Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Chicago is a city where architecture matters. In this video, John Ronan, Founding Principal of John Ronan Architects, breaks down the unique "DNA" of Chicago’s built environment.
Ronan describes Chicago as a deeply pragmatic place, where successful design balances practicality with poetry. Highlighting iconic examples like Mies van der Rohe’s 860 Lake Shore Drive building, he discusses how inexpensive, functional structures can achieve great artistic height.
Importantly, Chicago's global architectural reputation rests on common building types—from apartment buildings and department stores to the city jail. This shared cultural inheritance serves as a direct challenge to every modern architect practicing in the city: the opportunity to take any everyday commission and transform it into great architecture.
Chicago is a city where architecture matters. In this video, John Ronan, Founding Principal of John Ronan Architects, breaks down the unique "DNA" of Chicago’s built environment.
Ronan describes Chicago as a deeply pragmatic place, where successful design balances practicality with poetry. Highlighting iconic examples like Mies van der Rohe’s 860 Lake Shore Drive building, he discusses how inexpensive, functional structures can achieve great artistic height.
Importantly, Chicago's global architectural reputation rests on common building types—from apartment buildings and department stores to the city jail. This shared cultural inheritance serves as a direct challenge to every modern architect practicing in the city: the opportunity to take any everyday commission and transform it into great architecture.
