Taubman College Two Taubman College students have been named to the 2024 Metropolis Future100, which recognizes North America’s top graduating students in architecture and design.
Axel Olson, M.Arch ‘24, and Sophie Pacelko, M.Arch ‘24, are in the final year of the three-year Master of Architecture program. They were nominated for the Future100 by McLain Clutter, associate professor of architecture and immediate past chair of the architecture program, and Meredith Miller, associate professor of architecture and director of the master of architecture program.
Olson received a 2023 Architecture Student Research Grant and won Student Show awards in 2022 for “Self-Storage,” a temporary structure built for the reclamation of domestic items, and in 2023 for “Embassy of the Bright Shadow,” which reimagines the U.S. Embassy in Cuba.
Clutter taught Olson in his seminar course and has employed him in his design practice, EXTENTS, and as a poster designer for architecture program events.
“Axel has excelled,” Clutter said. “He is a careful thinker and an extremely talented designer with an eye for detail and emerging design sensibilities.”
Pacelko received an Architecture Student Research Grant for the 2023-2024 cycle and won Student Show awards in 2022 for “Planar Play,” a dynamic structure designed for children and single mothers, and in 2023 for “Fibershed,” which emphasizes the use of wool as a cultural material.
Clutter has known Pacelko since she took his seminar course during her first year at Taubman College.
“Sophie is thoughtful, inquisitive, and very talented,” Clutter said. “Her work is spatially and aesthetically exuberant while addressing critical environmental and social issues that define our societal moment.”
Launched in 2021, the annual Future100 program is sponsored by architecture and design firms interested in recruiting a talented, diverse pool of candidates. The winning students’ information is shared with recruiters from architecture and design firms across the country.
