Jeff Bone, FAIA

Jeff Bone was named Principal at LBBA 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 has nurtured the firm’s “grassroots” approach to help nonprofit clients translate their vision. He and his associates regularly engage community members to co-create inventive, inviting, and sustainable spaces and places that transform lives, revitalize neighborhoods, and regenerate cities.

For a synergistic effect on LBBA projects, Jeff partners with unique non-profits, including Archi-treasures a non-profit collective of artists, architects, educators, and community organizers, on whose board he has served for years. This organization transforms people and communities through collaborative art-making. When affordable housing residents make art that becomes part of the architecture, they feel ownership and pride, thereby increasing the social sustainability of buildings and neighborhoods.

Jeff has shaped best practices, codes, and policy in many capacities, including volunteering with Affordable Housing Building Code Group of the Business and Professional People for the Public Interest; advocating to preserve SROs and establish best practices in design/construction; and volunteering with Tiny House Working Group to champion new, sustainable and economical housing options. He has served on the City of Chicago Code Committee and was chair of the Chicago AIA Education Committee. He currently serves on the Design for Aging Committee and is a volunteer member architect for Home Free Home, a national non-profit providing pro bono architectural design for accessibility. Jeff’s built work has been honored with numerous awards, including multiple AIA Chicago Distinguished Building Awards and four prestigious First-Place Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Awards for Architectural Excellence in Community Design.