Joan Russick

senior project architect

Joan is a whole-brain architect whose work is inspired in equal measure by creative impulses and technical rigor. She’s known in the office for her ability to translate design details into reality, having made a name for herself in both architecture and interior design. Her experience in corporate interiors, tenant buildouts, and hospitality spaces is the product of wanting to always try something new, which was a big reason for joining OKW.

When she’s not wearing her architect hat, this Midwesterner-by-way-of-Oregon is volunteering at the Chicago History Museum, listening to indie rock, cycling, making her own furniture, or playing the trombone. Joan is also our firm’s champion for Habitat for Humanity’s yearly Women BUILD event, where she is a passionate and tireless fundraiser.

A word or phrase that you wish everyone would stop using: “Teamwork makes the dream work.” It’s the rhyme that irks, not the sentiment.

Favorite sport to watch and/or play: Watch: Cycling. Play: Touch football. Listen to on the radio: White Sox baseball, pretty much every night.

Most inspirational or interesting spaces: Istanbul, specifically the Beyoglu neighborhood. In Chicago, underneath the Lake Street L tracks.