JLG Architects was founded in 1989 by Gary Johnson, FAIA and Lonnie Laffen, AIA, LEED AP under the name Johnson & Laffen Architects, Ltd. In 1994, the firm received the national AIA Intern Development Program Outstanding Firm Award. In 2000, James Galloway, AIA, LEED AP joined the firm, renaming it Johnson Laffen Galloway Architects, Ltd. The firm's Minneapolis office was opened in 2002, led by Michelle Mongeon Allen, AIA, LEED AP. The firm name was changed to JLG Architects the same year. In 2004, Dan Miller, AIA, LEED AP opened the Alexandria office, and in 2005, Joel Davy, AIA, LEED AP opened an office in Fargo. The Bismarck office opened in 2010 and the Williston office opened in December 2012. In 2012, Minot-based Davison Larson Associates merged with JLG. JLG has won more North Dakota AIA awards than any other firm in North Dakota. JLG is also part of the 1%pro bono design program of public architecture and donates a considerable amount of design services to non-profit organizations.
Awards and rankings
In 2006 JLG was named as one of the 2006 "Top 20 Architecture/Interior Design/Landscape Architecture firms to work for in America." ZweigWhite, a management consulting & research company, ranked JLG Architecture 13th "based on their commitment to providing a positive work environment and challenging and interesting design opportunities for their employees." JLG has won over 70 design awards between 1989 and 2012. In 2005, JLG won the AIA North Dakota Unbuilt design award. In 2006, JLG won two AIA North Dakota Merit awards and an AIA North Dakota Honor award. In 2007, JLG won the AIA North Dakota Best of Show award, two AIA North Dakota Honor awards, an AIA North Dakota Honor award for Rehabilitation and the AIA North Dakota Unbuilt award. In 2008, JLG won four AIA North Dakota Awards of Merit, the AIA Unbuilt design award. In May 2008, JLG Architects and Mohr Construction Company received an award from the St. Paul, MN, Heritage Preservation Commission and AIA St. Paul for their restoration and renovation of Cass Gilbert’s Lightner Double House. In September 2009, JLG Architects received a 2009 Excellence in Design Award for the design and construction of the Grand Forks Flight Support Facility at the Grand Forks International Airport in the US. In October 2010, JLG Architects received two AIA North Dakota Awards of Merit for the Chateau de Mores and the Bonanzaville Museum. In October 2010, JLG Architects was named to the ZweigWhite Hot 100 List. In November 2010, firm partner Lonnie Laffen was elected to the North Dakota Senate for District 43 in Grand Forks, ND. In October 2011, JLG Architects received a 2011 AIA North Dakota Juror's Choice Award for the Alerus Conference Center Expansion, and a 2011 AIA North Dakota Honor Award for the JLG Fargo Office Remodel. In January 2012, JLG was featured in the book "50 US Architects: Residential and Planning." In March 2012, JLG Architects received a 2011 Rochester, MN Committee on Urban Design and Environment Award for the Cascade Creek Apartments. In June 2013, JLG Architects was named one of the top 25 architecture firms by MSP Business Journal In August 2013, JLG Architects was named to the ZweigWhite Hot 100 List.
Sustainable Design
In the May 2007 issue of Environmental Design + Construction magazine, JLG "officially kicked off an officewide sustainable live, work, and play program with a series of eco-friendly events in honor of Earth Week." Many JLG projects have achieved LEED certification. Among those are; the Gorecki Alumni Center at the University of North Dakota which achieved LEED platinum certification and Black Gold Headquarters which achieved LEED gold certification.
