People
Principals
Peter Landon, FAIA, LEED AP
Founder and Principal of Landon Bone Baker Architects, Peter Landon is known for his community-based inner city planning, development, and design work. He is a champion of “social conscious” and diversity in design, and supports neighborhood revitalization efforts across Chicago.
Peter Landon, FAIA, LEED AP
Jeff Bone
Jeff Bone was named Principal at Landon Bone Baker Architects in 1999. Jeff and the firm had learned early on that not all clients are the same; developers are well-versed in the design/build processes whereas non-profit community based-organizations are armed with a clear vision but do not always have an architecture vocabulary.
Jeff Bone, FAIA
Catherine Baker, AIA
In 2002, Catherine became a Principal at Landon Bone Baker Architects where she is using these skills to develop a direct neighborhood outreach program, which fosters better-informed communities while simultaneously gathering the data that informs design.
Catherine Baker, AIA
Associates
Jack Schroeder, AIA, LEED AP
jschroeder@landonbonebaker.com
With a strong commitment to community-based projects, Jack has focused on the field of multi-family housing, completing both affordable and market rate projects in Chicago and downstate Illinois. His extensive knowledge of green building practices and progressive city planning has helped the firm minimize its buildings’ environmental impact and improve the quality of life for residents.
Jack Schroeder, AIA, LEED AP
Trisha Girdwood, AIA
Trish’s design sensibilities are greatly influenced by her research in accessibility and universal design as well as construction detailing and sustainable building practices. As a designer and project manager she has a wide range of professional and personal experiences that tackle the challenges of creating affordable housing.
Trisha Girdwood, AIA
Allison Sorenson
accounting@landonbonebaker.com
Allison has spent over 15 years working with various Architectural firms throughout Chicago on business development and accounting. Early on she decided to make Design Firms her main focus. She found inspiration in the idea that you can maintain your bottom line, but create positive change for communities along the way. Allison has always considered it a privilege to work in such a constructive and forward thinking industry.
Allison Sorenson
Dominik Soltys, LEED AP
Dominik Soltys has focused his architectural career on the development of sensible and practical applications of technology in the context of affordable housing and commercial space. His engagement in the entire process encompasses planning, code research, technical assistance, and construction observation.
Dominik Soltys, LEED AP
Tyler Brown, LEED AP
With more than a decade of experience, Tyler has developed a particular interest in the health and life of cities, the critical relationship between communities, buildings and cities, and how a rich and sustainable built environment can contribute to the social, economic, and cultural health of the community.
Tyler Brown, LEED AP
Terran Wilson
Pursuant to her belief that it is an architect’s civic and social responsibility to pursue good design for all, Terran joined the AIA’s Center for Civic Leadership in 2016 and participates annually in AIA Chicago’s Prairie Grassroots. She currently leads the firm’s participation in the AIA 2030 Commitment.
Terran Wilson, AIA
Design Team
Josh Mings, AIA
Josh Mings, AIA, is a licensed architect in Illinois with experience in multi-family and affordable senior housing, new construction and rehab projects, commercial projects, and neighborhood planning schemes. Graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor and Master of Architecture from Tulane University, Josh focuses on ways new projects can be incorporated into the historic/existing fabric of a given area and also speak to the culture of their location. At Landon Bone Baker Architects, Josh has worked on a variety of projects and scales including the renovation of Dorchester Art + Housing Collaborative, the design of The Burnham at Woodlawn Park, the renovation of Casa Heritage Apartments and is currently working on new construction affordable senior housing buildings in Chicago, Kansas City, MO, and West Dundee, Illinois, as well as the historic preservation and renovation of the Marshall Hotel SRO in Chicago.
