University at Buffalo (UB)
November 4, 2026 at 5:00 PM
John Ronan, John & Jeanne Rowe Endowed Chair in Architecture, Illinois Institute of Technology + founding principal, John Ronan Architects
Sydney Gross Memorial Lecture
November 04, 2026 • 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm • Crosby Hall - Room 116 • Virtual option
Evening view of IIT Innovation Center (Kaplan Institute) building in Chicago .
John Ronan, FAIA, is an architect, writer and educator based in Chicago and founding principal of John Ronan Architects, where he serves as lead designer. Known for his abstract yet sensuous work exploring materiality and atmosphere, Ronan holds a Master of Architecture degree with distinction from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Michigan.
Out of the Ordinary
Ronan will discuss place, materiality, innovation and technology through selected projects from his Chicago-based firm's portfolio, including the Poetry Foundation, IIT Innovation Center, Chicago Park District Headquarters, Independence Library & Apartments, and the Fallen Journalists Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C.
Evening view of Independence Library & Apartments building in Chicago.
Headshot of John Ronan.
Ronan's work has been exhibited internationally and covered extensively by the international design press. He has lectured widely, and there are three publications on his firm's work. Ronan's writings have appeared in books, architecture journals and Poetry magazine, and his firm is the recipient of numerous honors, including multiple National AIA Architecture Awards. In 2016, his firm was one of seven international finalists for the Obama Presidential Center, and its Poetry Foundation building was included in Architectural Record's list of the best 125 buildings of the past 125 years. In 2017, Ronan received the American Academy of Arts and Letters Architecture Award, and in 2024 his firm was named winner of the competition to design the Fallen Journalists Memorial on the Mall in Washington. He is currently the John and Jeanne Rowe Endowed Professor of Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture.
The School of Architecture and Planning is an AIA CES Approved Provider. This course is AIA CES Registered and approved for 1.5 Learning Unit (LU).