Ralph Johnson grew up on the South Side of Chicago, just down the street from Frank Lloyd Wright’s R.W. Evans House. He found the design of the house fascinating, and by the time he reached grade school, he had already decided to become an architect. Johnson, never one to stray from his goals, became the first in his family to go to college.
He started his career by doing industrial architecture for Chicago’s famous stockyards. Though not a particularly glamorous job, he knew it would be a great learning experience—and he was right. From the stockyards, he eventually went on to design some of the most iconic buildings in Chicago and around the world. Outside of architecture, Johnson takes inspiration from minimalist art of the 1960s. He lives by the philosophy that the best thing anyone can do is learn from their toughest challenges.
Johnson is the Global Design Director of Perkins+Will. His career with the firm began in 1976 and in the past 10 years his projects have been honored with more than 70 national and international design awards. He was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects in 1995 and holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Illinois and a Master of Architecture from Harvard University Graduate School of Design.
He started his career by doing industrial architecture for Chicago’s famous stockyards. Though not a particularly glamorous job, he knew it would be a great learning experience—and he was right. From the stockyards, he eventually went on to design some of the most iconic buildings in Chicago and around the world. Outside of architecture, Johnson takes inspiration from minimalist art of the 1960s. He lives by the philosophy that the best thing anyone can do is learn from their toughest challenges.
Johnson is the Global Design Director of Perkins+Will. His career with the firm began in 1976 and in the past 10 years his projects have been honored with more than 70 national and international design awards. He was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects in 1995 and holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Illinois and a Master of Architecture from Harvard University Graduate School of Design.
