Ross Barney Architects facts for kids

Ross Barney Architects is a company that designs buildings. It was started in 1981 by an architect named Carol Ross Barney in Chicago, Illinois. They are known for creating buildings that are good for people and the environment.

How the Company Started

The company began in February 1981 as Carol Ross Barney Architects. They worked with clients who wanted buildings for cultural or community purposes. These projects were important, even if they didn't have huge budgets. In 1982, Jim Jankowski, a friend from college, joined the team. The company's name then changed to Ross Barney + Jankowski and stayed that way from 1984 to 2006.

Two early projects that helped communities were the Cesar Chavez Multicultural Academic Center, finished in 1989, and Little Village Academy, finished in 1996. Both of these schools are still safe places in their neighborhoods today.

In 1997, the company was chosen to design the Oklahoma City Federal Building. After a very sad event in 1995, the government needed new rules for keeping public buildings safe. The new building was designed to be both safe and a thoughtful response to what happened. In 2005, Carol Ross Barney received a special award called the Thomas Jefferson Award for all her great work on public buildings.

In 2008, the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation Synagogue in Evanston, Illinois, became the first religious building to get the highest LEED certification. This means it was built in a very environmentally friendly way.

Over the years, the company has also focused on designing transportation projects. They look for ways to make cities more sustainable. For example, the Morgan Street Station for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) was the first new train station built in Chicago in over 30 years. Their understanding of city design also led to projects like the Cermak McCormick Place CTA station and the big project to expand the Chicago Riverwalk.

Cool Projects They Designed

• Chicago Riverwalk, Still being built, Chicago, Illinois
• Ohio State University South Campus Chiller Plant, Finished 2013, Columbus, Ohio
• Chicago Transit Authority CTA Morgan Street Station, Finished 2012, Chicago, Illinois
• University of Minnesota Duluth, James I Swenson Civil Engineering Building, Finished 2010, Duluth, Minnesota
• Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation, Finished 2008, Evanston, Illinois
• Oklahoma City Federal Building, Finished 2005, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Awards They've Won

• World Architecture Festival, Special Mention for Transport, CTA Morgan Street Station, 2013
• AIA/COTE Top Ten Green Projects, UMD James I Swenson Civil Engineering Building, 2013
• World Architecture Festival, Special Mention for Community, Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation, 2009
• General Services Administration, Design Award, Oklahoma City Federal Building, 2006
• American Institute of Architects, Top Award for Architecture, Little Village Academy, 2002
• American Institute of Architects, Top Award for Interior Design, Little Village Academy, 1999
• American Institute of Architects, Top Award for Architecture, Cesar Chavez Multicultural Center, 1994
• National Endowment for the Arts, Federal Design Achievement Award, 1992
• American Institute of Architects, Top Award for Architecture, Glendale Heights Post Office, 1991

Where Their Work Has Been Shown

• Jewish Museum New York and San Francisco, Reinventing Ritual: Contemporary Art and Design for Jewish Life, 2009
• Thresholds Along the Frontier: Contemporary U.S. Border Stations, 2006
• Chicago Architecture Foundation, 5 Architects, 2005
• National Building Museum, Future Design Now! The 2000 General Services Administration Design Awards, 2001
• Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Material Evidence, 2000
• Ispace, Gallery of the School of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, People + Places: The Work of Carol Ross Barney, 1999
• Art Institute of Chicago, Permanent Collection