02/27/2026
Rowell Brokaw welcomes designer Lauren Johnson to the team!
Lauren values design that enriches communities by bringing vibrancy and educational awareness to a place. She brings a strong interest in sustainability and climate-responsive design to her work. With a background in parametrical design for digital fabrication, Lauren combines technical skills with a strong sense of composition and materiality. Her experience includes commercial, transportation, and residential buildings.
Lauren holds a B.Arch from the University of Oregon and an M.S. in Architecture in Design Computing from the University of Washington. She worked for Strata Architects and Hewitt Architects in Seattle before working on a 24’x8’ Tiny House on Wheels Prototype. While she ultimately decided not to start her own tiny homes company, Lauren intimately learned about materials, detailing, constructability, cost, and the inner workings of running a business. Below is a brief Q&A with Lauren:
If you weren't an architect, what profession/work might you have done instead?
I would probably work at a plant nursery. I enjoy growing and propagating plants as well as learning to identify them. I would be following in my dad’s footsteps since my parents owned a nursery when I was young.
Favorite book or movie? I am not sure about an all-time favorite book, however the most interesting book I read this year was The Swans of Harlem by Karen Valby. It is a true story of five pioneering black ballerinas starting in the 1970s. As a lover of dance this was very inspiring.
Favorite building in Eugene? The John Jaqua Academic Center for Student Athletes. I think the sculptural quality is very distinct. It is essentially a shimmery box. The infinity water feature and fountain are precisely executed making it stunning, and the interior gathering space is welcoming and relaxing. It is fun to showcase innovation on the UO campus.
If you could meet an architect (dead or alive), who would it be? It would be interesting to talk to Robert Reamer, the architect of Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone and the creator of the iconic national park lodge style. I would like to hear how he imagined his design would affect people and draw them to the natural beauty of the parks. I know it affected me the first time I visited; I have a miniaturized Christmas tree ornament version of the building. I would also ask him the story of how the lodge was constructed. (Image: Old Faithful Inn, Jim Peaco, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
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University of Oregon School of Architecture & Environment
UW Department of Architecture
