Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, HASLA, the distinguished 2023 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal recipient, is a visionary architect, urbanist, mentor, and educator, and has relentlessly advocated that excellent design is a right, not a privilege. Through her unwavering dedication to design of public buildings and spaces that elevate our daily lives, she has produced distinctive structures and places that have become cultural icons.
Notable projects include the design of the Oklahoma City Federal Building, replacing the bombed Murrah Federal Building, the Chicago Riverwalk, flagship restaurants for McDonald's in Chicago and Disney World, NASA Aerospace Communications Facility, Railyard Park in Rogers, Arkansas, and the Searle Visitor Center at the Lincoln Park Zoo.
Carol Ross Barney will provide insights into the Searle Visitor’s Center at Lincoln Park Zoo—an architecture shaped by sustainable principles, experiential learning spaces, and a close relationship to the surrounding landscape. The Center is designed to support environmental education and public connection.