September 2026

What We're Celebrating

Three cheers to some stellar accomplishments!

LJC Design & Engineering is shaping its next chapter with a sharper focus on design, innovation, and growth.

Tyler Meyr has been named President, Design & Innovation, a new title that reflects his continued leadership across our integrated practice. Elizabeth Zucker has been named President, Business & Strategy, marking a new focus for her leadership on business strategy, client relationships, and growth.

Tyler will continue championing design excellence and advancing innovation, bringing disciplines and markets together to expand what we can achieve for our clients. Elizabeth will focus on deepening client partnerships, developing our people, and opening new opportunities for the firm.

As part of the Clayco Enterprise, LJC brings this leadership and expertise together with broader resources and perspectives to help our clients navigate complex challenges.

Together, they will connect creative ambition with strategic direction, empowering our teams to solve complex challenges and deliver lasting impact for our clients and communities.

Stay Tuned for the Announcement of the Lerch Bates Inc. People’s Choice Awards!

LJC was nominated for the Lerch Bates People's Choice awards in 3 categories:

⭐ Community & Civic - Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation
⭐ Healthcare - Northwestern Medicine Bronzeville Outpatient Center
⭐ Office - Clayco's RBB - Russell Burns Building

Winners will be announced at AIA Chicago Designight 2026!! Sponsored by Chicago Architecture Center

LJC is Hitting Awards Season!🏆

LJC is proud to sponsor this year’s AIA STL Design Awards night! LJC has submitted seven projects for this year’s Design Awards, representing a great range of work from our St. Louis team.

Stay tuned to hear the results!

Exciting recognition for the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation, recipient of a 2026 Landmarks Illinois The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Rehabilitation.

Transforming the former Robert Emmet Elementary School required a thoughtful approach to adaptive reuse, preserving the character of a longstanding neighborhood asset while creating a new environment centered on workforce development and community resources.

The Aspire Center reflects what we believe thoughtful design can accomplish: honoring the history of a place while adapting it to serve evolving community needs.

Congratulations to the entire team and the Austin community on this well-deserved recognition.

What We're Working On

Check out some of the latest and greatest milestones from this past month!

A new chapter for St. Louis County Library is taking shape in Chesterfield. 📚

Designed by LJC, the new Guy and Judy Jaffe Family Branch reflects the evolving role of libraries as places for learning, gathering and connection. The design brings together welcoming spaces for children and teens, study and community gathering areas, a coffee shop in partnership with Goshen Coffee Roasters, and outdoor spaces that extend the experience beyond the building.

Throughout the design process, our team considered how the building’s placement, materials and character could respond thoughtfully to its surroundings while supporting the needs of patrons and library staff for years to come.

Construction is now underway, and we look forward to seeing this new community resource come to life.

Learn more about the project.

Chapter Alder

Alder, a Chapter residence is being designed around the way students live today, balancing academics, wellness, and community in a single environment.

Located less than a 100-yard dash from the University of Oregon’s main quad in Eugene, better known as TrackTown USA, the 15-story development will feature the highest student housing rooftop in the city. Students will also have access to modern study lounges, collaborative workspaces, fitness areas, and rooftop gathering spaces designed for everything from game days to quiet evenings overlooking Eugene.

Designed by LJC, every part of the experience was purposefully built. From private spaces to focus and recharge to social areas that make it easy to connect, all in support of student well-being and success.

Check out the latest renderings to see how it's all coming together. We are excited to see this vision come to life ahead of the 2027 academic year.

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Advanced manufacturing demands precision across every interconnected decision.

Engineering News-Record recently highlighted progress at Rivian’s manufacturing campus in Stanton Springs North, Georgia, where LJC is contributing design and engineering expertise to the civil and paint shop scopes alongside CJ Adventures, the joint venture between Clayco and JE Dunn Construction.

Our role reflects the value of integrated delivery, connecting design and engineering thinking with construction expertise to navigate complex manufacturing environments collaboratively.

Learn more.

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Topping out in the Central West End

Albion West End has officially topped out, marking an exciting milestone as LJC’s design for the 30-story residential tower continues to take shape in St. Louis’ Central West End.

The project will bring 305 residences, ground-floor retail, and hospitality-inspired amenities to one of the city’s most vibrant neighborhoods.

Developed by Albion Residential, designed by LJC, and built by Clayco, Albion West End reflects the value of an integrated approach. Together with Concrete Strategies LLC and Ventana, the team is bringing shared expertise across design and construction to advance a collective vision for the project.

Congratulations to our partners, project teams, craft professionals, and trade partners whose collaboration has helped bring the project to this milestone.

What We Have Wrapped Up

Check out our completed projects!

