Associate Professor of Architecture John Ronan’s firm, John Ronan Architects, received the 2012 AIA Institute Honor award for the Poetry Foundation, the institute announced last week. The Chicago home of Poetry Magazine and Poetry Foundation administration, the building features public performance space, a gallery, and library. The building is sheathed in perforated oxidized zinc, with layers of glass and wood. AIA likened the building’s subtle, unfolding design to a poem being “revealed line by line.”

“From the street, one is seduced by is secrecy and upon entering its crafted inner court, the project is revealed much like a poetry reading,” said one awards juror. “The manipulation of light through sectional explorations and the weaving of its limited material use through its interiors are resolved exceptionally well.”

The Institute Honor Awards program recognizes achievements for a broad range of architectural activity to elevate the general quality of architecture practice, establish a standard of excellence against which all architects can measure performance, and inform the public of the breadth and value of architecture practice.