THESIS (1+2) is a two-part academic course, part of the required Master of Architecture curriculum at the College of Architecture and Design, Lawrence Technological University. The Thesis is an equivalent but more demanding alternative to the graduate-level Advanced Design Studios and is intended as an opportunity for students who are capable of independent work, individual research, independent idea development, and the formulation of sharply focused, articulate conclusions. It is a self-initiated and self-directed work under the supervision of specific faculty.

THESIS coordinator is Scott Shall. For inquiries, contact email is sshall@miyao2009.com.

Schedule 2024-25

April 19  // Application, Phase 1 Portal Opens 
May 31  // Submission deadline for Application, Phase 1 
June 7  // Invitations to Application, Phase 2 Issued 
July 5  //  Submission deadline for Application, Phase 2
July 25  // Invitations to Thesis Issued

 2024 / Bailey Berdan, A Hostile City, Inequitable Privitization of Public Spaces / Emily Bigelow, Building Biodiversity: Architectural Interventions for Mangrove Restoration and Community Engagement / James Brosius, QUEER(+AR) Fostering Healthy Queer Communities Through Augmented-Reality-Infused Hybridized Event Spaces / Zac Chartrand, Turning Tree Forks into Structures: An Experimental Analysis of a Minimally Processed Material Within the Age of Standardization / Diego Courtney, Suburban Symbiosis: Balancing and Economics in Suburban Development / Megan Kaminski, The Future of 1950's Suburbia: Why We Need a Suburban Architectural Reformation / John Lucente, Speculative Transit Oriented Developments: A Look at AI Image Generation and Social Media General Interest Surveying In Architectural and Plural Planning to Aid the Multidisciplinary Study of Transit Oriented Developments / Matthew Ruiter, Urban Nightlife: The Role of Architecture in Building Cooperation Between Bats and Humans / Mackenzie Wilson, Respecting Rats: Creating Healthy Cities for Humans, and the Rats They Inevitably Attract 

2023 / Moussa Aoun, From Resistance to Resilience: Reinvigorating Wetland Ecology Along the Detroit River / Aaron Baldwin, Passing Permanence: Reversible Building Practices in the U.S. / Kirsten Crawford Pluggable Homes: Addressing America’s Housing Crisis Incrementally / Devin Derr Home Grown: Reimagining Dwelling Through Spatiaculture / Eli Forta, Assembling Reinvestment: Emerging Construction Technologies and Their Effect on Cost-Effective Housing in Detroit / Carmen Gibes, Work-from-Home Vantage: Responsive Spaces for Disadvantaged Personality Characteristics / Carson Stickney, An Architecture of Decay: Addressing Building Waste Through Biologically Integrated Architecture / Micheal Tokarz, Unintended Permanence: Mass Customized Housing for Protracted Statelessness / Allyza Danica Valino, Building an Architecture of Non-Displacement: Preserving Community through a Revitalized Construction Process / Ethan Walker, Made with Matriarchs: Crafting Heritage-Oriented Futures with the Karamojong

2021-2022 / Sarah Burgess, Accessible Architecture: Intervention in the Cycle of Homeless Youth With Substance Abuse Disorder / Bryce Cox, Infrastructure for Humans: Repairing Urban Fabrics with a Flexible, Dual-Purpose Architecture / Ryan Ducki, Accessible Long Spans: Pairing Current Analysis Software with Common Resources to Create Monumental Architecture with Developing Communities / Ana Filippone, Performative Biomimicry: Discovering New Design Approaches for Desert Environments / Courteney Gazdik, Architectura insectum sapien: Crafting a Framework to Establish a New Architecture That Considers Mutualistic Relationships Between Humans and Insects / Alex Hollander, Eco social Resilience: Adaptable Architecture Designed to be Reduced, Reused, and Recycled / Francisco Landeros, Discovering an Architectural Metaverse: A Vessel for Emerging Digital Life Forms / Nicholas Peruski, Vertical Folded Plate: Simulated Architecture with Mass Timber and Faceted Space / Anusha Varudandi,  Pioneering Extra-legal Settlements Through Interventional Design

2017-2018 / Darpan Arora, The Effect Of Spatial Design On Comfort And Engagement In The Workplace  / Allaa Mokdad, Public Toilets: Implications In/For Architecture

2015-2016 / Dustin Altschul, Automated Parametric Design of Optimized Climate Responsive Facades Using Multi-Objective Logic  / Emily Matt, Dissemination of Baroque Architecture Within Brazil / Ramya Swayamprakash, Border as Infrastructure

2014-2015 / Ashley Brenner, Net Zero Energy Through Adaptive Reuse / Shannon Iafrate, Customization of Standardized Housing In High-Risk Areas

2013-2014 / Benje Feehan, Architecture & The Experiencing Human Body / Nigel Joseph, Smart City Sensor Technology: Bridging the Divide Between Real Time Data and Architects

2012-2013 / Mark Dreidger, Archelio: Developing the Next-Gen Passive Solar For Cold Climate / Zachary Funk, Cities Within Cities: Innovation Driven Infrastructure

2011-2012 / Lauren Yankovich, Monumental Intimacy