ENR’s National Top 20 Under 40
Raleigh, NC
Ryan Johnson
Computational Design Specialist
Clark Nexsen
Tech-focused architect breaks ground at firm and AIA
With his extensive experience with computer technology and coding, Johnson—who was appointed as Clark Nexsen’s first computational design specialist in 2020—has used his skills to transform design processes, and in turn, the built environment. Johnson started at the firm 15 years ago as a design intern, a position from which he became the first person at the firm to produce renderings in Revit. Instrumental in the first’s adoption of building information modeling, Johnson has steadily progressed within the company, and in 2015 founded the architectural firm’s Tech Studio as a vehicle for technology innovation focusing on design and workflow. The studio’s resulting byproducts have ranged from achieving greater efficiency for repetitive tasks as well as establishing new design ideas.