Exley earned a
Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies with
first-class honours from
Newcastle University School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape in 1985, and a
Master of Architecture from the
University of Pennsylvania in 1990. Prior to founding his own firm in 1994, he worked for
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in Chicago and London and with
Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates in Philadelphia. Architecture Is Fun's work has been exhibited at the
Art Institute of Chicago, the
Chicago Architecture Foundation and the
ICA in Philadelphia. In 2012, Exley was named President of the
American Institute of Architects Chicago for the year 2013. In 2016 Exley was elected an At-large Director for AIA National at the 2016 AIA Convention in Philadelphia. At the AIA Conference on Architecture 2019, Exley was elected 2021 AIA President. ==Awards==