John M. Weekes, FAIA

Founder/Principal Emeritus, DOWA

John began his professional career with Skidmore Owings & Merrill Architects, Portland Oregon’s office, before forming his own firm, DOWA, in 1986. DOWA grew to become regionally, nationally & internationally recognized for educational facility planning & design excellence. John’s educational design and planning work focuses on the intersection between 21st Century learning and space. He has received every national design award multiple times including the James McConnell Award for Planning & the AIA’s Honor Award for Educational Design. He has served on over 15 regional & national design juries, and had his worked published in books and regional/national publications.

John has lectured and keynoted multiple conferences including the British Council of School Environments National Summit, The National School Boards Annual Convention, The State of Montana’s Energy Summit and Virginia’s Educational Facility Planners Annual Conference.

He consulted with the US Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) to develop guidelines to redevelop, their 130 school facilities, New York City’s Public Schools School of One, the Australian International School in Indonesia and Jilin University’s K-12 Campus Development in Changchun, China.

He serves as President for two nonprofit organizations and is the father of two young women who both are educators. In 2015 John began teaching design at the University of Oregon’s Graduate School of Architecture. That same year he was elevated to the College of Fellows by the American Institute of Architects.