Centennial Lecture by Larry Kearns: Eye-Opening Stories 1980-2035
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1215 Dickinson Drive, Coral Gables, Fl 33146
#CentennialLarry Kearns, FAIA, is a Miami native who, along with three brothers, graduated from the University of Miami. Larry arrived at the University in 1980, later graduating Magna Cum Laude from the School of Architecture in 1985. From 1981 to 1985, he worked for Professor Jan Hochstim on numerous projects, including the adaptive reuse of Marion Manely's veteran housing and Eaton Hall's ground floor for the newly created School of Architecture.
At a graduation celebration, a classmate suggested he pursue work at a large firm in New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles. Three months later, he began a three-year tenure at SOM's Chicago office, where he played a key role in developing Canary Wharf in London.
In 1991, he co-founded Wheeler Kearns Architects, a twenty-person firm in Chicago that has won 39 local and state AIA design awards for its institutional and residential projects. He has focused primarily on cultural work like The Momentary, education projects like Intrinsic School, and triple-bottom-line projects like Inspiration Kitchens and North Lawndale Employment Network's headquarters.
Beyond architecture, he has won thirteen InnoCentive Design Challenges in multiple disciplines, leading to presentations at Michigan's Asian Carp Challenge in 2018, Texas' Desalinization Conference in 2018, and The ASAE's Great Ideas Conference in 2017. In 2020, he was named a finalist in the third round of the DOE's Solar Prize and continues that work with SunFarmor LLC, which aims to use renewable energy to decarbonize agriculture.
From 2004 to 2014, he lectured on building design, construction, mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems to candidates sitting for Architectural Registration Exam. In 2008, Larry Kearns was named Chicago Tribune's "Chicagoan of the Year" in Architecture, and in 2016, he was elevated to a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
Larry is a LEED-accredited professional licensed in sixteen states. He and his wife, Winnie, a social worker, have three grown children.
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