Jen Maigret is a professor in architecture and director of Climate Futures who is passionate about design’s role in contributing to non-extractive methods of building. As an architect, researcher, and educator, her ethos is grounded in listening, curiosity, experimentation, and forms of making that relationally reveal overlooked design solutions. Jen values engaging in collaborative, complex and often interdisciplinary projects that model pathways toward a more just, reciprocal, and resilient built environment. She brings strengths in communication, visualization, project management and design research to her partnerships. Jen serves as director of Climate Futures and is currently exploring alternative processes and practices to counter prevailing extractive building paradigms and work flows. This work builds on her previous experience in adaptive reuse and seeks to extend technical knowledge typically approached in a case by case manner to shared, actionable knowledge.
Previously, Jen served as principal at PLY+ architecture, urbanism and design (2018-2024) and as founding principal at MAde Studio (2010-2018). During this time, her body of work spanned community engagement, design research, and professional practice as reflected in key projects including the Marygrove Elementary School (PLY+), Michigan Animal Rescue League (PLY+), Liquid Planning Detroit (MAde Studio) and Playful Horizons (MAde Studio). Jen’s work has been recognized for design excellence and research analysis by the Architectural League of New York, AIA (American Institute of Architects), SARA (Society of American Registered Architects), BSA (Boston Society of Architects), and ACSA (American Collegiate Schools of Architecture). Her leadership at U-M includes serving as a faculty co-lead for the development of proposed building standards for the President’s Commission on Carbon Neutrality (PCCN, 2020), serving on design guidelines RFP selection and steering committee (ongoing) and resilient grounds steering committee (ongoing). She holds a MArch and a MS in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Michigan, and a BA in biology from Hartwick College.
