Lawrence Kearns

About Lawrence Kearns

As the principal of Wheeler Kearns Architects since 1990, Larry has been interested in projects with ambitious social, economic, and environmental goals. In 2025, the University of Miami awarded him the School of Architecture\'s Centennial Alumni Medal. In 2016, he was elevated to a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, and in 2008, Larry Kearns was named the Chicago Tribune’s “Chicagoan of the Year” in Architecture. Larry is a thirteen-time winner of InnoCentive Challenges in multiple disciplines. He was a finalist in the third round of the DOE\'s Solar Prize and an SBIR grantee for technology designed to revitalize rural economies with local renewable energy. He was a member of AgLaunch\'s 2023 cohort and presented at RE+ 2023. He frequently lectures professional and academic audiences on culture, education, and community-building topics. In 2025, he lectured at the University of Miami School of Architecture\'s Centennial celebration. In 2024, he presented at the annual EdSpaces conference. In 2022, he presented at the Building Museums Symposium hosted by the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums. In 2021, he presented for a Northeastern University lecture series on \"Building Community with Food.\" In 2017, he authored an article for EducationNext on the design of blended learning spaces. He presented at Michigan\'s Asian Carp Challenge in 2018, Texas\' Desalinization Conference in 2018, and The ASAE\'s Great Ideas Conference in 2017. He presented at SXSWedu in 2016 and served on a panel at the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario in 2016. He presented at the NAEYC conference in 2015 and the Society of College and University Planning Annual Conference in 2014. In 2010, he lectured eight sitting US Ambassadors in Paris on the greening of US Embassies. From 2004 to 2014, he lectured on building design, construction, mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems to candidates sitting for the ARE. Mr. Kearns served as Project Principal for The Momentary, a sister facility to Crystal Bridges in Bentonville, Arkansas, that opened in 2020. He has served as Project Principal for the following award-winning projects: NLEN Headquarters, Intrinsic School I & II, UChicago Childhood Development Center Stony Island, Inspiration Kitchens in East Garfield Park, Exelon Gymnasium, Wolcott School, and Hansberry College Prep. He was the Project Architect for the Old Town School of Folk Music and a series of senior-focused Cafes for the Mather Foundation.Larry is a LEED Accredited Professional and a licensed Architect in thirteen states.

Experience

1. Principal

   Wheeler Kearns Architects

   Mar 1988 — Present · Chicago, IL, US

Education

• University of Miami

  Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) 5 year Professional Degree, Magna Cum Laude, Architecture

  1980 — 1985