Michigan Union Received An Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Illumination Merit Award!

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The Michigan Union received a 2021 Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Illumination Merit Award!


Located in the heart of Ann Arbor on the University of Michigan campus, the Michigan Union is an iconic building, rich in Michigan tradition and history. The original building was designed in 1919 with additions in 1930’s and 50’s. The design team of IDS, Workshop Architect and Hartman Cox along with the dedicated Students of the Michigan Union Board of Representatives, Building a Better Michigan and others spent many hours developing a concept with a focus on transforming and restoring the Union to serve the needs of students better while maintaining the historic nature of the building. The Michigan Union houses study and meeting spaces, six eateries, shops and student services. The Union is home to the IdeaHub, a collaborative space designed to support the University of Michigan’s over 1500 student organizations.


For more information on The Michigan Union, go to our website or follow this link https://ids-michigan.com/projects/michigan-union/
Photography ? by: Jeff Garland

Winning Project

Michigan Union Renovation
University of Michigan

Alexandra Grypinich

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  1. Tell me an interesting fact about yourself. 
    • My family is from just outside Montreal, Quebec, so we speak French at home.  
  2. Why did you go into your profession? 
    • I have always been fascinated with our built environment and how we can shape it. I believe architecture is a great balance between creative and technical expression.  
  3. What is your greatest strength? 
    • I believe one of my greatest strengths is my enthusiasm and passion for learning. I continually push myself to learn as much as I can and have been able to pick up skills quickly because of this. 
  4. What is your greatest personal achievement (not related to work) 
    • Actually being able to hit the softball at my first ever softball game with the IDS squids.  
  5. What is your greatest professional achievement? (related to IDS) 
    • As an intern, I would say my greatest achievement so far was completing my first ever project after having almost no experience with Revit. I was able to work through solving problems, communicate effectively with my supervisors, and get the job done, giving me the confidence I needed to move forward.  
  6. What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 
    • Outside of work I love being outdoors (swimming, hiking, etc) and crafting (crocheting, embroidery, jewelry making).  
  7. What motivates you? 
    1. I am motivated by my love for the profession and my hope to lead my generation and future generations into a more sustainable future.  
  8. What is your number one professional goal? 
    • After gaining experience in many difference realms of architecture, I hope to lead a team as a Project Architect and use my knowledge of sustainable construction management to create innovative carbon zero buildings.  

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” – Opera Winfrey 

Hannah Starnes

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  1. Tell me an interesting fact about yourself.
    • Interesting / weird fact about me is that I have an affinity for dams. (Yes, so random!) I took an architectural elective on the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) in school that really sparked this interest even more. I enjoyed going around and photographing different dams around me and learning the history that came with them. Then, TVA ended up being one of my clients. It was a full circle – totally nerdy – moment for me!
  2. Why did you go into your profession?
    • I was initially introduced to the profession by my stepmom who is an architect. As I got older, I knew that it was a career I wanted to pursue. I have since felt honored to be a part of impacting and shaping people’s everyday lives through design.
  3. What is your greatest strength?
    • As a designer, I would say one of the most important parts of our job is to have good problem-solving skills. I like to think that I am good at working through issues that pop up during projects – and I usually enjoy working through them, too.
  4. What is your greatest personal achievement (not related to work)
    • My fiancé and I hiked and camped through Zion National Park on a roadtrip across the country. It is not Mount Everest, but we hiked Angel’s Landing and are super proud to say we did such a once in a lifetime hike. It sparked a lifelong bucket list of visiting various National Parks across the country!
  5. What is your greatest professional achievement? (related to IDS)
    • My greatest professional achievement would be getting NCIDQ certified. It meant a lot to me to have my certification and I was proud that after all the studying, quizzing, etc. that I was able to mark that off my list!
  6. What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
    • When I am not working, I’m most likely outside in the yard, camping, hiking, or playing with the dogs!
  7. What motivates you?
    • I am motivated by the end goal. Because the project timelines in our field are so extensive – what keeps me going is seeing the finished product and how happy our clients are with their new spaces.
  8. What is your #1 professional goal?
    • To create spaces that inspire the people that occupy them while being a good steward of sustainable design.

“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” – Dolly Parton

William Jaynes

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  1. Tell me an interesting fact about yourself.
    • One interesting fact about me would be my first long term job. When I was 16, I took dual enrollment classes at Macomb Community College. I got to know my professor fairly well, she later recommended me to work as a teacher at a homeschool partnership ran by her sister. From the age of 16-20 I worked as a Robotics teacher at a small homeschool partnership in Centerline MI.
  2. Why did you go into your profession?
    • I’ve always enjoyed the creative aspect of Engineering. I went into Electrical specifically because the topic of signals and power was what interested me most in engineering.
  3. What is your greatest strength?
    • One of my greatest strengths would be assertiveness. I was homeschooled from elementary through high school and what that really taught me was how to evaluate problems and figure out how to solve them on my own. It taught me how to critically analyze material.
  4. What is your greatest personal achievement (not related to work)
    • One of my greatest personal achievements was when I was a teacher. I had a student who didn’t have anywhere he felt that he fit. Over the years he spent in my class I helped him develop an interest in creativity and design. His mother told me that taking that class with me is what gave him an interest to pursue in the future.
  5. What is your greatest professional achievement? (related to IDS)
    • My greatest personal achievement related to IDS would be my personal gain in experience. Before coming to IDS, I had no idea how the drafting world operated. Now I have a good understanding in electrical drafting and the order of operations. I also understand how collaboration works in combining multiple fields to one project.
  6. What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
    • Outside of work I enjoy staying active going to parks or the gym. Cooking and baking are also an interest of mine. Additionally, I like to spend time at my family cabin up north doing kayaking and fishing.
  7. What motivates you?
    • One of my biggest motivations is to strive to be better than I previously was at the task at hand.
  8. What is your number one professional goal?
    • My number one professional goal is to develop experience to every aspect of my job and be able to handle larger responsibilities.

“You are only as free as you think you are, and freedom will always be as real as you believe it to be.” – Robert M. Drake