlA Chicago and local AIA chapter awards, two ULI Awards for Excellence, and four ASLA Awards. 

In addition to the AIA Chicago Lifetime Achievement Award, other awards to be given during Designight 2026 are the Design Excellence Awards that recognize projects of all scales, from Architecture Extra Small to Extra Large, and Interior Architecture Small to Large. Separate awards, chosen by additional juries/committees, will be given: the Decarbonization Award, the Divine Detail Award and the Roberta Feldman Architecture for Social Justice Award which is administered by the AIA Chicago Foundation. Designight 2026 will also feature the fifth annual Lerch Bates People’s Choice Awards presented in partnership with the Chicago Architecture Center. Finalists for the juried awards, chosen by jurors from firm submissions, and the Lerch Bates People’s Choice Awards, chosen by volunteers from the Chicago Architecture Center, will be announced in August and September along with information on how the public can vote for their favorite designs. 

Designight 2026 

Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park 

205 East Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60601 

Thursday, October 1, 2026 

6:00 PM to 7:30 PM with After Party to follow 

Award Ceremony tickets will be available through the Harris Theater in the coming weeks: 

Harris Theater Box Office: 312-334-7777 

Harris Theater Website: https://www.harristheaterchicago.org 

Harris Theater Address: 205 East Randolph Street 

Theater rental and services have been underwritten through support of the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park. 

Combined Awards Ceremony and After Party tickets are available for purchase now at:

AIAChicago.org/Designight2026

 

About AIA Chicago 

With a membership exceeding 3,500 individuals—including licensed architects, architectural designers, and a broad network of industry partners and students—AIA Chicago is one of the largest and most influential local chapters of The American Institute of Architects in the country. AIA Chicago’s mission builds on the city’s architectural legacy by advocating for the profession, sharing knowledge among members, and partnering with communities. The chapter fosters a culture of design excellence for equitable, sustainable places and spaces. 

AIA Chicago offers lectures and continuing education courses; specialized, issue-specific Knowledge Communities; advocacy for architects; and help for consumers looking for an architect. 

AIA Chicago is the local Chicago chapter of The American Institute of Architects. Based in Washington, D.C., the AIA has been the leading professional membership association for licensed architects, emerging professionals, and allied partners since 1857. Learn more by visiting AIAChicago.org. 

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