JGMA

Lori Day is a Design Principal with 25 years of experience in K12, higher education, residential, and community-based projects. During her career, she has led the design and implementation of many notable, award-winning projects. With a background in fine art and a passion for design, Lori brings a unique perspective to her work, seamlessly blending creativity, technical expertise, and an understanding of human behavior.

Lori actively contributes to the architectural community and currently serves on the AIA Chicago Board of Directors. Promoting design excellence, she serves as Co-chair of the AIA Chicago Design Knowledge Committee and organizes educational building tours of local award-winning architecture. Recently, she was selected for the AIA Chicago Honors & Awards Committee, further solidifying her reputation as a thought leader in the field. Other design organizations include the Gene Siskel Film Center Advisory Board, Chicago Professional Women in Construction and Chicago Women in Architecture.

With an unwavering commitment to fostering an equitable and inclusive design culture, Lori Day continues to shape the architectural landscape through her transformative approach to design.

Laura Lizette Flores is an architect and leader in the Latino community in Chicago. Ms. Flores is originally from Guadalajara, Mexico and immigrated to the United States while in her teens. She received her degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago as well as studying design in Florence, Italy. Ms. Flores has dedicated her career to inspiring Latino youths and Latina women to achieve their fullest potential. She is currently the Director of Operations and Interiors at the award winning firm JGMA. Her responsibilities include management of all employees, establishing short- and long-term goals and holding a leadership role on all the firm’s major projects. Additionally, Ms. Flores has led several projects in disinvested communities where her work as an architect is helping to transform lives. She has also been recently appointed as Chair of Chicago's Plan Commission.

Juan Gabriel Moreno, AIA, is an award-winning architect and President/Founder of JGMA (Juan Gabriel Moreno Architects). Mr. Moreno was born in Bogota, Colombia and studied architecture at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He also lived in Florence, Italy where he studied under Superstudio founders Christiano Toraldo di Francia and Gianni Pettena.

Mr. Moreno has been creating provocative works for more than 30 years. His portfolio includes having worked on projects throughout the United States and internationally. These projects represent a diverse portfolio of public and private work in typologies ranging from education, government, research, commercial, urban planning, product design and graphic design. However, in 2010 he launched JGMA with the sole purpose of transforming Chicago’s diverse communities with his architecture. Since then, JGMA has become one of the most highly acclaimed design firms in Chicago.

JGMA’s list of awards and recognition has been unparalleled. JGMA has been a Design Excellence Award recipient multiple times by AIA Chicago at Designight. The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation has awarded JGMA their Architectural Excellence Award in multiple consecutive years. JGMA won the Architecture MasterPrize Firm of the Year Award. Architizer recently selected JGMA as one of the 20 Best Architecture firms in Chicago. Architect magazine selected JGMA as one of the top design firms in the nation in their annual Top 50 in Design. JGMA was recognized by Crain’s Business as one of the architecture firms “Reshaping Chicago”. JGMA was also recognized as Best of Practice by The Architect’s Newspaper. In addition, JGMA was selected by Modern Interiors magazine as the “Best Architecture Firm” in their annual Best of Design Issue.

Juan Moreno’s personal dedication to community and social justice has been recognized both locally and internationally. He was recently awarded an honorary doctorate degree by Northeastern Illinois University in recognition of his accomplishments. Mr. Moreno also had the honor of being recognized by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos as one of the “100 COLOMBIANOS” for 2013 and was a recipient of the 2013 “PIECE” Award for International Excellence which recognizes Colombians working outside of the country and making a difference in the lives of children and communities.

Moreover, Mr. Moreno has been on the city of Chicago’s Design Excellence Committee from the onset and has played an important role in the development of the design excellence standards of the city. He was selected by the Chicago Department of Planning and Development to be one of the inaugural members of the Committee on Design. Mr. Moreno is also a board member of the Chicago Architecture Biennial and the Chicago Architecture Center.

Emilio Padilla, AIA is a Project Principal at JGMA (Juan Gabriel Moreno Architects). Emilio studied architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago and also lived and studied in Merida, Mexico, and Barcelona, Spain during his academic career.

At JGMA, Emilio oversees and manages multiple projects while promoting the firm through business development. Through his 18 yrs of work experience and influence, Emilio’s portfolio includes a wide range of local and international project typologies; public and private sector, hospitality, aviation, commercial and non-profit organizations.

Emilio has served as president of Arquitectos Inc., where he supports the success of the organization’s mission. His mission-driven leadership has expanded services provided by Arquitectos to students, emerging professionals, and licensed professionals seeking further professional development. Emilio is also a board member of Landmarks Illinois. He is very active in the AEC community and has served as a roundtable member of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee for AIA Chicago where he helped promote EDI best practices within the profession.

John Rausch is a founding member and preeminent architectural designer of JGMA. He played a crucial and decisive role in the firm’s inception and continues to define and promote its goals of combining socially significant projects with sophisticated, avant-garde design. John joined forces with Mr. Juan Moreno, President and Founder of JGMA to establish a design-focused architecture studio at the height of great economic downturn. John’s dedication to realizing innovative designs continues to prove fruitful as well, all projects in which John was intimately involved, have won Design Excellence awards from the Richard H Driehaus Foundation and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Chicago.

Daniel Spore brings with him ten years of applied architectural experience. While Daniel’s passion for architecture is rooted in clever design solutions, he is an expert in developing those initial concepts into completed structures. He has been a working manager through all phases of project delivery, from pre-design through construction. In his years of experience, he has been involved in various civic, commercial, educational, healthcare, laboratory, and recreational project types. Daniel has worked on a diverse portfolio of buildings throughout the united states and has been a contributing designer on many international design proposals.