The future of design lies not only in the visionary creations of the creative community’s leaders, but in their ability to nurture the next generation of talent. And that’s exactly what Lawrence Technological University’s College of Architecture and Design (CoAD) is doing. In fact, in the past two years, the university has had two students make Metropolis magazine’s prestigious Future100 list, an annual compilation of the top graduate and undergraduate architecture and interior design students from the United States and Canada. Three graduate students from the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning were also highlighted on this year’s list.
Most recently, LTU’s Michael Gerace, a 21-year-old native of Jamestown, N.Y., was awarded the Future100 undergraduate honor, while last year, LTU’s Emily Bigelow, who submitted her thesis project, “Building Biodiversity: Architectural Interventions for Mangrove Restoration and Community Engagement,” made the magazine’s graduate list. “I think that’s a testament to the great things we’re doing,” says Lilian Crum, associate dean of CoAD. “Both of those students are hard-working and ambitious. (They’re) a great example of the kind of students we cultivate.”
While Gerace credits the Southfield-based university and its staff, especially associate professor Dan Faoro (“He has been a really big supporter of my career”), for helping him achieve this designation, he also credits the friendships he’s made through the school’s collaborative culture. “Learning how to collaborate with each other and share ideas — that’s something that happens every day,” he says. After earning his bachelor’s degree in May, Gerace received a scholarship for a summer internship at SmithGroup, a Detroit-based architectural practice. He is now pursuing his master’s at LTU.
Bigelow, who works in Ferndale at the architectural firm Fusco, Shaffer & Pappas Inc., says the university “does an excellent job of touching on more practical elements of the workforce” while also “bringing in more theoretical aspects, too, like experimenting with AI.”
Adds Gerace: “We’re very grounded in practice, and real-life scenarios and situations, but we also have the ability to express ourselves through design…They teach us how to merge those two things.”
That’s because, according to Crum, CoAD is centered around three core principles — Design, Technology, and Practice — that enable its students to receive an education that helps them excel in their careers. “They’re here because they want to practice in their respective fields. For that reason, our curriculum really focuses on hands-on, project-based work,” Crum notes.
She also points out that LTU’s CoAD is eager to showcase student work through public-facing events like its annual May exhibition, “ShowLTU CoAD,” where students can present their work and interact with professionals. This year, Gerace presented two projects: “The Pollen District,” an urban design project that serves the community and its natural habitat; and “Nexus for Greater Flint,” in which a vacant building was reprogrammed. Both were included in the portfolio that earned him his place on the Metropolis Future100 list.
On Sept. 25, during the Detroit Month of Design, CoAD will host “Designing with Intelligence: AI and the Evolution of Place” at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The event will feature students and faculty engaging with the museum’s historical collections using AI. These programs, Crum says, give the students an opportunity to “package their work” and “have that elevator pitch” ready.
“Any student who’s interested in these disciplines should feel confident going into the programs we offer, knowing that we mentor them and provide them with the necessary skill sets to become what they want to be,” Crum says.
Gerace concurs: “I knew nothing about architecture when I started, and I would like to say that I’ve progressed quite a bit in the last four years. It was worth all those all-nighters.”
More information: ltu.edu
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