STEVE RUGO

Steven Rugo, AIA, is the principal of Rugo/Raff Ltd. Architects in Chicago, Illinois.  He received his architectural degree from Syracuse University.  Upon graduation, he worked at the firm of Booth & Nagle, which later became Booth, Nagle & Hartray and subsequently Booth Hansen, where he worked until 1981.  In August of 1986, Mr. Rugo teamed with Dennis Raffensperger to form Rugo / Raffensperger Ltd. Architects.  Mr. Raffensperger relocated in 1996 and the firm became Rugo / Raff Architects, Ltd., where Mr. Rugo continues to practice.

Mr. Rugo is a past member of the Associates Board at Rush Presbyterian Medical Center and past member of the Auxiliary Board at the Art Institute of Chicago. He is currently a member of the Architecture Guild at the University of Southern California and he is active in the Low Country Institute in Okatie, South Carolina. He has served as a guest critic at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Art Institute of Chicago, University of Illinois, Syracuse University and Columbia University.  Mr. Rugo was appointed as the head of the Housing Committee for Guri, a newly developed city in the Gyeonggi Province of South Korea. Mr. Rugo is currently a member of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art as well as the American Institute of Architects.  He is currently licensed and involved in projects located in Illinois, Florida, Hawaii, Michigan, and South Carolina.

The firm has specialized in single family housing including new construction, renovation and historic restoration. The second area of practice has been in hospitality with an emphasis on chef driven restaurants.  Some notables include Alinea, Next, Aviary (Chicago and New York), Roister, Dialogue- 2017’s best new restaurant of Los Angeles, and Pasjoli.