McIntosh Poris Architects’ Laurie Hughet-Hiller seat at the table

When it comes to shaping cities through design, Laurie Hughet-Hiller brings both vision and purpose to the table. As a Principal at McIntosh Poris Architects, she’s not only a creative force but a champion for architecture that enhances lives and strengthens communities. Since returning to her hometown of Detroit in 2009—after beginning her career in Los Angeles—Hughet-Hiller has become a central figure in the city’s transformation, leading award-winning projects across housing, hospitality, retail and education.

With a hands-on approach that takes projects from initial concept through completion, she ensures each design reflects the needs and character of its surroundings.

Her influence extends beyond the drafting table. She also heads business development for the firm, always on the lookout for the next opportunity to make a lasting impact through experience-driven design. Her leadership and dedication to the profession have earned her top honors from AIA Michigan and AIA Detroit, along with roles on multiple industry boards.

In this Q&A, Hughet-Hiller shares insights into how she entered the architecture world, the changes she’s seen and what opportunities lie ahead.

Tell us your story. How did you get started in the industry?

Both of my parents were designers, so art and design were central influences in my upbringing. My late father, Roger Hughet, was a celebrated automotive designer at General Motors, best known for his design of Corvettes and the 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am. I went to “Take Your Daughter to Work Day” at GM with him as a child, and in recent years my father’s colleagues recalled I told them I wanted to be an architect when I grew up—and here I am.

In kindergarten, I was part of a TV news interview of the “Class of 2000” (the year I graduated high school), and I said I wanted to be an artist when I grew up. Surely another influence was that my family designed and built a new home just three lots over from our old house when I was about eight years old.

Beyond the increased flexibility of our work modes, the integration of AI in our workflows is continuously evolving and is changing the face of the industry.

I loved exploring the construction site and seeing it all come together day by day. In high school, I took both art and engineering drawing classes, and I came to realize that the field of architecture as an applied art combined both my academic and artistic interests and abilities.

I attended the University of Michigan, first in the art school and then the architecture school. I graduated from the undergraduate and graduate architecture programs there. During college, my uncle (who is a non-practicing architect) introduced me to some leading local architects, which led to my first internship. My internships later led to my first job out of college as a designer in Los Angeles.

What are some of the biggest changes you have seen over the past few years?

The pandemic dramatically changed how we work. We have become adept at working from locations other than the office and managing a hybrid work schedule. We adopted new online tools for communication and collaboration in our design work. Virtual meeting platforms have changed our daily work patterns.

Even if we are working in the office, we travel to meetings with clients and consultants much less, often preferring the convenience and efficiency of virtual conferencing. These changes have created new possibilities for the way we live our daily lives.

Beyond the increased flexibility of our work modes, the integration of AI in our workflows is continuously evolving and is changing the face of the industry. In our practice, we are leveraging AI to accelerate iterative design processes and perform routine tasks like note-taking. We are continually exploring how we can use AI to progress our practice.

What opportunities are out there for women to get a seat at the table?

The industry, and architecture as a profession particularly, has made strides to expand the diversity of its composition, though there is still much work to be done. The profession is still largely dominated by white males, and inroads are being made in increasing diversity. We all have the opportunity to advocate for and be intentional about growing the pipeline to the industry from varied avenues.

A few years ago, I served a two-year term on the boards of AIA Michigan and AIA Detroit, and it was exciting to see that the AIA Detroit board was overwhelmingly female and racially diverse. As a CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women) member and past leader in the organization, I am passionate about promoting the success of women in the industry.

What type of trends are you seeing today?

I am excited about alternative construction methods, specifically prefabrication and modular, which we see as an emerging solution in our single- and multifamily work. We designed a large Colorado resort-area community for modular construction, working with a modular builder to create prefabricated homes designed for the mountain context.

The goal is to control construction costs and time to create housing that’s attainable on workforce incomes. I am excited to be on the leading edge of new ways of realizing our designs. In the future I hope to explore other technologies that will advance the profession in realizing design.

The best advice I have ever received is to take building your network seriously, and this is a key piece of advice I give others starting out in the industry.

At McIntosh Poris Architects, we’re committed to adaptive reuse and historic preservation, and the industry as a whole is now seeing more reuse rather than new construction. We pursue creative design solutions that give historic buildings second lives and transform communities. For industrial buildings that once provided Detroiters jobs in the automotive industry, our firm has redesigned them to benefit the community as housing and job-creating commercial spaces, acting as catalysts for further development. Notably, adaptive reuse is also significantly more sustainable than building new construction.

Adaptive reuse/preservation is increasing across the industry, but it’s not new to us. Since our founding in 1994, McIntosh Poris Architects has been working with politicians and planners to make Detroit’s historic buildings attractive for real estate investment instead of demolition. Historic Tax Credits and rezoning help in encouraging investment in modernizing existing buildings for the current market while preserving the rich architectural history and authenticity of the city. So far, these efforts have helped preserve almost 100 buildings that may otherwise have been bulldozed.

Our firm’s largest adaptive reuse project right now is Fisher 21 Lofts. The 600,000-square-foot Fisher factory made bodies for GM cars from 1919 to 1984 and was abandoned for about 30 years. We redesigned the building as a mixed-use community with 433 apartments, some of which will be designated for low-income residents.

What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received and what advice can you share?

The best advice I have ever received is to take building your network seriously, and this is a key piece of advice I give others starting out in the industry. Talent, drive and dedication to what you do are of course essential, but it’s also important to get out there in the world and make connections with others. Relationships are valuable in this industry and lead to opportunities. You can’t toil in isolation if you want to make an impact.

What’s the single best thing every woman can do to make sure they continue to get a seat at the table?

Know that you belong at the table and perform as such.

What’s the biggest item on your to-do list?

I’m a huge fan of Mid-Century Modern architecture. My husband and I currently are undertaking the next phase of renovations to our 1960s home, designed by noted architect Irving Tobocman. In effect, I’m bringing my work home. Completing this effort along with the family responsibilities of having two young boys at home is a challenge.