Founded by John Morris, AIA, Morris Architects Planners is an architectural practice based in Chicago. Since 1984, MAP and its predecessor firms have provided a broad scope of architectural services with a special emphasis on performing arts projects. John Morris’s ten-year career as a theater artist has provided a foundation for firm work. MAP has provided architectural designs for numerous performing arts facilities throughout the country, including the two-theater home of the acclaimed Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. MAP’s other Chicago-area theater projects include Northlight Theater, the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts, Raven Theater, the Beverly Arts Center, and award-winning spaces for the Old School of Folk Music and Lookingglass Theatre Company.
Known for buildings that are conceptually clear, MAP involves building owners in a collaborative process in order to create projects that meet or exceed clients’ needs and expectations. The firm’s objective is to design spaces that raise artistic standards while respecting context. MAP has written the design space programs for nearly all of their theater projects, allowing the firm to address issues more directly and fully in the programming process. MAP’s commitment to programming reflects their belief in the importance of taking responsibility for every step of the process, to better link goals with the final results.