This year’s Architecture Student Research Grant (ASRG) winners focus on three disparate topics: the influence of cliff dwellings, slang, and line-drying on the built environment. 

Here is more information on the projects, which are on display in the ground floor lobby of the Taubman East Building opening through August 15, 2025:

VertEco Green: 3D Printing Bioreceptive Architecture

Team members: Rachel Kerr, Yuxin Lin, Juliette Zidek

The Urban Cliff Hypothesis posits that humans continue to shape contemporary cities in the image of our ancestral habitats: cliff dwellings. Cliff ecosystems are apt models for advancing urban ecology. These distinct environments act as reservoirs of biodiversity and plant species. The heterogeneous features of cliffs, such as crevices, ledges, and overhangs, create a mosaic of microhabitats capable of sustaining diverse plant life and promoting ecological complexity. This research explores how the geometric freedom enabled by 3D printing can be leveraged to create building-integrated habitats that support biodiversity. Through a series of studies and experiments, it investigates how geologically and biologically inspired textures, geometries, and forms can create heterogeneous microtopographies and microclimates conducive to plant growth. Bioreceptive, locally sourced, low-carbon materials are essential to this research. Biochar, an agricultural byproduct and carbon-sequestering soil amendment, enhances the porosity and acidity of concrete, while terracotta serves as both a scaffold and a recyclable mold in the production of bioreceptive vessels and architectural panels. We envision a future where architecture not only accommodates human life but fosters flourishing urban ecosystems. Buildings become bioreceptive armatures programmed with ecological intelligence.

So Fetch!

Team members: Martin Rodriguez Jr., Jonathan “Bam” Davis, Crum

So Fetch – a term that famously “never became a thing”— is a research exploration that broadens the boundaries of art and architecture through the lens of slang. Much like the movements associated with slang, architectural ornamentation involves decorative elements added to buildings and structures to enhance their visual appeal, express cultural identity, or convey symbolic meaning. Ornamentation embodies cultural values, trends in art, and architectural history. However, like language, it continuously evolves in response to cultural shifts, technological innovations, and artistic movements, adapting to contemporary values and identities. The goal is to challenge perceptions of slang in formal environments and encourage a wider audience to engage with the inclusiveness of this informal dialogue. The research focuses on material textures and form-making. We question how language can disrupt form to convey new meanings and representations in architecture. Using AR, micro AI, large language models, and 2D/3D software, we’ve created a system that translates slang into visual art and ornamentation, altering 3D objects and spaces. We aim to make slang, art, and architecture more than just a backdrop. Instead, they become active participants in the lives of those they touch — sparking curiosity and fostering a shared sense of belonging

Line-Drying

Team members: Tina (Thanh Truc) Nguyen and Ngoc Minh Dang

Line-drying, traditionally associated with economic necessity and sometimes viewed as a marker of lower social status, is being reimagined through an integrative architectural project that transforms efficient drying systems directly into building design standards. By changing this practical necessity into an aesthetically pleasing and environmentally conscious feature of modern architecture, the project aims to shift the perception of line drying from a symbol of financial constraint to one of sustainable, forward-thinking urban living. This reintroduction addresses practical needs in increasingly dense urban environments and challenges societal assumptions about class markers while promoting environmental responsibility, ultimately contributing to a broader cultural shift in how we view and value everyday sustainable practices in contemporary urban spaces.

The ASRG grants are funded through the Taubman College Architecture Program and the generous gifts of alumni Lisa Sauve, M.Arch ’11, M.S.’14, and Adam Smith, M.Arch ’11, of the Ann Arbor architecture firm Synecdoche, and Tyler Suomala, B.S. Arch ’15.