The College of Architecture and Design’s (CoAD) fourth annual end-of-year exhibition features not only exquisite design and creative solutions but celebrates perseverance, innovation, and exploration.
ShowLTU CoAD 2025 opens Thursday, May 8, with the student award ceremony and a guest lecture from renowned architect Billie Tsien of New York’s Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects | Partners. Architecture and design students, industry leaders, and the public can hear “What Matters,” the topic of Tsien’s talk. The exhibition runs through Saturday, May 10, and is open to the public.
The exhibition includes more than 250 original works created by graduating students, select undergraduate projects, and a digital showcase of works by architecture and design alumni of CoAD. Exhibitors will be on hand to explain their concepts and the technology used to accomplish their work.
“The energy and ambition of the students truly make this event special,” said Lilian Crum, associate dean of CoAD. “It’s not only a celebration of their academic journey but also a meaningful bridge between education and industry.”
ShowLTU CoAD 2025 embraces the university’s core philosophy of theory and practice by presenting new, original work and concepts that will shape the future of the industry.
Crum said that networking experience is a key aspect of ShowLTU CoAD.
“This is a valuable opportunity to connect with the next generation of creative professionals and see how their ideas are already impacting the future of architecture and design,” said Crum.
Some students whose work is featured at ShowLTU are already making waves in the industry. For example, last year, Emily Bigelow, BSArch ’23, MArch ’24, presented her thesis work, “Building Biodiversity: Architectural Interventions for Mangrove Restoration and Community Engagement,” which earned the prestigious Metropolis Future100 award. This year, another architecture student, Michael Gerace, BSArch ’24, MArch ’25, received the same honor for his portfolio that contained projects titled “Nexus for Greater Flint,” an adaptive reuse project, and “The Pollen District,” an urban design project.
About ShowLTU CoAD 2025, Dean Karl Daubmann said, “I am truly proud of our students, future leaders in architecture and design. Their year-end projects demonstrate their unique creativity, their problem-solving skills, and their adaptation of new and emerging technologies.
A guest lecturer of the renown of Billie Tsien is a highlight of ShowLTU CoAD 2025. We invite industry leaders and the public to join us either in person or via livestream. Her talk promises to be interesting, aspirational, and provocative.”
For more information or to register for the event, please visit https://www.showltucoad.com/. To view the livestream of the student award ceremony beginning at 4 p.m., click here. For the link to the livestream of Billie Tsien’s lecture beginning at 5 p.m., click here. The exhibition opens at 6 p.m.
Year-end works-in-progress from architecture students Samuel Laura, Autumn Maley, Dane Peterson from their Advanced Design Studio 2 architecture course.
By: Renée Ahee
