Lohan was born in
Germany, but moved to
Chicago to attend the
Illinois Institute of Technology, where he studied under his grandfather,
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Lohan's childhood home in post war Germany was filled with photographs of his grandfather's buildings, and Lohan developed an early fascination with architecture. As a teenager, he made a personal connection to Mies' work, particularly the
860–880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments in Chicago. He studied architecture with his grandfather and joined the Mies office in 1962, working on projects like the
New National Gallery in
West Berlin and the
Chicago IBM office building. After Mies' death in 1969, Lohan continued the firm with several partners, and removed Mies' name from the firm within five years, as stipulated by his estate. While early in his career, he worked on various projects, including the design of the
McDonald's headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois. He played a role in the design and renovation of
Soldier Field in
Chicago, the Adler Planetarium, and the
Shedd Aquarium. He also was a founding member of the Chicago School of Architecture Foundation, created to purchase and save the
Glessner House, designed by
H.H. Richardson. ==Style==