News

Beyond the Drawings

Chicago Association of Realtors Golf Classic

Raising the Roof

Building at the water's edge

Beer Tasting + Design Presentation

Lincoln Park Transformation

Employee Spotlight - Erica Blawat, AIA

Meet Jack Callahan

Building a Traditional Jewel Box

Luxury remodel of Lake Geneva home

Home in Berlin, Germany Comes to Fruition.

Modern River Cottage

Columbus, Indiana Trip

Don’t Demolish that house. Dismantle it.

Meet Maggie Willse

Classicist, No. 16.

Meet Monica Musialowski

PAWS Chicago Golf Open 2025

Can I Lower My Floor to Improve My Basement?

2024 Summer Project Tours

Collaborating on Luxury Kitchen Trends

Modern Luxury Interiors North Shore

Tribute to Broad Shoulders 2022

De-code Electronics In Your Home

Golf Course Home Update

Tudor Kitchen Renovation

New Homes on the Boards in 2021

Celebrating 30 Years of Inspired Spaces

Mentoring Millwork Design

Finding Famous Architecture in a Cemetery

Allison Henry Interiors Alliance

Elmhurst Historic Preservation Commission

High Gables

Historic Shaw Remodel

Habitat for Humanity Build Day 2022

Aspire Design and Home Magazine

Bricks, Inc Tour + Demo

bba Architects Habitat Build Day

The Knowledge Behind Every Recommendation

Beyond Golf with Sports Simulators

Executive Spotlight: Edward Twohey

Deconstruct & Re-Use

North Center Craftsman

Employee Spotlight - Jennifer Hense, AIA

Renovate or Detonate

Meet Erin Morgani

Meet Nick Moorhouse

Habitat Build Day 2024

Creating Outdoor Spaces

BBA Architects Continue to Educate

Should You Hire an Interior Designer?

At Home in the Sheffield Neighborhood

North Side River Home Taking Shape

Building Code Undergoing a Major Change

Pool House

Building Community, One Home at a Time

What is the Property Tax Assessment Freeze and How Can it Benefit Historic Homeowners?

Urban Deep Dig #1

Thrilled to Share Our Role in New View

1880’s Historic Queen Anne

An Excellent Italian Adventure

BBA News Blog

(See full archive

September 2026

August 2026

July 2026

June 2026

May 2026

Beyond the Drawings: Experiencing Architecture in Person

Kelsey Munson on Sep 18, 2026

Architects spend years developing a project before ever experiencing the finished space. Drawings, renderings, and photographs tell much of the story, but some things can only be understood by walking through a building yourself. That was the appeal of a recent BBA team outing, which included a visit to the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed SC Johnson headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin, followed by a visit to a BBA-designed residence in Lake Delavan.

For Senior Associate Monika Hemm, the visit to SC Johnson was particularly meaningful. “It was on my bucket list, so I'm glad I was able to go.”

The visit offered the team an opportunity to look closely at the details of Wright's design, from the building's distinctive brickwork to its approach to natural light. Glass tubes were stacked, arranged, and curved to bring daylight into the building, while dozens of different brick shapes were incorporated throughout. For Monika, seeing how those individual elements came together was part of the experience. “It's like a big Lego set kit of parts,” she says. “You're just amazed at the thought that went into all of this.”

The building also offered a chance to consider how ideas from historic architecture inform contemporary design. Wright's use of “compression and release”—moving from tighter, more intimate spaces into larger ones—remains relevant to BBA's work. “We really consider the experience as you walk through a building,” Monika explains, describing how changes in scale and space guide how someone experiences a home.

At the Lake Delavan residence, the team experienced a BBA project from a different perspective. Having spent time working on the project, Monika knew the design through drawings and the design process. Being in the completed home offered a chance to appreciate qualities that are difficult to capture remotely, particularly the way the spaces connect, the views, and the natural light. “Photos sometimes don't do the quality of light justice.”

It's also an opportunity to see a project through the eyes of the people who live there. Hearing clients talk about how they use and enjoy their home provides a meaningful measure of success, not simply as an architectural exercise, but as a response to the needs and lives of the inhabitants.

Experiencing projects together adds another layer. With a group of architects in the same space, everyone notices something different. Team members point out details, connect ideas to current projects, and revisit the decisions and challenges behind work they have completed.

For Monika, that combination of learning, observation, and spending time together was ultimately what made the day valuable. After years of working intensely on architecture, there was something restorative about experiencing it without having to work on it. “It felt good to be in the architecture and not actually be working hard at it,” she says. Sometimes, stepping away from the drawings is the best way to remember the true impact of the work. 

Previous Post Next Post