Outside the office, Josh is active with AIA Chicago’s Design Knowledge Community committee serving as its Co-Chair. In addition, he is involved with the Chicago chapter of Open Architecture Collaborative having previously served as Director of Fundraising and volunteering on their annual Rebuilding Together house, is active with Logan Square Preservation, and has volunteered as a juror for the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s Newhouse and Discover Design competitions. Josh believes in the passing and sharing of knowledge, speaking previously at two PechaKucha Chicago events and lecturing regarding a research fellowship previously at Tulane. In 2014, Josh participated in AIA Chicago’s Bridge 5.0 Leadership program for Young Architects. Josh is an avid painter and also enjoys reading, photography, and exploring Chicago.
Josh Mings, AIA
Hope Dinsmore
Hope Dinsmore earned a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College and a Master of Architecture from University of Virginia. Her perspective in design has been deeply informed by her time studying and working in Southern Africa and Northwestern India. Hope is fascinated by the intersection of culture and ecology, and the need for architecture and landscape design to mediate the two.
Prior to joining LBBA, Hope’s work in Chicago was centered on the design and construction of custom single family residences and small commercial spaces. At LBBA, Hope is working on the renovation of small and large multi-family residences, as well as new construction affordable housing. She has volunteered with Converge:Exchange and Architecture for Humanity and is pursuing professional accreditation.
Hope Dinsmore
Phil Schmidt, AIA, LEED AP
Phil received a Bachelor of Architecture from Kansas State University and is a licensed architect in Illinois with over 10 years of experience. His architecture background includes schools and dormitories in Chicago, high-density multi-family residential work in France, and an interest in woodworking and painting.
Currently, he is working on two multi-family projects at LBBA: a series of scattered site rehabs for POAH’s Woodlawn Roll Up and a new construction affordable 6-Flat prototype for LUCHA which is seeking Passive House Certification, an extremely ambitious set of sustainability goals focused on building air tightness and thermal performance.
Phil Schmidt, AIA, LEED AP
Cameron Acheson, Associate AIA
Cameron Acheson received her Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Interior Architecture from Auburn University. At LBBA, she is working on a variety of rehab, scattered-site, and infill affordable housing projects throughout West Town and Humboldt Park. The firm’s model of practice supports her desire to work locally with community organizations to stabilize and preserve the character of Chicago neighborhoods, and to be an advocate for the communities in which she works. She recently completed a 15,000SF interior buildout for Thresholds - a local Chicago mental health provider, whose newest space was designed to integrate primary care and mental health services for their Dincin Center of Recovery Program.
Prior to joining LBBA, Cameron worked with Rural Studio, Auburn University’s design/build architecture program. There, she served as a 5th Year and Outreach Instructor, as well as a liaison to the City of Greensboro, Alabama. Her work with the City of Greensboro aided in establishing a Parks and Recreation Department, developing a comprehensive zoning map, and designing the foundation for a long-term city master plan.
Cameron was a participant in the AIA Chicago’s Bridge 7.0 leadership program. She currently serves as an Associate Director on the AIA Chicago Board of Directors, and as an Associate Board member of archi-treasures.
Cameron Acheson, Associate AIA
Joseph Altshuler
jaltshuler@landonbonebaker.com
Joseph Altshuler received his Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Architecture from Rice University where he also assistant taught architectural history and theory. At LBBA, Joseph is currently working on a single room occupancy rehab project in Chicago’s near north side.
Joseph is fascinated by the role of storytelling, humor, and emotion in architecture. He is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of SOILED, a periodical of architectural stories that makes a mess of the built environment and the politics of space. Each issue of SOILED seeks to engage a broader public in architectural ideas from discourse to action. Always eager to make others excited about architecture, Joseph speaks about design at PechaKucha Nights in Chicago and Houston, and his writings have appeared in wide variety of publications. He is also a former board member and volunteer for Architecture for Humanity – Chicago Chapter.
Joseph Altshuler, LEED AP
Emma Jasinski
Emma Jasinski received her Masters of Architecture from Tulane University. Her architecture education and work experience focuses on an impact oriented design approach that effects broader environmental, social, political, and economic change. While in New Orleans, she worked at the Tulane City Center on Façade RENEW, a federally funded project revitalizing four under resourced commercial corridors in New Orleans. Emma has worked internationally, exploring the intersection of architecture and public health by leading the design of a community toilet facility and biodigester in rural India. Her work in India centered on a community participatory design process.
