Chicago has a reputation as a green metropolis. As the sustainable trend grows, many architecture firms in Chicago have developed their unique styles based on the legacy of renowned environmental-focused architects such as Mies van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright.
This article introduces the 16 of the best architecture firms in Chicago, aiming to provide future architects and architect lovers alike an overview of the market’s spirit and best prepare them for the integration of its flourishing labor market.
The 16 top architecture firms in Chicago
01 – Burns and Beyerl Architects (bba Architects)
Studio overview
- Location – 1010 South Wabash Chicago, IL 60605
- Website – bbaworld.com
- Number of offices – 1
- Number of employees – 17
- Established in – 1993.
Ethos
bba Architects are built on the core values of inspiration, diligence, collaboration, and harmony. The team strives to produce sustainable homes that are both energy-efficient and cost-effective. Their 800+ clients most praise bba Architects for the superb quality of the services in comparison to the price paid.
Speciality
bba Architects are a renowned luxury specialist in high-end single-family residences from urban townhouses to lakefront cottages. Besides residential projects, they also work on restorations of manors and estate properties and custom restaurants.
02 – Cook Architectural Design Studio
Studio overview
- Location – 150 N Upper Wacker Dr #2360, Chicago, IL 60606
- Website – cookarchitectural.com
- Number of offices – 1
- Number of employees – 4
- Established in – 2009.
Ethos
Cook Architectural Design Studio is a full-service firm that takes Chicago’s green and sustainability spirit to its heart. One of the best small architecture firms in Chicago for commercial facility design, their designs utilise Green technology to create energy-conserving and sustainable architectural solutions for their clients.
Speciality
Cook Architectural Design Studio is an award-winning specialist in residential and commercial buildings. The firm has designed various luxury residences in one of the city’s most affluent neighbourhoods.
03 – Becker Architects
Studio overview
- Location – 595 Elm Pl # 225, Highland Park, IL 60035, United States
- Website – www.beckerarchitects.com
- Number of offices – 1
- Number of employees – 8
- Established in – 1982.
Ethos
Becker Architects values versatile, flexible and adaptive design in renovations and rehabilitations. Their cost-efficient upgrades for car dealers have won them more than 30 clients in the field.
Speciality
Becker Architects have designed numerous successful residential, automobile dealerships and general commercial buildings. Reputable architectural rankings such as Expertise, ChicagoArchitect and Franklin Report have recognised Becker Architects as one of Chicago’s best residential architects. Many of them have brought the firm features in various famous HGTV productions.
04 – Blender Architecture
Studio overview
- Location – 2215 W School St, Chicago, IL 60618, United States
- Website – www.blenderarchitecture.com
- Number of offices – 1
- Number of employees – 2
- Established in – 2012.
Ethos
Blender Architecture harbours a learning mindset towards its clients. With more than 50 decades of combined experience, the two founders of the firm channel their close ties with the education world to a quality-over-quantity approach.
A passionate boutique by choice, they believe in multi-sensory design and select their partners carefully to best assure the quality of their projects.
Speciality
Blender Architecture Residential has a portfolio of well-recognised commercial and institutional spaces. Besides residential projects, community and educational buildings comprise a majority of their works.
05 – Booth Hansen
Studio overview
- Location – 333 S Desplaines St, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
- Website – www.boothhansen.com
- Number of offices – 1
- Number of employees – 25
- Established in – 1980.
Ethos
Booth Hansen’s ethos is that of stewardship, connection and spirit. A medium-sized architectural firm with strong environmental awareness, they combine both the art and engineering aspects of architecture with oversight of its environmental impacts.
Speciality
Booth Hansen has an extensive portfolio of commercial, cultural, residential (both multi-family and single-family), and educational projects.
06 – dSPACE Studio
Studio overview
- Location – 2920 N Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, IL 60657
- Website – www.dspacestudio.com
- Number of offices – 1
- Number of employees – 11
- Established in – 2008.