Bellefontaine Cemetery

This renovation transforms an aging columbarium within the contemporary memorial district of one of America's oldest rural cemeteries into a renewed landscape for remembrance, gathering, and future growth. The project replaces an ineffective louvered shade structure with a sculptural perforated canopy while introducing elevated stone-clad scattering gardens, memorial walls, accessible circulation, seating, and native planting. Together, these improvements revitalize an underutilized space, expanding memorial opportunities while enhancing the visitor experience.

What We're Up To

Take a look at what we've been up to this past month!

On October 17–18, we’re opening our doors for Open House Chicago with the Chicago Architecture Center.

Our Chicago studio occupies the 15th floor of the historic Jewelers Building at 35 E. Wacker. Completed in 1927 and originally known as the Pure Oil Building, the landmark was co-designed by structural engineer Joachim Giæver and architect Frederick P. Dinkelberg—bringing together architectural expression and structural ingenuity in a defining Jazz Age tower.

During Open House Chicago, visitors can explore the 15th-floor studio at their own pace, with LJC architects available throughout the space to answer questions and share more about our workplace and process. Small guided tours of the 26th floor will also be offered from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, featuring expansive views of the city and Chicago River.

We’re excited to join more than 200 sites across 30+ neighborhoods, welcoming visitors for this free annual architecture festival.

Explore this year’s site list at here.

Project Pipeline Recap!❤️

This summer, members of our team had the opportunity to participate in Illinois Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (I-NOMA)’ s Project Pipeline, a summer camp introducing Chicagoland students in grades 6 through 8 to architecture, urban planning, and design.

Through drawing, model building, site exploration, and collaboration with local design professionals, students developed creative responses to issues affecting their communities. We were proud to help create a space where young designers could share their ideas, explore new possibilities, and begin imagining the communities they want to see.

In mission critical design, some of the most consequential decisions happen long before construction begins.

As AI continues to reshape infrastructure requirements, design teams are being asked to think differently about density, adaptability, and what facilities may need to support well beyond day one.

At DataCloudUSA, members of LJC’s Mission Critical team joined industry leaders to explore these challenges, including Venkatesh Thumala Janakiraman, who participated in the panel “Before the Build: Designing Data Centers for AI Scale, Density and Change.”

The conversation examined a question that is increasingly important across the industry: How do we make early design decisions that address today’s requirements while preserving flexibility for what comes next?

For us, that means approaching complexity with an integrated mindset, bringing the right perspectives together early, evaluating decisions in the context of the whole, and designing with change in mind.

What are high-temperature superconducting feeders, and where might they have a role in mission critical infrastructure?

LJC’s Venkatesh Thumala Janakiraman, explores the what, why, and where of HTS, including the opportunities the technology may present in constrained environments and the broader system considerations that come with it.

It’s a perspective grounded in an important principle: emerging technologies should be evaluated not in isolation, but in the context of the larger systems they support.

Read VJ’s full perspective in DatacenterDynamics

Quantum Qruise🚢

LJC and Clayco attended the 2nd annual Quantum Qruise—an evening sailing on the Chicago River that brought together quantum founders, engineers, professors, economic development leaders, investors, and the simply quantum-qurious.

LJC Helps Raise the Roof with Habitat for Humanity! 🔨🏠

We had an excellent evening at the Raise the Roof Habitat for Humanity gala. Each fall, San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity brings together supporters, community leaders, elected officials, and volunteers for Raise the Roof — an inspiring evening celebrating the power of partnership and the impact we can make when we build together.

We are glad to be a part of such a great cause!

Who We Are

A monthly Q&A to help you get to know what some of your LJC colleagues are up to outside the office!

Get to know Cody Rowe!

LJC Office: St. Louis
Title/Role: Process Designer II
Focus: Background historically mechanical but doing more piping projects.
School(s): Southwestern Illinois College (AAS) and University of Phoenix (BA)
Affiliations: Obtained Eagle Scout Rank At 15 (which at the time was unusual) and have been able to stay involved through family ever since!

What’s something coworkers might be surprised to learn about you?
I was a runway model for 2 years.

What’s a niche or unexpected interest you have outside of work?
I am a big classic car guy and own several. Before kids, my nights and weekends were spent in the shop with my now wife working on restoration. Also, my family is obsessed with Halloween, and we put on a haunted trail every year in our town!

What does your ideal weekend look like?
On a boat fishing or in a tree deer hunting!

What was your very first job?
I grew up on a one-acre patch of ground between two farmers, a cattle farmer and a crop Farmer. I’ve been working since I was 8 years old and could drive a tractor.

What movie do you never get tired of watching?
2004 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A marine biologist studying coral reefs.

Say "hey" to Alex Smithey!

LJC Office: St. Louis
Title/Role: Design and Integration Manager
Focus: Engineering
School: ITT Technical Institute

If you could travel to any time or place, where would you go?
I don’t have a specific time in mind, but I’d go back to Jamaica. I try to make it a point to visit as often as I can, it’s one of my favorite places to unwind, recharge, and spend time with family.

