AIAS E-board: A President's Fairwell

Moulee Patel, our AIAS-LTU past president, has recently graduated with a Bachelor's of Science in Architecture and has some parting words and also a message for the new Executive Board for the coming year. 

I stumbled into AIAS three years ago with the help of then vice-president Jonathon Cebelak. At the time, I didn’t know much about the organization. I paid my dues and right off the bat registered for my first conference: Midwest Spring Quad in Indianapolis, Indiana. During my weekend there, I was thrust into the AIAS experience: positions, leadership, event planning, etc. The following year, I ended up serving on the Executive Board as Treasurer. It all happened so fast that I didn’t have time to think about what I was doing or, more importantly, thank Jonathon for helping me make all of these decisions!

My time in AIAS started of merely as a resume builder but throughout the journey, became so much more. I grew into my position as Treasurer but found how much more I could take part in on a local and national level. I had Jonathon’s endless enthusiasm to expand our chapter rub off on me, especially when I attended Forum in Minneapolis which, needless to say, was an incredible feeling. Hundreds of architecture and design students from around the country gathering together to talk about issues facing architecture and the profession all while taking part in tours and seminars is one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had.  Forum was my “ah ha!” moment because that is when I found out what AIAS truly meant.

I understood how much AIAS has to offer and also what I can do for the organization as well. After my return from Forum, I knew I wanted to run for President for the following year, despite my fear. I had no idea what I was getting myself into but I also knew I had to jump right in if I wanted to make a difference. So I ran for President and started my term in the summer of 2010. Jonathon, along with Bryce Gamper, Kevin Brown, Jacob Boyd and Ryan Tucker joined me on the Executive Board for the 2010-11 academic year.  Being the only girl on the Executive Board was interesting but I could not have asked for a better group of leaders. We embarked on a journey and experimented with many new things to improve our chapter: workshops, fundraisers, trips, retreats, bake sales, food carts – you name it!! I am so glad we did each and every one of them even if some didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to.

Looking back, it looked like a pretty good year, but what is more exciting is that next year is going to be 10 times better!  Our new Executive Board is on their retreat right now, planning for the fall and making changes to better our chapter. They have so many fantastic ideas, excitement, dedication and spunk (and let me just say that we were pretty awesome).  I know that the new Board is ready to take AIAS-LTU to bigger and better places. 

I can’t thank the E-board and ALL of our members enough for such a great year.  My journey with the AIAS has been filled with so many valuable memories and I encourage everyone to join and serve on the executive board.  You will never know until you take the chance!


We are going to miss you so much Moulee!! Good luck on all of your future endeavors!!

AIAS Blog: OFFICIAL LAUNCH!

The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) is an organization which promotes collegiate architecture studies, industry professionals and architecture itself. At Lawrence Tech, this organization has grown tremendously over the last few years both in leadership and sustainability. This blog serves to update the College of Architecture and Design on events, conferences and meetings the AIAS holds. Thus far, the blog has reported upon the AIAS new Executive board retreat, Freedom by Design project updates as well as a Quad Conference wrap-up. Students can access the blog easily on the AIAS Facebook page. 


LTU AIAS would not be possible without the assistance from the College of Architecture and Design. Their generous donations, time and help, along with all the members and Executive Board, have helped bring this organization to the place it is today. Thank you and always look for updates on the page!

Freedom by Design: Project Completion and Community Outreach

The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) is a campus organization which promotes collegiate architecture studies, industry professionals, and architecture itself. The AIAS boasts 100-plus chapters spanning across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada.

Affiliated with AIAS is Freedom by Design, a purposeful community service and outreach program that allows architecture students to gain real world experience through design and construction solutions. Thousands of people are confined in their homes with no way to access stairs, bathrooms or even their front yards. Freedom by Design serves to correct these shortcomings by providing ramps, grab bars and other means by which residents may access parts of their own home and not feel trapped.

Recently, Lawrence Tech’s AIAS Freedom by Design chapter completed a design-build project in Southfield for a non-profit organization called Rebuilding Together Oakland County (RTOC). Kerry Comerford, the City of Southfield’s building inspector, contacted the chapter about a project for the Jordan family, who needed storage space on their property. The chapter had to come together to assess the site, design the storage space, prepare a set of construction documents, and get a building permit in a matter of only a couple of weeks.

After being approved for a building permit and receiving a substantial concrete donation from Superior Materials, LLC of Farmington Hills, the Lawrence Tech students came together to dig trench footings, construct forms and pour footings and the slab. Following the concrete work, the Detroit Carpentry Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee, located in Ferndale, constructed the shed in parts in-house, which was ready to be installed on site. Carpenters under the lead of Bob Makowski of Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters installed the shed on site.

With the help of Freedom by Design members and student project managers Dave Andrus, Jake Boyd and Eliza Morales, designers Patrick Borden, Kevin Brown, Shaun Carollo, Samantha Doherty, Jason Flint, Susan Karczag, Meaghan Markiewicz, Ryan Maynard, Michael Neal, Ellen Rotter, Jeff Sebring, Ryan Tucker and Interim Architecture Department Chair Dan Faoro, the shed construction went off without a hitch.

In addition to designing the shed, the project awaits more publicity from City Cable Channel 15 of Southfield, which filmed the construction process and interviewed Lawrence Tech students. Stephanie Givens of Publicity Works submitted project information to CAM magazine to be published in the July issue. This project gave insight to students on the complexities of the construction process, including project management and time and budget management.