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.
Barney is being recognized for her pursuit of architecture that betters the daily life of all who interact with it through nearly five decades of work. Barney earned her Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree, she enlisted in the U.S. Peace Corps and was deployed to Costa Rica where she worked for the fledgling Costa Rica National Park Service.
After her stint in the Peace Corps and time at the architecture firm Holabird & Root, Barney founded her practice, Ross Barney Architects, in 1981 in her native Chicago. Two years later, she was a recipient of the Plym Traveling Fellowship from University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, an opportunity that would invigorate her work in the public realm for the rest of her career.
In 1997, Barney was tasked with finding hope in the face of overwhelming tragedy as the lead designer for the Oklahoma City Federal Building. The project marked the first time a woman architect had been selected to lead such a commission. The 185,000-square-foot building, completed in 2005, integrates the necessary security measures with respect for pedestrians and the surrounding city. Seemingly at odds with the 1995 bombing incident that destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, Barney’s u-shaped design is a far cry from an impregnable fortress.
For nearly two decades, Barney championed the movement to inject new life into the Chicago River. The resulting Chicago Riverwalk is a 1.25-mile stretch of civic space that stretches from Lake Michigan to several of the river’s confluences. The park references the repurposed infrastructure that defines it in an effort to create discrete rooms between the bridges that span the river. Featuring kayak tours, a wine bar, veterans memorial, and countless public programs, the project has brought positive energy to Chicago’s urban realm and stands as a model for cities rethinking their water resources.
While Barney’s philosophy is evident in her work, she has, for nearly 30 years, delivered it to a generation of architects as an adjunct professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology. The topics of the studio courses Barney leads have been closely related to her practice, from water transportation to mixed use development that spurs a light manufacturing renaissance. Barney has also mentored countless talented architects in her studio, many of whom have built their own successful practices, become university architects, or discovered new paths through the values Barney instilled in them.
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, and, in doing so, made an indelible mark on the profession. Her pioneering approach and ethics are clear examples of the highest aspirations of architecture.
Barney’s work has been celebrated with more than 200 national and international awards, including two COTE Top Ten Awards, the 2005 AIA Award for Public Architecture, and AIA Illinois Firm Award and Gold Medal.
Related Stories
Market Data | Jan 13, 2016
Morgan Stanley bucks gloom and doom, thinks U.S. economy has legs through 2020
Strong job growth and dwindling consumer debt give rise to hope.
Architects | Jan 13, 2016
‘Socially engaged’ architect Alejandro Aravena named 2016 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate
Known for his inventive social housing initiatives in his native Chile, Aravena epitomizes the revival of a more socially engaged architect, the Pritzker jury stated.
Architects | Jan 12, 2016
Dear Architecture: It's time to create a level field for female designers
If architecture took one moment to be introspective, it would discover appalling imbalances between the opportunities for women and men, as Perkins+Will's Vershaé Hite and Brittany Eaker-Kirkland wrote in an open letter.
Great Solutions | Jan 6, 2016
Shepley Bulfinch develops elegant design solution to address behavioral issues in emergency departments
ED scheme allows staff to isolate unruly patients and visitors in a secure area.
Market Data | Jan 5, 2016
Majority of AEC firms saw growth in 2015, remain optimistic for 2016: BD+C survey
By all indications, 2015 was another solid year for U.S. architecture, engineering, and construction firms.
Architects | Jan 5, 2016
Potential vs. credential: How men and women differ in career progress
Recent research suggests that women face yet another career impediment: the confidence gap.
Architects | Dec 17, 2015
Capturing utilization and activity data in the workplace
While utilization is an important metric to inform how frequently a space is used, it’s important to consider activity data.
Architects | Dec 17, 2015
Four winners named in NYC sidewalk shed competition
Firms in the Construction Shed Design Competition made designs that are simple to build and use readily-available materials.
Architects | Dec 16, 2015
Lohan Anderson to close, join Wight & Co.
Dirk Lohan, Floyd Anderson and eight others will be hired by the Illinois-based Wight & Co. next month.
Architects | Dec 16, 2015
Architects create commission for diversity advancement
The 20-member group will assess recent data, set a plan of action, and report on results to the AIA Board of Directors.