Jair Medina

About Jair

Growing up, Jair discovered that creativity ran in his family. A drawing competition with his dad sparked his curiosity for art and admiration for Leonardo da Vinci, while helping with home repair projects and watching his dad sketch floor plans during a remodel ignited his interest in architecture. Seeing ideas move from paper to reality left a lasting impression and set him on a path toward design.

Drawn to both architecture and engineering, Jair began his studies at Iowa State University before transferring to UW–Milwaukee, where he gained a deeper appreciation for architecture’s complexity and its impact on everyday life. He later pursued a Master of Architecture with a concentration in Health and Well-Being at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, exploring the connection between psychology and the built environment. Jair values continual growth and meaningful experiences, knowing both strengthen the perspective he brings to his work.

On his favorite project

"At Abacus, two of my favorite projects have been a residential home and a chapel. In my previous firm, I primarily worked on civil and commercial projects such as schools, corporate spaces, and fire stations, so having the opportunity to contribute to residential and religious work was both refreshing and meaningful. Experiencing these more personal project types has been enjoyable and has broadened my perspective as a designer."

On relational architecture

“To me, relational architecture is exactly what it sounds like—building and strengthening relationships with our team, our clients, and the communities surrounding the projects we help create. Architecture is more than just a structure we design; it is a physical expression of our values, our practice, and the relationships that bring each project to life.”