The future of design lies not only in the creative community’s leaders but in their ability to nurture the next generation. And that is exactly what Lawrence Technological University’s College of Architecture and Design is doing. So much so that in the last 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.
This year, LTU’s Michael Gerace, a 21-year-old native of Jamestown, New York, was awarded the Future100 undergraduate honor, while last year, LTU’s Emily Bigelow made the magazine’s graduate list. “I think that’s a testament to the great things that we’re doing,” says Lilian Crum, interim dean of CoAD. “Both of those students are hardworking and ambitious. … A great example of the kind of students that 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 its collaborative culture. “Learning how to collaborate with each other and share ideas — that’s something that happens every day in the office,” he says. After earning his bachelor’s degree in May, Gerace received a scholarship for an internship this summer 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, says the school “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 on three core principles: design, technology, and practice. The college is also eager to showcase its students through events like its annual ShowLTU CoAD, where students are able to present their work and interact with professionals. This year, Gerace presented two projects — The Pollen District, an urban design project that serves both the community and its natural habitat, and Nexus for Greater Flint, in which he reprogrammed a vacant building. Both were included in the portfolio that earned him his place on the 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 artificial intelligence. These programs, Crum says, give the students an opportunity “to package their work” and “have that elevator pitch” ready.
She adds, “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.” 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.”
This story originally appeared in the August 2025 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Click here to get our digital edition.
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