Emma joined Landon Bone Baker Architects in the summer of 2015. While at LBBA, Emma has worked on various projects including; the renovation of the historic Carling and Marshall Hotel into an affordable SRO building in Chicago’s Old Town, Kenmore Plaza, a high rise senior living renovation and Villages of Westhaven, a gut and moderate rehab of multi-family housing on Chicago’s West side.
Emma is active in exercising LBBA’s mission of good design is for everyone as she serves on the associate board of Archi-treasures and a member of the University of Chicago Place Lab’s Ethical Redevelopment Salon Series. She volunteers at the Chicago Architecture Foundation with Girls Build, Mikva Challenge and Become. She has competed in numerous social innovation including DELL Social Innovation Challenge, Clinton Global Initiative, Buckminster Fuller Challenge, and Global Citizen Award. Emma is currently an instructor for LBBA’s After School Matters Architecture and Design Spring class.
Emma Jasinski
Ashley Wendela
Ashley holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Michigan and Masters of Architecture from The University of Pennsylvania. Her past architecture experience ranges from small gallery renovations to complex, large scale corporate projects. Together with her partner, she recently completed a gut renovation of a small industrial workshop into their single family home.
Ashley is interested in how architecture frames everyday life, from an urban to intimate scale. She believes architecture can make cities more humane, beautiful, and sustainable, and she pursues these ideals on her projects at LBBA.
She is currently working on La Casa Norte Pierce House, a comprehensive community center and supportive housing project in Humbolt Park, and Kenmore Plaza, a high rise senior living renovation on Chicago's Far North Side.
Ashley has volunteered with Marwen, City Year, and Urban Habitat Chicago.
Ashley Wendela
Kate Lengacher, LEED AP BD+C
klengacher@landonbonebaker.com
Kate Lengacher earned both a Bachelor of the Arts in Architecture with a minor in Spanish and a Master of Architecture from Ball State University. In her studies she focused on the link between architecture and social opportunity in order to discover ways in which the built environment can have a positive impact both on people and the natural environment. Throughout her studies, she also has dabbled in photography seeking to capture interactions between the natural and built environments as well as the people who inhabit them. She is actively involved in the greater Chicago community by volunteering with the United States Green Building Council Illinois’ Community Engagement Committee that aims to partner with all of Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods to implement strategies that simultaneously address needs in each of these communities while creating a sustainable initiative to reduce the city’s overall carbon footprint. Kate’s volunteering experiences together with her love of photography have shaped her design calling that seeks to leave a positive trail of experiences through the medium of thoughtful architecture.
Prior to joining LBBA, Kate’s work in Chicago focused on community and civic spaces, both in the commercial and residential sectors, located in underserved neighborhoods across the city. She has volunteered with the United Way, Habitat for Humanity, Chicago Architecture Foundation as well as the USGBC’s Green Apple Day of Service. She is excited to continue her pursuit of meaningful architecture with LBBA working on affordable and multi-family housing projects throughout the city.
Kate Lengacher, LEED AP BD+C
Erin C. Sánchez
Erin earned a Bachelor of Architecture with minors in Industrial Design and Spanish from Virginia Tech in 2013. While in school, Erin was a member of design/buildLAB and worked on the design and construction of the Covington Farmers Market, which won two AIA Design Excellence awards, among others. Her experience with design/buildLAB, along with her travels and personal experiences, has greatly shaped her perspective on architecture and design. Erin believes that architects have the responsibility to design with economic, ecological, and social impact in mind. Her passion for design lies in how to improve a neighborhood without fundamentally altering and displacing the people and community within it. She believes that good design can develop strong communities and create the opportunity for change.
Erin is currently working on the renovation of large multi-family residences, as well as new construction affordable housing.
She has volunteered with the Chicago Architecture Foundation, Back 2 School Illinois, and Ronald McDonald House Charities and is currently pursuing licensure.
