Out of the Ordinary will explore the work of UM grad John Ronan and the underlying themes of his firm’s typologically diverse output which seeks to lay bare meaningful relationships between essential building elements. In an era when technological boundaries have been largely eliminated, ushering in a period of “anything goes” architectural design, the talk attempts to answer the question, “What do architects leave society once the novelty of form has worn off?

John Ronan FAIA is Founding Principal of John Ronan Architects in Chicago where he serves as Lead Designer and is known for his abstract yet sensuous work which explores materiality and space with an attention to detail. John holds a Master of Architecture degree with distinction from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Michigan. His work
has been exhibited internationally and been covered extensively by the international design press, including three publications on the firm’s work. John has lectured widely and his writings have appeared in books, architecture journals and Poetry magazine. His firm is recipient of numerous design awards, including three AIA National Architecture Awards. In 2017, John was recipient of the American Academy
of Arts and Letters Architecture Award. He is currently the John and Jeanne Rowe Endowed Chair Professor of Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture.

This memorial lecture was established to recognize John Dinkeloo’s extraordinary contributions to architecture and commemorate excellence in architectural design. This annual lecture celebrates those designers whose work combines design excellence with structural ingenuity.