2026 Recognition Award WInners
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Women in Architecture Award / Elise DeChard, AIA
Owner | END Studio
Elise DeChard is an architect, artist, educator, and the founder of END Studio, a Detroit-based, woman-owned architecture and research practice. END Studio explores playful techniques to reimagine the architectural experience through the lenses of community, sustainability, and interactivity. Elise is committed to creating equitable spaces and engaging unexpected contexts and has worked on everything from community art spaces to collaborative manufacturing centers to fortune-telling walls of TVs.
Elise leads END Studio with the conviction that great architecture begins with caring for the people who create it. She has cultivated a studio culture grounded in collaboration, mutual support, and well-being, where mentorship, creativity, and professional growth are woven into everyday practice. Committed to uplifting the next generation of architects—especially young women—she empowers her team to develop confidence, expand their skills, and grow into thoughtful, compassionate leaders.
Elise believes high-quality architectural services and thoughtful design should be accessible to all. This commitment shapes END Studio's practice, from partnering with nonprofits and small business owners through programs like Motor City Match to intentionally reserving capacity for small-scale projects. By embracing commissions of every size, the studio expands access to architectural expertise for neighborhood businesses, community organizations, and individual clients.
In 2024, Elise helped establish The New School, a collective of women architects and designers based in Detroit who share a commitment to doing architecture differently. Building on her passion for promoting equity in architecture and design, as well as in small business ownership and leadership, participation in The New School has offered opportunities to collaborate, share resources, and uplift others in the field.
Elise holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Master of Architecture from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Before relocating to Michigan, Elise worked in architecture and development in New York City, notably, creating the concept and design for New Lab at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Her work has been featured in local and national publications, including Metropolis, Architectural Digest, The Architect’s Newspaper, Detroit Design, Hour Detroit, Detour Detroit, and more. She has also been named a Notable Woman in Design (2020) and a Notable Leader in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (2026) by Crain's Detroit.
Elise is the Interim Architect in Residence and Head of the Architecture Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art, where she is reimagining the future of hands-on, experimental architecture education. As an educator, Elise encourages the next generation of architects to ask critical questions, engage thoughtfully with the world around them, and discover the joy in making. She has also taught architecture at Lawrence Technological University and Kendall College of Art and Design.
Throughout her career, Elise has demonstrated that architecture can be a powerful tool for strengthening communities, creating opportunity, and fostering belonging. Whether through leading an innovative design practice, mentoring emerging architects, or building collectives that challenge the status quo, she is driven by the belief that the architecture profession can—and should—be collaborative, inclusive, and optimistic. As her work continues to evolve, Elise remains committed to pushing the boundaries of what architecture can accomplish, creating spaces and systems that empower people, spark imagination, and leave lasting impact far beyond the built environment. -
Young Architect Award / Eric Klooster, AIA
Principal + Director of Integrated Design | INFORM Studio
Eric Klooster brings more than two decades of professional experience to his role as Principal and Director of Integrated Design at INFORM Studio, a nationally recognized architecture, urban design, and engineering firm with offices in Detroit, Northville, and Chicago. A graduate of Lawrence Technological University, where he earned both his Bachelor of Science in Architecture and Master of Architecture, Eric has been a driving force in shaping some of the firm's most significant and complex work since joining in 2015.
Eric's practice spans an exceptional range of project types and geographies, from pedestrian bridges and urban waterfronts in Providence, Toronto, and Traverse City, to student housing, historic preservation, cultural institutions, and mixed-use development across metropolitan Detroit. His work has earned national and regional recognition, including a 2023 National AIA Award for Regional and Urban Design for the Van Leesten Memorial Bridge and a 2023 AIA Detroit Honor Award for the Boardman/Ottaway Downtown Riverfront. He has also contributed to multiple competition-winning and shortlisted entries, including the Roger Williams Park Gateway Center and the Keating Channel Pedestrian Bridge in Toronto.
Beyond his project work, Eric has taken a pioneering role in advancing computational design and digital practice at INFORM Studio, integrating these tools into the design process from the earliest stages. A registered architect in Michigan since 2016, he also maintains an active connection to the profession through civic and academic service, including his volunteer role on the City of Royal Oak Planning Commission, his work as a guest juror for design studios at Lawrence Technological University and the University of Michigan, and his leadership of INFORM Studio's professional mentorship program. -
Associate Member Award / Patricia Roberts, Intl Associate AIA, LEED AP BD C
Technical Designer | Gensler
Patricia's passion for architecture began in childhood while accompanying her father, an architect, to construction sites and his architecture firm in Chennai, India. From holding measuring tapes and folding permit drawings to watching buildings rise from a set of plans, she developed an early fascination with how thoughtful design transforms ideas into places. Those experiences, combined with her love of drawing and painting, inspired a lifelong career in architecture.
With more than a decade of architectural experience, Patricia brings a global perspective to her work. Born and raised in South India, she earned her Bachelor of Architecture and Interior Design from MEASI Academy of Architecture in Chennai before moving to the United States in 2013 to pursue a Master of Architecture at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), drawn by the school's holistic and interdisciplinary approach to design. Her professional career spans India and the United States, contributing to multifamily, mixed-use, and high-rise developments in both Atlanta and Detroit. Today, Patricia is a Technical Designer at Gensler Detroit, where she has worked across residential, hospitality, workplace, and retail projects. Her diverse project experience has strengthened her technical expertise, collaborative approach, and passion for creating thoughtful, people-centered environments.
A passionate advocate for leadership, mentorship, and equity in architecture, Patricia has served in numerous volunteer leadership roles throughout her career, including serving on the AIA Georgia Board of Directors, as Marketing Director for NOMA Atlanta, and as Associate Director of AIA Detroit. Inspired by the transformative sense of community she experienced at the AIA Women's Leadership Summit in 2024, and recognizing the need for stronger support networks in Detroit, she helped reinvigorate the AIA Detroit Women in Architecture Committee, where she currently serves as Chair. Through this work, she is dedicated to fostering mentorship and expanding opportunities for women and other underrepresented professionals to thrive in architecture.
Patricia believes that architecture is ultimately about people. Through her professional work and volunteer leadership, she is committed to helping build a profession where diverse voices are supported and empowered to lead. As the Women in Architecture Committee continues to grow, her vision is to cultivate a lasting community that inspires collaboration and helps shape a more inclusive future for the profession. Outside of architecture, Patricia enjoys traveling, photography, hiking, painting, playing tennis, and exploring Detroit. -
Associate Member Award / Asia K. Williams, Associate AIA, NOMA, MCD
Architectural Designer | HOK + ROSSETTI
Asia K. Williams, Assoc. AIA, NOMA, MCD, is a Detroit-based architectural designer, community developer, and culture strategist whose work expands access, representation, and leadership within the architecture profession. She currently works as an Architectural Design Professional at HOK + ROSSETTI, contributing to sports, entertainment, planning, and community-centered design projects.
Asia’s commitment to connecting architecture with culture and community is reflected in her work as the inaugural Hip Hop Architecture Fellow and as the founder of SHE DZNS, a platform supporting underrepresented people in architecture and design. Through youth programming, mentorship, public speaking, professional service, and digital content creation, she makes architecture more accessible to broader audiences while highlighting the people, ideas, and cultural influences shaping the built environment.