Erin C. Sánchez
Pedro Medrano
Pedro Medrano is a recent graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago where he received his Bachelor of Science in Architecture. Pedro is passionate about the role design plays in our lives and is committed to widening everyone’s accessibility to great design. As a native Chicagoan, he is grateful to the city that has helped foster his love for architecture, urban design, and history. Pedro is immensely interested in studying and analyzing our great cities, and is deeply committed to the idea that vibrant urban forms can come in many shapes and sizes. Pedro also loves to stay active in the organizations that support the dialogue and advancement of design. Pedro is alum of LBBA’s summer lab program where he participated both as a student and a mentor. While at UIC, Pedro served as Vice President of Arquitectos’ Student Chapter at UIC and participated in the Field Notes program.
When he isn’t fully submerging himself in his love for architecture, you can find Pedro around Chicago enjoying this amazing city, either biking along its gorgeous lakefront or listening to some live music.
Pedro Medrano
Jessica Lau
Born in Chicago, Jessica grew up in Hong Kong before moving back to Chicago to continue her education. She graduated with a B.Arch from Illinois Institute of Technology in 2015, and worked on affordable housing and residential renovations both in school and after graduation. Jessica is interested in making things by hand, especially with wood. Her furniture designs have been on display at IIT’s annual open house and around the Chicago area.
Jessica is fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin.
Jessica Lau
Perry Howell
Perry is a Graphic Design Intern at Landon Bone Baker Architects. He studied at DePaul University where he earned his Bachelors of Fine Arts in Graphic design. Due to DePaul’s Vincentian mission, which focuses on community and diversity, Perry was inspired to use his skills in design for good. He is excited to help spread LBBA’s community-based values through marketing collateral such as the firm profile, resume, and website.
In his free time, Perry loves to make and listen to music because he believes that similar to design, music can be a tool to build positive connections between people.
Perry Howell
Marketing, Outreach, and Operations
Michelle Recker
Michelle Recker is the Office Manager at Landon Bone Baker Architects. She is responsible for organizing and coordinating office operations, procedures, and resources to facilitate efficiency in front and behind the scenes.
Michelle Recker
Morgan Martinson
mmartinson@landonbonebaker.com
Morgan Martinson manages Communication and Outreach at Landon Bone Baker Architects. She received a Bachelor of Architectural Engineering from Fairmont State University and a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. While at
Penn, she co-founded via books and edited its first edition Occupation, a 187-page interdisciplinary volume that went on to receive the AIA NY Douglas Haskell Award
for Student Publication.
Dedicated to community-building and collaboration, Morgan helped to start, build, and manage a community garden and monthly market in East Garfield Park, and has volunteered her time to cross-disciplinary projects, including art direction for short films and the production and curation of installations and programmed events.
Morgan’s experience includes work as a landscape designer, where she aided in the design and documentation of several award-winning Chicago projects, notably 31st Street Harbor, Judge Fisher Apartments, and Near North Montessori School. Her passions in the field include design as a catalyst for social change, sustainable solutions with collaboration across fields and ways of thinking, and contemporary processes and modes of fabrication.
Morgan Martinson
Tess Landon
Tess Landon is the Program Coordinator for LBBA Labs, Landon Bone Baker’s high school internship program. Tess is an arts educator and administrator committed to supporting the role of the arts and design in social justice movements. She has more than ten years of experience teaching children, teens, and adults in schools, art centers, and prisons. Tess also works for Public Art Initiatives at the Chicago Park District and is part of the Teaching Collective at the Prison + Neighborhood Arts Project. Previously, she spent three years as the Director of Education and Outreach for ART WORKS Projects for Human Rights where she ran their youth education program, Workshop to Change the World. Tess has a M.Ed. in Arts in Education from Harvard and a BA in Art History from Bard College.
Tess Landon
A big part of our job as architects is to fight for the things that help tie the project into the neighborhood as a whole.
Catherine Baker, Principal
Landon Bone Baker Architects