Hannah Galkin

architectural associate

With a passion for both architecture and urban planning, Hannah’s work is all about context. Drawing on her academic studies as well as a personal interest in history and classic literature, she brings a critical eye to her work by examining how it works with its surroundings. As a Midwest native, she has grown up with many examples of urban planning - some she likes, some she knows could use improvement - from Chicago to Minneapolis. Her passion for classic architecture and planning inspires her to travel to sites where she can immerse herself in different ways of looking at the built environment, zoning, and density.

Hannah has an undergraduate degree in Architecture from the University of Minnesota and a dual Master’s degree in Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Illinois.

Most inspirational or interesting space in (or out of) Chicago: The courtyard at Fourth Presbyterian Church on Michigan Avenue. When you walk into the courtyard, the way the space is designed makes the noises of the city sound quieter.

If you weren’t an architect, what would you be? I think I would be a historian, focusing mainly on the art and technology of the renaissance and baroque eras.

Top city on your list of places you want to visit: Copenhagen

An invention that you wish someone would make: The collar from the movie “UP” that lets your dog talk to you.