Jessen Architects

Jessen Architects Award-winning architecture shaped by meaningful collaboration and storytelling.

02/25/2026

John Jessen opened up the January Edmonds Chamber of Commerce Morning Buzz event with a talk about community engagement and the role it has played in critical civic & cultural architecture projects across the country.

From projects like the Swedish Embassy in Washington, D.C. to the iconic Navy Pier in Chicago, learn about the ways community engagement have driven architectural projects.

🎥: VisionTell

02/23/2026

It's evident that public participation makes a key difference in the success of a civic & cultural architecture project. But how does one get people to show up to participatory events?

Hear John Jessen explain his approaches to boosting public participation at charettes and project discussions.

🎥: VisionTell

02/20/2026

One of the most special projects for John Jessen was the IDEA Public Charter School & Athletic Facility in Washington D.C. – a project that involved the students themselves to help design their new building.

Learn how the building became an integral part of the students' day-to-day lives during school, and how stakeholder engagement played a pivotal role in the project's success.

🎥: VisionTell

02/19/2026

The challenge of designing the House of Sweden – the Swedish embassy in Washington, D.C – was a goal to accurately reflect life in Sweden.

In order to achieve this goal, John Jessen and his team collaborated with a variety of stakeholders through conversations, meetings, and charrettes to use water as a critical symbol in the project. "And the only way we could've gotten there was community engagement, stakeholder engagement. Many, many discussions about what it means to them."

🎥: VisionTell

02/18/2026

Now regarded as one of the most transformative civic revitalization efforts in the United States, the Columbia Pike Form-Based Code Initiative sought to turn a declining auto corridor into a vibrant, walkable urban district.

Learn about the role that civic engagement played in this transformative revitalization.

🎥: VisionTell

02/17/2026

When designing Navy Pier, John Jessen and his team had one key goal: capturing the heartbeat of Chicago.

To accomplish this, they turned to Chicagoans themselves. Learn how the use of workshops and charrettes played a pivotal role in creating this iconic project.

🎥: VisionTell

02/14/2026

After moving to the City of Edmonds back in May 2025, John Jessen and his wife wasted no time getting involved in the local community. "The more community engagement that we bring into the process, the better the project is, and ultimately strengthens the community," says Jessen, who spoke at last month's Edmonds Chamber of Commerce Morning Buzz event.

Follow along to learn more about Jessen Architects' involvement in the Edmonds community, and how community engagement plays a critical role in local architectural projects.

🎥: VisionTell

02/12/2026

Hear about John Jessen's work on four revolutionary Civic & Cultural architecture projects – Columbia Pike, the House of Sweden Embassy, National Gallery of Art, and Signature Theatre.

🎥: VisionTell

02/11/2026

Originally starting out in an old auto body factory, Signature Theatre became a cultural phenomenon that outgrew its original space. When John Jessen and his team were hired to design their new facility – which was envisioned as sharing a space with a public library – they were able to preserve the heart and charm of the theatre through stakeholder engagement.

🎥: VisionTell

02/09/2026

When the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. had to undergo renovations of their office space, they also went through massive challenge in relocating their staff – all of whom were deeply connected to their office space – to a new office building.

Learn how John Jessen and his team were able to turn their new space into more than just a temporary office through extensive engagement with the project's many stakeholders.

🎥: VisionTell

02/06/2026

When creating the House of Sweden (the Swedish embassy in Washington, D.C.), John Jessen and his team were challenged to create a space that truly reflected life in Sweden. Learn how they used water surrounding their site as a means to reflect Swedish values.

🎥: VisionTell

02/05/2026

Over 20 years ago, John Jessen and his team sought out to revitalize Columbia Pike in Arlington County – a project that still stands as one of the most transformative civic revitalization efforts in the country to date.

Learn how the team used form-based codes to work with different stakeholders in developing a vision for this revitalization project.

🎥: VisionTell

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Seattle, WA
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