Sydney Brown
Degree Programs: M.Arch '16
Current Employer: Skidmore, Owings & Merill
Job title: Senior Associate Principal
Master of Architecture
“There are so many ways to understand design and propose design value at Taubman, and it gave me a well-rounded foundation to creative thinking.”
Describe the work you do. What are some of your recent and current projects that excite you? What inspires you about the future of your chosen field?
I work on an exciting variety of project typologies and scales across the nation and the globe, ranging from residential high-rises to academic and medical campuses. After nearly a decade of work, I’ve been able to watch 400 Lake Shore Drive, the first phase of a pair of residential towers along the lakefront, go up just a few short blocks from our office.
Architects and designers are ultimately problem solvers. The tools we use to solve the problems change often and, recently, quickly, but I’m constantly impressed by the way my peers constantly find new ways to solve and approach challenges.
Why did you choose Taubman College for your education?
There is no single “right” way to approach design, it’s about a symphony of different influences and constraints coming together. I appreciated that Taubman made a place for many different approaches to design work: ground-up community-driven design, robotic and computational exploration, sustainable and performative solutions. There are so many ways to understand design and propose design value at Taubman, and it gave me a well-rounded foundation to creative thinking.
How did Taubman College prepare you for your career? What experiences beyond the classroom (internships, research assistantships, teaching opportunities, or other external experiences) provided additional value?
I spent a semester working with one of my professors on an exhibition. This was an incredible lesson in learning how to make visuals speak for themselves without the benefit of me explaining them.
What advice or important lesson would you share with someone considering Taubman College?
Try as much as you can! At a program with the resources Taubman and Michigan have, take advantage of the opportunity to try things out; take electives in places that make you uncomfortable. Your degree is about figuring out what you value in design, and Taubman is a great place to do it.
