The Architecture Student Research Grant (ASRG), initiated by the Class of 2013, provides a unique opportunity for student research projects. The Architecture Student Research Grant 2020 calls for projects that push the boundaries and possibilities of the discipline of architecture. Successful propositions will discover new forms and methods of working, making, and representing. Special consideration will be given to teams whose members articulate how the proposed project will aid in charting a course for their early career or future academic pursuits.

The 2019 Architecture Student Research Grant (ASRG) exhibition in the Taubman College Gallery features images of Grenfell Tower and Notre-Dame Cathedral on fire, a series of raised steel domes with a sign encouraging people to step on them, and a row of floor-to-ceiling hair braids. It’s fitting, given that the ASRG calls for projects that push the boundaries and possibilities of the discipline of architecture, including new forms and methods of working, making, and representing.

“Taubman College is committed to the idea that architecture is a cultural product that always negotiates a complex plurality of voices and ideas, as well as myriad social, political, and aesthetic concerns,” said McLain Clutter, chair of the architecture program. “We look for alternatives and explore how architecture can inspire, improve, and involve our world and society. The Architecture Student Research Grant is an excellent example of our experimental mindset in action.”  

The Architecture Student Research Grant, which was seeded with gifts from the Class of 2013 and continues to be funded through the generosity of Lisa Sauve, M.Arch ’11, M.S.’14, and Adam Smith, M.Arch ’11 (Synecdoche Design Studio, Ann Arbor), provides a unique opportunity for students to support outstanding research by their peers. The benefits for the recipients are many. “On a personal level, receiving an ASRG was the confidence boost I needed as I am beginning to understand and define my interests within architecture,” said Asya Shine, M.Arch ’20, who received a grant for “Afrotutions.” “Culturally, receiving an ASRG was an opportunity to showcase an underrepresented community within architecture, and hopefully create a familiar experience for other students of color at Taubman College.”