The Wisconsin Chapter of The American Institute of Architects named Michael Ford, AIA, NOMA as a recipient of The 2022 Yong Architect of The Year. Congratulations to Michael Ford and the other two outstanding young architect award recipients, Matthew Clapper, AIA and Brandon Reinke, AIA. Read the full story on Wisconsin State Journal ..read more

George Floyd wasn't the first or last Black person to be killed by the hands of police or vigilantes, but his documented murder helped spark a rise in discourse on systemic racism. In this 15-part series, members of the design community share how their conversations and view of and place in the profession have changed in a year that also saw an increase in attacks—many fatal—against people of color as well as the lives of millions more gone due to COVID-19. Here, Michael Ford, AIA, the Madison, Wis.–based founder of The Hip Hop Architecture Camp and the director of design at the&nbs ..read more

Architect Michael Ford, photographed by Hugo Yu at The Robey in Chicago “The American Midwest is shaking up the world of architecture. Our profile series, part of our Next Generation 2022 project, explores exciting young studios presenting bold ideas for a better future for the built environment. Meet Michael Ford Michael Ford is a busy man. The Detroit-born, Maddison-based architect not only heads the small but dynamic studio, Brandnu Design, focusing on architecture, community engagement, textiles, and fashion; he also spearheads the Hip Hop Architecture Camp, ‘an international initiat ..read more

The following is a press release from the Boston- and Los Angeles–based studio Bergmeyer announcing its partnership with The Hip Hop Architecture Camp for its inaugural scholarship. The HHAC was founded by Michael Ford, Assoc. AIA, in 2016 to introduce underrepresented middle- and high-school students to the design and architecture community. Bergmeyer, the award-winning design collaborative based in Boston and Los Angeles, is partnering with The Hip Hop Architecture Camp (The HHAC) for its first-ever Scholarship and Internship Program fo ..read more

Image: CSPRDetroit December 6, 2021 was Mike Ford Day at Cass Tech High School in Detroit, and the Hip-Hop Architect celebrated by giving away a $10,000.00 scholarship to Cass Tech senior Sarah Shaw-Nichols who is headed to college to study architecture. Sarah is currently considering University of Michigan, University of Detroit Mercy and Cornell. The $10,000.00 scholarship was funded by a continued Hip Hop Architecture Camp partner, Herman Miller. Check out the scholarship surprise which Ford captured on Facebook live. Read full story on Archinect Ford was joined by Hip Hop Architecture Ca ..read more

Herman Miller x Mike Ford Video: “Conversations for Change” In his first piece of furniture, Michael Ford has remixed the popular Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman (ELO) introduced in 1956 by husband and wife, Charles and Ray Eames as a “special refuge from the strains of modern living” with handwritten names of victims of racism in the US as a stark reminder that these Black men, women, and children were not afforded the privilege of refuge - those who died at the hands of racial violence. The ELO will travel across the US from Jan 18th, 2021 through February 2021, and people of influence; activ ..read more

The Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman is an undeniable status symbol in architecture and entertainment circles, but Michael Ford, Assoc. AIA, wants to take it to a whole new meaning. The iconic two-piece set, created in 1956 by the venerated design duo Ray and Charles Eames, has long carried its original tagline as a “special refuge from the strains of modern living.” Considering the country's history of systemic racism, which manifests itself in nearly every measurable data point, Ford wanted to know, “Where is that 'refuge' from the strains of 'modern living' for Black Americans? What does tha ..read more

Photo by: Kai Brown Thanks to Azure Magazine for publishing my Op Ed There is a stain on your masterpiece.  Martin Luther King Jr, the revolutionist – not the watered down, palatable, let’s all get along version that white people love – once said, “There comes a time when silence is betrayal.” The silence of the architecture community in authentically addressing the blatant injustice that has begrudged African American people in the United States layers that stain.  Photo by: Kai Brown The continued, unprovoked and senseless murders of Black people in public spaces, oftentimes in b ..read more

Eastern State Penitentiary in 1949. The prison in Philadelphia, now a historic site, once advocated solitary confinement.Credit...Bettman/Getty Images “Mr. Ford, who is African-American, also added: “The death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many before them provided an opportunity for all of us to question how our morals and values are practiced in our daily lives, including our work as designers and architects.” Read the full article here ..read more

Camp facilitator Phil Robie demonstrates some design details. KARA HAYES SMITH Thanks to STL Public Radio for their story on The Hip Hop Architecture Camp which took place for the second year in a row at St Louis County Library. See the full story here ..read more