AIA Chicago Firm Award 2025 Gensler architects news, America buildings prize, USA design office
AIA Chicago Firm Award 2025: Gensler, USA
June 23, 2025
AIA Chicago Announces Gensler
as Recipient of 2025 Firm Award
The Firm Award is the highest honor a Chicago firm can receive from the local chapter of The American Institute of Architects.
Columbia College Chicago Student Center building design by Gensler:
photo © Tom Harris
2025 AIA Chicago Firm Award Winner News
June 23, 2025, CHICAGO – The Chicago office of Gensler, a leading global architectural firm, has been named the 2025 recipient of the prestigious AIA Chicago Firm Award. This distinguished honor recognizes outstanding achievements and excellence in the body of work produced by a firm over a period of time, the distinctive characteristics of a firm and its operations, and the ongoing contributions of the firm to the advancement of the architectural profession.
Jane Byrne Park design by Gensler architects:
picture © Gensler
“Gensler’s impact in Chicago reaches beyond individual projects, often extending to multi-year collaborations with institutions and companies working to strengthen our city,” said AIA Chicago’s Executive Director Jen Masengarb, Assoc. AIA. “This award recognizes not only Gensler’s design expertise, but their dedication to fostering the next generation of architects who are shaping both design decisions at the firm and the future of the profession.”
Since it was established in 1997, Gensler Chicago has been responsible for transformational projects including the reimagining of Willis Tower, The Gratz Center at Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago, and the rebirth of The Post Office. The Chicago office was established to support the firm’s growing Midwest presence, with early local projects including McDonald’s Headquarters, 600 West Chicago repositioning, and the Center on Halsted. Now, with a robust team of more than 250 across 22 practice areas, Gensler Chicago has grown alongside the city, developing and innovating its expertise to better help its neighborhoods and communities thrive.
In making the award, the jury cited Gensler’s outstanding achievements in design both globally and in Chicago, showcasing why deep Chicago roots matter, and how to translate mission and vision into design excellence.
“I’ve had the honor of working in Gensler’s Chicago office for nearly two decades and am continuously inspired by the incredible work we are doing in the city and beyond. We are driven by our mission to be the premier thinkers and makers in Chicago, and feel this award is a significant validation of our efforts,” said Brian Vitale, AIA, LEED AP, Principal and Co‑Managing Director of the Chicago office. “As a born and bred Chicagoan, this humbling recognition not only represents the impact we have had on Chicago’s built environment, but it is also an invigorating reminder of our responsibility in shaping its future.”
Key Buildings by Gensler – AIA Chicago Firm Award 2025 Winner
The firm’s notable work includes:
mHUB Chicago
photo © Christopher Barrett, Design by Gensler
mHUB is the nation’s leading hardtech and manufacturing innovation center. Seeking a site accessible to public transportation with space to grow, mHUB chose to relocate its headquarters to a 1926 warehouse that had been vacant for years—a building that bridges the gap between the Kinzie Corridor and the vibrant Fulton Market.
photo © Christopher Barrett, Design by Gensler
Thoughtfully renovated by Gensler, the design celebrates the original elements of the historic structure, while utilizing open space for the tools and technology needed to support product innovation.
Columbia College Chicago – Student Center
photograph © Tom Harris
Completed in 2019, Columbia College Chicago’s five-story, 114,000-square-foot student center is the first on its expansive urban campus since the school’s founding in 1890. The structure provides students with a welcoming, inspiring hub for creativity, collaboration and chance encounters.
photo © Tom Harris
Designed by Gensler, the project was built as part of the school’s strategic vision for the future and offers more than a typical student center—actively magnifying the energy and creativity found within it, rather than simply serving as a passive container for it.
Reimagining North Michigan Avenue, Chicago
Oak Street Beach design by Gensler architects:
image © Gensler
Gensler and a team of key real estate leaders identified the northern end of North Michigan Avenue, between Chicago Avenue and Oak Street Beach, as the area with the greatest potential to elevate the North Michigan Avenue experience.
Oak Street Beach design:
picture © Gensler
On the northern end, vacancies, foreclosures, and a major repositioning have presented a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a prominent northern anchor, strengthening the entire avenue and offering pedestrians a highly engaging experience on one of the world’s most iconic high streets.Through a variety of interventions that aim to bring enhanced vibrancy and accessibility to the area, the design centers the pedestrian experience; gives the Avenue added connectivity and identity; offers reimagined opportunities to engage with art and food and beverage; and ultimately ties the pulse of the city to the beauty of the lakefront.
The jury noted that “Gensler has been consistently at the forefront of advancing the profession through mentorship and support, as well as through addressing current industry issues with substantial research and outreach at a local and national level.”
“This recognition is a testament to the dynamic and talented architects and designers, both past and present, that have made Gensler Chicago the powerhouse it is today,” said Meghan Webster, AIA, Principal and Co‑Managing Director of Gensler Chicago. “From delivering exceptional project work to pioneering initiatives that push our industry forward, our mighty and resilient team continues to set the bar for the future of design.”
Beyond the built environment, Gensler Chicago brings design into the conversation in venues across the city, ranging from business entities like World Business Chicago to civic leadership roles on the Chicago Plan Commission. The firm has also driven initiatives that support equity and inclusion in the industry, including the Gensler Apprenticeship Program (GAP), a paid apprenticeship for aspiring architects and designers that offers an alternative path to a career that does not require college.
The team at Gensler will be celebrated at the upcoming AIA Chicago Third Thursdays event on Thursday, July 17 at 6:00pm at the Gensler Chicago office, located at 11 E Madison St, Third Floor, Chicago, IL 60602.
Gensler will be conferred their award at AIA Chicago’s Designight, Chicago’s premier architectural celebration, on Thursday, September 18, 2025 at 6:00pm, at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park.
The Firm Award is selected by a jury of leaders and principals of previous AIA Chicago Firm Award recipient firms, and representatives from the recent AIA National Firm Award recipient. This year’s jury was comprised of Jury Chair Roderic Walton, FAIA, NCARB, NOMA, Principal at Moody Nolan; Pedram Farashbandi, AIA, Principal at David Baker Architects; Brad Fowler, AIA, Founding Principal at ParkFowler Plus (fka Brininstool + Lynch); Casey Huang, AIA, Partner at Mithun; Ellen Mitchell, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, Director of Sustainability and Applied Research at LPA Design Studios.
AIA Chicago
The American Institute of Architects Chicago (AIA Chicago) serves more than 4,000 licensed architects, emerging professionals, architecture students, and allied professional members in Chicago and is the second largest local AIA chapter 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.
Gensler
At Gensler, the value of our work stems from its positive impact on the human experience. We are a dynamic and collaborative design firm uniting creativity, research, and innovation to solve complex problems for our clients. Our work challenges conventional ideas about architecture and the built environment. We aren’t just designing buildings — we are reimagining cities and places that make a difference in people’s lives.
Founded in 1965, Gensler has built a team of 6,000 professionals who partner with clients in over 100 countries each year. Everything we do is guided by our mission: to create a better world through the power of design. Gensler Chicago has been part of shaping the future of the city for more than 25 years through award-winning work in collaboration with clients, civic leaders, and communities across Chicago and beyond.
AIA Chicago Firm Award 2025 winner Gensler architects USA images / information receved 230625
Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA.
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Buildings / photos for the AIA Chicago Firm Award 2025: Gensler architects USA Architecture page welcome