Ethos
dSPACE strives to achieve client satisfaction via thorough communication and understanding of their client’ needs through each phase of their process. This full-service firm also incorporates environmentally sustainable technology and materials whenever possible.
Speciality
Their works span from residential, outdoor & landscape and commercial to cultural projects. Its artistic residential projects are its most highly-acclaimed works, receiving multiple AIA design awards over the years.
07 – Dirk Denison Architects
Studio overview
- Location – 1123 W. Washington Blvd. Chicago, IL 60607
- Website – www.dirkdenisonarchitects.com
- Number of offices – 2
- Number of employees – 12
- Established in – 1990
Ethos
Dirk Denison personalises its design to each client’s specific needs amid a harmony of all other aspects of the project’s surroundings such as space, design, quality, craft, materiality, and landscape.
Speciality
They work on a wide range of residential, office, galleries, educational and furniture design projects. Among them, residential projects are the most well-recognised works.
08 – KOO LLC
Studio overview
- Location – 55 W. Wacker Dr. Suite 600C, Chicago, IL
- Website – www.kooarchitecture.com
- Number of offices – 1
- Number of employees – 10
- Established in – 2005.
Ethos
KOO LLC has an experimental and innovative spirit backed up by technical precision. The founder of KOO LLC – Jackie Koo – built upon her philosophical background with a love for aesthetics to create creative and sustainable design structures.
Besides their design style, the firm also takes an unconventional approach with empowering the minorities as a certified Minority Business Enterprise, Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, and Women’s Business Enterprise. KOO LLC is also a member of the US Green Building Council.
Speciality
KOO LLC has been involved in several hospitality, residential, educational, preservation, institutional, and urban design works. The firm particularly stands out with its ability to secure innovative projects as well as reputable design awards.
09 – Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture
Studio overview
- Location – 232 N Carpenter St #1713, Chicago, IL 60607
- Website – www.hparchitecture.com
- Number of offices – 1
- Number of employees – 45
- Established in – 1987.
Ethos
Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture was AIA Chicago’s firm of the year in 2018. With thorough research, the firm has developed multiple unique and timeless buildings that beautifully harmonise with their surroundings.
Speciality
Chicago residents can spot Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture’s projects scattered throughout the city as sports stadiums, corporate, residential, educational, commercial as well as retail buildings. Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture has greatly contributed to the preservation of Chicago’s history via its restoration projects.
10 – Morgante-Wilson Architects
Studio overview
- Location – 2834 Central Street Evanston, IL 60201
- Website – morgantewilson.com
- Number of offices – 1
- Number of employees – 24
- Established in – 1987.
Ethos
Founded by a loving architect couple, liveability is the core value of Morgante-Wilson Architects’ design. Besides a comfortable living space, they also pay attention to the ecological friendliness, cost-effectiveness and energy efficiency of their buildings.
More than their main crafts, Morgante-Wilson Architects also contributes greatly to the community via philanthropic works with the City of Chicago, The Village of Wilmette and numerous community organisations to improve the surrounding living quality.
Speciality
Morgante-Wilson takes care of all the inside out aspects of a project from its overall aesthetic, architecture, interior design, to custom furniture design. Its clients trust the firm for a cohesive design of their dream home for many years to come.
11 – FitzGerald Associates Architecture
Studio overview
- Location – 912 West Lake Street, Chicago, IL 60607-1707
- Website – www.fitzgeraldassociates.net
- Number of offices – 1
- Number of employees – 44
- Established in – 1919.
Ethos
FitzGerald Associates Architecture is the 5th generation of a firm with a history of more than 102 years. Experience and expertise result in a pragmatic and efficient approach to its large scale projects. The firm utilises the latest technologies in 3D drafting and building information modelling to deliver complex projects efficiently.
Speciality
Its long history demonstrates an extensive portfolio of classic and modern architectural projects representing the classic Chicago style from residential, workplace, civic, hospitality, mixed-use, recreational, and retail projects. Many earlier Chicago high-rise structures are its original works.
