Studio Gang receives 2026 AIA Chicago Firm Award for ‘conceptual rigor’

Studio Gang has been named the recipient of the 2026 AIA Chicago Firm Award, the highest honor presented by the Chicago chapter of the American Institute of Architects to a local architecture firm. The award recognizes a firm’s body of work, distinctive practice, and contributions to the advancement of the profession over time.

“Studio Gang embodies all this award was created to celebrate and honor,” said AIA Chicago’s Executive Director Jen Masengarb. “Over nearly thirty years, they have demonstrated what it looks like when design excellence and genuine care for community go hand in hand. The firm’s culture and core values are reflected in their thoughtful public engagement, design rigor, technical innovation, and environmental stewardship. Studio Gang is deeply rooted in Chicago, while also having a global impact on the way our profession sees its responsibility to people, place, and the planet.”

Founded by Jeanne Gang in Chicago in 1997, the firm has grown into an international practice with more than 130 architects, designers, and planners across offices in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Paris. The firm’s Chicago office is led by Design Principal and Partner Juliane Wolf.

In giving the award, the jury noted that “Studio Gang’s impact and legacy extends well beyond individual projects, encompassing global influence on sustainable design, public engagement, and the evolution of architectural practice.” The jury also noted that Studio Gang’s “conceptual rigor, technical innovation, and environmental leadership of the work actively shapes public discourse, cities, communities, and the future of the design industry.”

Studio Gang will be recognized at an AIA Chicago event on August 6 at the Chicago Architecture Center, coinciding with its exhibition Flyway City: Architecture for a Flourishing Ecosystem, which explores strategies for making cities more supportive of birds and other wildlife. The firm will formally receive the award during AIA Chicago’s Designight 2026 celebration on October 1 at the Harris Theater in Chicago.