The Salt Shed, Lamar Johnson Collaborative
A mixed-use repositioning of an iconic and highly-visible site, formerly home to Morton Salt’s Headquarters. Chicago, 2022

Lifetime Achievement Award

Founded in 2006, the AIA Chicago Lifetime Achievement Award for the Profession of Architecture honors architects who have made enduring contributions to the built environment and have significantly influenced Chicago architecture, its community, and the profession.

Each calendar year, only one individual is chosen to receive this prestigious award. Any licensed architect who has practiced for 30 years or more and has been an AIA Chicago Member for 10 years or more may be nominated by any AIA Chicago Member for consideration for the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Lamar A. Johnson, FAIA, LEED AP

2026 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient

Johnson’s impact on Chicago is both deep and broad. His professional achievements include opening Gensler’s Chicago office and building it into a respected practice with over 250 employees, ultimately serving as Managing Principal. After nearly thirty-two years at Gensler, in 2017 Johnson founded Lamar Johnson Collaborative (now known as LJC Design & Engineering), a firm established under his own ownership and direction that brought together exceptional people and technology to quickly become recognized for the quality of its work and the caliber of its talent.

Read the full Press Release

Award Information

Phase 1: Nominations
Nomination Submission Window:
Week of May 4, 2026 - Friday, May 29, 2026, 5:00 PM central

Nominations may be submitted by any AIA Chicago Member, including self-nominations.

Phase 2: Finalists
Finalist Submission Window:
Wednesday, June 10, 2026 - Tuesday, June 30, 2026, 5:00 PM central

Nominees who have been selected to move on to the finalist phase will be asked to provide additional information to be presented to the AIA Chicago Board of Directors.

Submission fee: Free to nominate and submit

Nominations Closed

Purpose:

The AIA Chicago Lifetime Achievement Award for the Profession of Architecture honors architects who have made enduring contributions to the built environment and have significantly influenced Chicago architecture, its community, and the profession. Each calendar year, only one individual is chosen to receive this prestigious award.

Eligibility:

Any Licensed Architect with 30 or more years of practice, and who has been an AIA Chicago Member for at least 10 years, is eligible for nomination.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is a two-phase award submission process.

Phase 1: Nominations:

Nominations may be submitted by any AIA Chicago Member, including self-nominations.
Nominations are submitted via Online Form.
AIA Chicago staff will verify eligibility of all candidates.
Eligible candidates to move to the second phase of the selection process, and those selected will be notified shortly after nominations close.

Phase 2: Finalists:

Candidates who are eligible to move on to the finalist phase will be asked to provide additional information to be presented to the AIA Chicago Board of Directors. These materials should be compiled into a single 10 page or less PDF document:
- CV/bio
- Headshot
- Project images
- List of significant works
- Publications about/by nominee
- Peer references
- Other submission materials, as requested
The AIA Chicago Board will make a final selection and the winner will be notified in early August. The Lifetime Achievement Award will be conferred at Designight.

Candidates will be evaluated by the AIA Chicago Board of Directors on how well they meet the following criteria:

The candidate shall have created a cumulative and positive effect on the profession.
The candidate has demonstrated leadership within the architectural community and is an acknowledged ambassador for architecture beyond the architecture community.
The candidate shall be widely known by their individual quality of work; by practicing architecture, by teaching/mentoring architecture, by writing about architecture or by combination of the above.