12 – Studio Gang Architects
Studio overview
- Location – 1520 W Division Street, Chicago, IL 60642
- Website – studiogang.com
- Number of offices – 4
- Number of employees – 111
- Established in – 1997.
Ethos
Studio Gang is an active advocate for sustainability and eco-friendly structural design. The founder – Jeanne Gang – believes in architecture as a means to build trusting relationships between people and with the environment, and implements that spirit in all of their works. The firm aims to design structures that are experiential, social and mind-bending.
Besides architectural works, the firm is also active in publication with multiple published books and articles on various aspects of architecture.
Speciality
Studio Gang’s specialties are as unconstrained as the mindset of its founder, stretching from aviation, mixed-use, civic, educational, and residential projects of mixed shapes and sizes.
13 – JGMA
Studio overview
- Location – 223 West Ohio Street, Chicago, IL 60654
- Website – www.jgma.com
- Number of offices – 1
- Number of employees – 30
- Established in – 2010.
Ethos
JGMA is a progressive firm that believes in the ability to transform communities via contemporary, high-tech and sustainable architectures. In addition to its community projects, the firm is also actively involved in supporting its community through numerous means of pro-bono services, developing capital campaigns and connecting people to decision-makers. This is one of the most highly-acclaimed architecture studios in Chicago.
Speciality
From sports stadiums, cultural centres, healthcare, aviation, higher education, to commercial projects, JGMA continues decorating the city’s skylights as its list of supporting clients expand.
14 – moss
Studio overview
- Location – 2855 West Diversey Ave, Chicago, IL 60647
- Website – moss-design.com
- Number of offices – 1
- Number of employees – 7
Ethos
Moss’s signature style is ecological, green, holistic and sustainable architecture. Their emphasis on nature reflects through the integration of natural elements, consideration of surrounding landscapes, plenty of green and open spaces on top of the extensive use of sustainable materials. Aside from sustainability and environmental-friendliness, their works are also cost-effective and comfortable to live in.
Speciality
Moss has plenty of works in the restaurant, retail, commercial and residential fields. The firm is a part of the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s 50 Designers, 50 Ideas, 50 Wards Exhibit.
15 – Searl Lamaster Howe Architects
Studio overview
- Location – 500 N. Dearborn Street, Suite 1050, Chicago, IL 60654
- Website – www.searlarch.com
- Number of offices – 1
- Number of employees – 12
Ethos
Searl Lamaster Howe Architects works on both Contemporary and Modern styles. The firm believes in a thorough study of program, context, technology and budget to assist a project’s aesthetic.
Founded by a woman, the studio also supports female empowerment as a certified Female Business Enterprise (FBE) at the state level and holds Women Business Enterprise (WBE) status in Chicago.
Speciality
The firm focuses on residential, commercial and institutional projects. Some of their most notable AIA awards are the Chicago Small Project – Citation of Merit, Distinguished Building Award, and Interior Architecture Award.
16 – Wheeler Kearns Architects
Studio overview
- Location – 343 South Dearborn Street, Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60604
- Website – wkarch.com
- Number of offices – 1
- Number of employees – 19
- Established in – 1987.
Ethos
Cost efficiency and sustainability are the core of their work. Wheeler Kearns aims to find a “simple solution” for their work, which demonstrates by careful vetting through each building early to ensure a simple and clear direction that fits well with the project. Sustainability to Wheeler Kearns Architects is more about renovation than demolition, which they strive to incorporate into their works.
Specialty
Since the foundation, the firm has grown through several residential works until the recent shift towards the institutional sector. They pay special attention to not-for-profit clients as well.
Conclusion
Similar to Philadelphia and Austin, Chicago certainly has a lot to offer in terms architecture, and as the city grows towards environmental consciousness, it’s originality is shown in the uniqueness of its architectural firms.
This is an evolving list of Chicago’s best firms, and so if you feel we’ve missed anyone please leave a comment below and we’ll be sure to add them.
