Beyond the end zone: coworkers commend Southern Illinois University graduate Bryan Archibald for elevating design, acing complex projects, and shaking up the status quo at Legat Architects
Two years into his architectural studies at Southern Illinois University, Bryan Archibald had to stop. Meeting the demands of both design studio and the SIU football team — he had a full athletic scholarship — proved impossible. Archibald switched his major, obtained a degree in criminal justice (with a minor in architecture), and earned a spot on SIU’s All-Century defensive linemen team. He went on to play professional arena football for two years, but the design calling remained. Archibald returned to SIU, where he finished his architecture degree.
This drive to complete tasks no matter how seemingly insurmountable the obstacles has resurfaced throughout Archibald’s 18-year career at Legat Architects. And it is one of several reasons his coworkers selected him to receive the 2023 Wayne F. Machnich Commitment Award. The annual award initiated in 2020 recognizes an individual who embodies the values that Machnich (1943 – 2020) exhibited and rewarded during his 45 years with the firm.
Bryan Archibald, recipient of the 2024 Wayne F. Machnich Commitment Award
“Bryan is always willing to work through designs and details and provide constructive feedback even on projects that he’s not a part of,” said coworker Zach Campbell. “He challenges us to ask questions and explore different ways we can make our designs better.”
In the anonymous comments collected during the voting process, coworkers consistently praised Archibald’s work ethic, organization, versatility, readiness to help, and ability to pose thoughtful questions. Read below to learn about his journey to Legat, his key projects, and the nicknames coworkers have given him over the years.
Archibald led multiple projects as part of a districtwide consolidation at Galesburg Unit School District #205. Pictured are the modernized and expanded Galesburg Junior Senior High School and the new Bright Futures Preschool.
Lincoln Logs and Saluki Connections: The Path to Legat
Archibald’s path to architecture started around age eight during visits to his grandmother’s Chicago home. She supplied building blocks, Lincoln Logs, and even graph paper for him to draw floor plans.
Archibald took drafting classes at Streamwood High School during his sophomore and junior years. The school canceled the program during his senior year. Adamant about continuing, Archibald leapt at the opportunity to commute to a local high school every day to keep up with the program.
He gave up his spring break during his final year at SIU to do a one-week internship at Legat’s Oak Brook studio. There to greet Archibald on his first day was Wayne Machnich, who’d made the trip from Legat’s Lake County studio. Machnich, president of Legat from 1985 through 2006, had also earned his architectural degree from Southern Illinois University. Despite a staff of more than 100, Machnich personally worked with Archibald on a country club locker room renovation project during the internship.
“Wayne has a special place in my heart,” said Archibald. “Not only was he the first person I met and my first mentor, but he was also a fellow SIU Saluki.”
After graduating from SIU, Archibald moved from Carbondale to DuPage County to start his Legat career in June 2006.
Conrady Junior High School was nearly unrecognizable after renovations designed by Bryan Archibald and his team. In the corridors, for instance, a folded ceiling design follows the origami theme and covers unsightly piping and wires.
Educational Versatility: Expansions, Consolidations, and Innovations
Early in Archibald’s career, North Palos School District 117 challenged Legat to design an addition and renovation that would transform an early learning center into Sorrick Elementary School (preK through first grade). It was the first of many District 117 projects Archibald would work on.
At the 50-year-old Conrady Junior High School, for instance, he led a modernization and safety upgrades. His team used an origami theme to “refold” old spaces into new and more effective ones.
“Nothing is extravagant, and everything has a purpose,” said District 117 Superintendent Dr. Jeannie Stachowiak of the Conrady project. “The biggest testimony to the project’s success was the students’ positive reaction to their renewed school.”
Today, after additions and renovations to five facilities over 15 years, the district continues to contact Archibald for facilities-related challenges.
Archibald played a key role in the design of College of DuPage’s Homeland Security Education Center. The 60,000-square-foot facility provides training for local, regional, state, and national emergency response personnel as well as national security personnel.
Archibald’s dual degrees in architecture and criminal justice came full circle for another project: College of DuPage’s (COD) Homeland Security Education Center. Completed in 2011, the epicenter for first responder training became one of the first facilities of its kind in the Midwest.
While Archibald contributed many hours to these formative projects, he readily acknowledges the guidance provided by coworker mentors such as Rob Wroble (District 117) and Jay Johnson (COD), both of whom recently celebrated 30-year anniversaries with Legat.
Most recently, Archibald took the reins for construction projects at Galesburg Community Unit School District #205. A five-year districtwide consolidation includes more than $65 million in construction at five schools. Archibald served as architectural lead for everything from initial master planning and community engagement sessions to design of additions and renovations. The projects range from elementary and middle upgrades to a major makeover at Galesburg Junior Senior High School and the new Bright Futures Preschool, recipient of a 2023 Award of Merit from the Illinois Association of School Boards.
Archibald is now working in the planning stages for similar projects at Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Community School District.
Another Archibald project currently under construction is the North Scott Regional Innovation Center in Eldridge, Iowa. The 84,000-square-foot facility will bring students hands-on learning experiences to prepare them for technical careers.
Archibald and coworker Monique Taylor accept an Illinois Association of School Boards Award of Merit for the design of Bright Futures Preschool.
North Scott Community School District Superintendent Joe Stutting calls the flagship facility slated for completion next spring “the only place like this in the state of Iowa for high school students.”
The North Scott Regional Innovation Center is under construction in Eldridge, Iowa. Bryan Archibald is the project manager.
Legat Director of Operations Zach Wiese attributes Archibald’s ability to coordinate complex projects to his versatility.
“Bryan can do all aspects of architecture from business development and meeting with communities to design and field work,” said Wiese. “And he does it all exceptionally.”
A Man of Many Nicknames
When a presenter asks if anyone has any questions during firmwide meetings, coworkers are not surprised when Archibald’s hand pops up. Another positive comment that repeatedly appeared during voting for the Machnich Award was Archibald’s curiosity. Some coworkers even call him “the Chef” because he “stirs the pot” in a constructive way.
“He has an incredible ability to ask tough questions without seeming confrontational,” said Wiese. “He’s not trying to point out faults; he’s trying to look at things from a different perspective, make projects better, and make Legat a better place to work.”
Another nickname Archibald earned from coworkers is “the Nomad.” He did remote work long before the pandemic popularized the term. While Archibald moved around the country, he showed dedication to Legat and his family.
Archibald moved to Georgia in 2012 to support his wife in a job opportunity. He worked remotely, and once or twice a month he flew back to Chicago and worked in Legat’s Oak Brook studio for a week. The family then moved to Texas. Archibald continued his Chicago trips once a month.
Bryan Archibald in Legat’s Oak Brook studio in 2009.
Bryan can do all aspects of architecture from business development and meeting with communities to design and field work. And he does it all exceptionally.
Zach Wiese, Director of Operations, Legat Architects
In 2017, Archibald and his family moved back to east-central Illinois and was “traded” to Legat’s Quad Cities studio in Moline.
Despite all this movement, Archibald has remained dedicated to the firm and its clients.
A third nickname that Archibald acquired during his early days in Legat’s Oak Brook studio was “the House” — rumor has it that he coordinated office pools and spreadsheets for everything from college basketball tournaments to shows like “The Amazing Race.”
