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SOUTHFIELD, MI — Master of Architecture students in Lawrence Technological University’s (LTU) College of Architecture and Design (CoAD) announce their 2026 Design Build Studio final project titled TRI-ARC.

A Moment of Solace on Campus

This year’s LTU Design-Build Studio centered on the design and construction of a shading pavilion located next to the south entrance of the University Technology and Learning Center (UTLC). Developed over a 10-week semester, with nine weeks of online collaboration followed by a one-week in-person Build Week, the project brought together 51 students, approximately 80% from Michigan, along with students from Canada, Hong Kong, Georgia, Minnesota, New York, and Ohio. The pavilion is intended to provide students with a moment of respite on campus: a place to eat, wait for friends, gather between classes, or simply pause during the day.

“Building Collaboration”

Framed through the studio theme of “Building Collaboration,” the project explored design-build as both a simulation of architectural practice and a platform for speculative construction research. Working remotely for most of the semester required students to develop collaborative design methods, shared digital workflows, and coordinated fabrication strategies before assembling the project together on site. For the studio, the pavilion was never just the end goal. It was a way to test out bigger questions — about shared authorship, digital fabrication, and what gets lost or gained when a drawing becomes a building.

Movable As Needed

The pavilion is conceived as a modular architectural system rather than a singular object. Developed from hexagonal and triangular geometry patterns, the structure uses a set of fractal frames that can branch, repeat, and aggregate into larger shell-like canopy petals. Each frame operates as both an independent structural unit and a building block within a broader system, allowing the pavilion to adapt to different site conditions, scales, and patterns of occupation. On the UTLC site, these lightweight tree-like assemblies provide shade, weather protection, and thermal comfort while creating an inviting place for students to gather, eat, wait, and rest. The project advances a flexible design-build strategy in which modularity, equilibrium-based structural logic, and digital fabrication come together as a usable architectural toolkit.

New and Sustainable Materials

The pavilion combines lightweight cantilevered tree trusses made from dimensional lumber with custom CNC (computer numerical control)-plasma cut steel joint plates, CNC-fabricated wood connections, 3D-printed joint nodes, and off-the-shelf EMT pipe canopy framing. Its structural system integrates a post-tensioned steel cable network developed through computational modeling and 3D graphic statics (3DGS) analysis. The project also incorporates 3D-printed ceramic elements into furniture and seating, expanding the pavilion beyond shade structure into a larger investigation of material systems, fabrication processes, and collaborative construction.

M.Arch students attend their summer course remotely until the final week of class when they meet in person for the first time to build their final project.

Led by Associate Professor of Architecture Lee-Su Huang, Assistant Professor of Architecture Teng Teng, PhD, and Adjunct Professor Ryan Kahen, owner of Kahen Design of Detroit. “What’s remarkable about this experience is how quickly these students moved from remote collaboration to building a single cohesive structure together in one week. That kind of coordination reflects real growth in how they think and work as designers,” said CoAD Interim Dean Lilian Crum.

“For most of these students, this studio is the first step to receiving their master’s degree in architecture. It is a testament to their creativity and commitment to their profession. It is also a point of pride for their professors who encourage and witness the substantive growth in architectural talent and capability in a single semester,” she said.

�鶹���� Lawrence Technological University

Lawrence Technological University,  is one of only 13 private, technological, comprehensive doctoral universities in the United States. Located in Southfield, Mich., LTU was founded in 1932, and offers more than 100 programs through its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, Engineering, and Health Sciences. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 11 percent of universities for alumni salaries. Forbes and The Wall Street Journal rank LTU among the nation’s top 10 percent. U.S. News and World Report lists it in the top tier of best in the Midwest colleges. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107-acre campus include more than 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.

Editor’s note: Images of the students’ year-end project in process appear below as well as at . Interviews with Interim Dean Lilian Crum and Professors Huang and Teng are available by contacting Renée Ahee at 586-484-2390 or rahee@yellowflagproductions.com.