Architecture in a Rapidly Changing World

Contemporary architect Ralph Johnson, Firmwide Design Director at Perkins&Will, is one of the most prolific and awarded American architects practicing today. Architecture in a Rapidly Changing World is a two-volume monograph commemorating his enduring career, influential legacy, and impressive portfolio of work. Taken together, the volumes explore how individual expression emerges within the context of a larger architectural practice.

Volume 1: Creative Journey encapsulates Johnson’s career from architecture school to the present, with a selection of his built and unbuilt work from 1971 to 2012, including the Contemporaine, an iconic residential high-rise in downtown Chicago. Volume 2: Recent Work explores his latest projects in more depth and includes the Tinkham Veale Student Center at Case Western Reserve University, the Shanghai Natural History Museum, the Northtown Library and Apartments, the Damen Green Line Station, and the Suzhou Science and Technology Museum. While Johnson’s approach has evolved over six decades of practice, his adherence to the core values of humanism, environmentalism, and modernism has never wavered.