What are you most proud of outside of work?
Building a life for my family and being intentional about planning for the future. I’m proud of the home and stability we’ve created together.

What was your very first job?
My first job was at White Castle. It was a good introduction to working hard, dealing with people, and keeping up in a fast-paced environment. And I can confirm: the onions on the burgers are real onions, calling them cabbage is a myth.

What movie do you never get tired of watching?
The first six Harry Potter movies. I can rewatch them anytime, if one is on TV, I’ll stop right there and watch it.

Get to Know Mike Siciliano!

LJC Office Location: Chicago
Title/Role: Associate Principal
Focus: Industrial Architecture
School: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Affiliation: AIA

What’s your most memorable vacation or trip?
I’ve been fortunate to have taken a lot of memorable overseas trips including Italy, Greece, Japan, Thailand, and the UAE.

What are you most proud of outside of work?
My kids – and it’s great to re-experience life through their eyes.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Architect. I grew up near Oak Park IL and was always aware of Frank Lloyd Wright, I’ve loved drawing, designing, and creating since I can remember.

If you could speak another language, what would it be—and why?
Greek. I married into a Greek family. I know a lot of words and can pick up the topic of a conversation but would love to carry on a conversation. Made sure my kids can speak it, read it and write it.

Get to Know Anna Ellis!

LJC Office: Chicago
Title/Role: Interior Designer
Focus: Interiors
School: Florida State University, BS, MFA
Affiliations: IIDA, EDRA, IDEC

What’s your most memorable vacation or trip?
Most recently, Portugal - the food, music, art, and scenery were incredible! My partner and I spent a couple weeks there. We started in Braga for a wedding. Then, we went to Porto to enjoy the wine culture, pastéis de nata, and historic architecture. Then we travelled down the coast to Lisbon, where we explored castles, gardens, and found fado music and delicious food. We ended the trip in Lagos, where we enjoyed relaxing beach days, espresso, and boat tours among the coastal rock formations. I'm nostalgic just writing about it now!

What does your ideal weekend look like?
I love a slow morning with coffee, either on the beach or at home with records spinning. In the afternoons I like to get outside and go for a walk or bike ride along the lake, and I love to find street festivals or farmers markets or anything happening locally. A concert in the evening would be the perfect end to the day!

What are you most proud of outside of work?
My family and friends - they inspire me every day!

What was your very first job?
Giving tennis lessons to kiddos! I grew up playing tennis from a very young age and got a job as an instructor for a group of kids when I was in high school. Such a fun job!

Get to Know Mary Smith!

LJC Office: St. Louis
Title/Role: Interior Designer II
Focus: Interiors
School: Maryville University
Affiliations: NCIDQ, IIDA

What’s the last show you binged and really enjoyed?
Finally got around to watching Better Call Saul. My hot take is that it’s even better than Breaking Bad…Willing to have this debate.

What is your favorite song and why?
My favorite song is Soulshine by The Allman Brothers Band. This was the song my dad and I danced to at my wedding. It’s a warm soulful Southern rock ballad about finding inner strength when life feels heavy. The bluesy guitar and gospel influence creates a kind of musical reminder that the light within you can carry you through dark times. We initially took some heat saying it wasn’t a typical “father-daughter dance song” but it was so killer when the day came – all the fathers and daughters in attendance got up to dance with us. Give it a listen.

What does your ideal weekend look like?
Friday night: Once I get home, I’d quickly change and hop in the car with my husband to go play a quick 9 holes before dark or go to the driving range. Afterwards, we’d go to our favorite frozen custard place and then wander around Home Depot dreaming about our next renovation. I’d end the night with puppy snuggles and a stupid comedy (think Airplane or The Naked Gun).

Saturday: After sleeping in, I’d get up, cook a German pancake, and drink coffee on our back deck. Then we would pack up the car and head out to spend the day with family, boating on the lake (our pup loves to swim.) We would end the day with dinner on the grill and getting comfy by the campfire cooking s’mores.

Sunday: Wake up in time to make it to early Mass (a colossal achievement) and hit up our local family diner for breakfast afterwards. We’d then take a long walk on the trails near our house and then I would want to spend the rest of the day baking goodies and melting into the couch with my pup.

What are you most proud of outside of work?
I am most proud of the home my husband and I have built (literally and figuratively). We have redone every square inch of the interior (minus one bathroom that is next on the list!) and have big plans for the exterior. It’s been fun to learn new skills, and we are rapidly expanding our tool collection - we have done all the work ourselves (except the new HVAC system – we couldn’t ‘how-to’ YouTube search that one). Our goal was to make our house a cozy space with our own personality that invites family, friends, and neighbors to gather and feel at home. I think we have achieved that so far.