Michael has lived and breathed architecture since a child. Growing up in Chicago surrounded by the city’s rich design heritage only seemed to assure a life in architecture was inevitable.        

A graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign with a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies, Michael traveled extensively during his undergraduate education, completing coursework in France, Brazil, Japan, Singapore, and the Netherlands and visiting dozens more. Those international travels left an indelible appreciation for the pleasures of walkable, transit-oriented communities and a confident faith that density is the surest route to building more sustainable societies.

Michael’s passion for green building brought him to Austin to continue his graduate studies with a Masters of Architecture at the University of Texas where he was attracted by, not only a wholistic approach to sustainable building, but also a rigorous commitment to craft and the tectonics of construction. While in Austin, Michael was able to pursue a highly interdisciplinary approach to design completing extensive coursework not only in architecture, but also, landscape and urban design. Michael’s infectious joy for sharing inspiring design was key to landing numerous graduate teaching positions assisting courses on architectural history, landscape history, and a special infinitive on creative problem solving aimed at introducing studio methods and iterative design thinking to undergraduates in a wide range of disciplines.

Today, Michael feeds that passion for innovative architecture with a steady diet of lectures, project tours, and site visits focusing on mass timber and highly performing green buildings. Never one to stop observing the built environment, Michael is constantly stopping to photograph noteworthy details either on day-to-day trips around town or extended travels. Frequent trips up and down the coast to Vancouver, Portland, San Francisco, and LA are a recurring opportunity to gain inspiration, expand that visual vocabulary, and note design trends from other markets.