Architecture Faculty

UDM’s architecture faculty are not just your professors—they’re your coaches and mentors in a challenging, exciting program that will teach you everything from history and theory to urban environments, sustainable architecture and international trends.

indexSOA Faculty/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/indexcv-pdfCV PDFs/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/cv-pdfAmy-Green-DeinesAmy Green Deines/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/Amy-Green-DeinesAmy Green DeinesB.F.A., Wayne State UniversityM.Arch., Cranbrook Academy of ArtDesign StudioFoundation StudioVertical Studio/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/cv-pdf/amyGreen_CV.pdfamyGreen_CV.pdfamyGreen_CV.pdfLO 118313-578-0307deinesag@udmercy.eduSchool of Architecturehttp://architecture.udmercy.edu/http:///www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/images/UDM-AmyGreenDeines-lrg.jpgUDM-AmyGreenDeines-lrg.jpgUDM-AmyGreenDeines-lrg.jpgWhy you’re going to love my classWhen you’re done, you’ll feel differently about architecture, about the built environment and about space in general. You’ll be much more observant. You’ll be interested in watching people and looking at materials and understanding relationships of scale and proportion when you travel or just in your own environment at home. In your first design studio with me, you’ll also learn self-confidence, self-direction and a strong work ethic.Great things for you at UDMOne of the unique and wonderful qualities about UDM’s School of Architecture is that we’re located in an urban community, which is a constant reminder that architecture goes beyond designing for the elite. We also are designing for everyday people, and for the poor and needy. Cities all over the country are in desperate need of a redefinition of what architecture is. And so we’re trying to instill a sense of responsibility in you. And being in the urban environment means we can treat Detroit almost as a laboratory.My favorite part about teaching you isThe chance to see an amazing growth. Everybody grows. Even if you weren’t exposed to architecture in high school, by the time you’re done with the first year, you’ll be in line with your peers. And for me as a professor, seeing that growth and that maturity is just an amazing thing./www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/images/UDM-AmyGreenDeines-sm.jpgUDM-AmyGreenDeines-sm.jpgUDM-AmyGreenDeines-sm.jpgCities all over the country are in desperate need of a redefinition of what architecture is.Julie-KimJulie Kim/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/Julie-KimJulie Ju-Youn KimB.A., Architecture, WellesleyM.A., Architecture, MITMaster’s StudioSeminars in Technology and CraftBuilding Construction Sequence/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/cv-pdf/julie_kim_CV.pdfjulie_kim_CV.pdfjulie_kim_CV.pdf204C313-993-1512kimjulj@udmercy.eduSchool of Architecturehttp://architecture.udmercy.edu/http:///www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/images/UDM-JulieKim-lrg.jpgUDM-JulieKim-lrg.jpgUDM-JulieKim-lrg.jpgWhy you’re going to love my classI can’t draw for you or think for you—you must do the hard work—but I can help by opening your eyes and expanding your visual vocabulary. I can teach you the importance of being thoughtful in design.Great things in store after UDMWe’re giving you the tools and skills to do whatever you choose. We’re cultivating your ability. And hopefully teaching you how not to be complacent. If you don’t love what you do, why do it?“We want great things for you” meansFaculty has expectations and students have aspirations. You feed off us, but it goes both ways. When you accomplish great things, it reflects on the School and makes us stronger as a whole.My favorite part about teaching you isYour curiosity and willingness to abandon assumptions. It’s one thing to ask questions, but quite another to actually seek answers. You might also like to knowI am competing to design the new building of the Estonian Academy of Arts. My husband and I have a small practice together and feel international competitions keep us sharp.No other professor can say to youI am an avid football fan—specifically the AFC. Sorry, Lions./www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/images/UDM-JulieKim-sm.jpgUDM-JulieKim-sm.jpgUDM-JulieKim-sm.jpgI can’t draw for you or think for you, but I can help by opening your eyes and expanding your visual vocabulary.John-MuellerJohn Mueller/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/John-MuellerJohn Charles MuellerB.S.A., University of DetroitApplied Descriptive GeometryMaster’s Design Studio/LO 204B313-993-1512muellejc@udmercy.eduSchool of Architecturehttp://architecture.udmercy.edu/http:///www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/images/UDM-JohnMueller-lrg.jpgUDM-JohnMueller-lrg.jpgUDM-JohnMueller-lrg.jpgWhy you’re going to love my classYou’ll learn how to draw with your hands the old-fashioned way. And students share the opinion it’s an art worth preserving. Manual sketch is a good skill to have when you can’t rely on computers.Great things for you at UDMArchitecture is a high-quality program at a really good school. We work hard to maintain that reputation. So your experience will be worthwhile.“We want great things for you” meansWe want you to earn a great education. But more important than what UDM wants, it’s about what you want to accomplish.My favorite part about teaching you isIt’s fun and constantly satisfying. I feed off your energy. Teaching keeps me from drifting off into the generational gap and keeps me aware of what’s going on. I won’t retire until I’m forced to.You might also like to knowI’m an architect with my own practice, mainly designing small houses and cottages for clients.No other professor can say to youI’m the walking Wikipedia of the world at-large. One student even posted Wikipedia’s logo with my name on the studio door./www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/images/UDM-JohnMueller-sm.jpgUDM-JohnMueller-sm.jpgUDM-JohnMueller-sm.jpgManual sketch is a good skill to have when you can’t rely on computers. And students share the opinion it’s an art worth preserving.Dan-PiteraDan Pitera/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/Dan-PiteraDaniel PiteraB.S., Georgia Institute of TechnologyM.Arch., Georgia Institute of TechnologyArchitecture Design 4/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/cv-pdf/DCDC_Dan-Pitera_CV-2007.pdfDCDC_Dan-Pitera_CV-2007.pdfDCDC_Dan-Pitera_CV-2007.pdfLO 104313-993-1037piteradw@udmercy.eduSchool of Architecturehttp://architecture.udmercy.edu/http:///www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/images/UDM-DanPitera-lrg.jpgUDM-DanPitera-lrg.jpgUDM-DanPitera-lrg.jpgWhy you’re going to love my classYour position as a student is more than just gaining information. You’re part of a process of making better architecture, and making better urban cities.Great things for you at UDMWe have a Design Center at UDM, which is basically like a teaching hospital for architects. So before you graduate, you’re working on real projects utilizing the knowledge you’ve gained in traditional classes.Great things in store after UDMI have architects from around the country calling me asking me to recommend students to come work for them. I have students now working in California, Alaska, all over the country—and it’s because they’ve been here at UDM.“We want great things for you” meansWe work together in this educational process. You’re not just sitting in a classroom learning in lectures. You’re working together with faculty and students to make better architecture.My favorite part about teaching you isImproving my music and video collection! Actually, the truth is, I do learn from you, and you learn from me, so it’s a two-way street./www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/images/UDM-DanPitera-sm.jpgUDM-DanPitera-sm.jpgUDM-DanPitera-sm.jpgYour position as a student is more than just gaining information. You’re part of a process of making better architecture, and making better urban cities.Fr.-Gilbert-SungheraFr. Gilbert Sunghera, S.J./www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/Fr.-Gilbert-SungheraGilbert Sunghera, S.J.B.A., Environmental Psychology, University of California, IrvineM.Arch., University of Wisconsin–MilwaukeeM.Div., Jesuit School of Theology at BerkeleySTM, Institute of Sacred Music, Worship and the Arts, Yale UniversityContemporary Sacred Space/L0313-993-1037sungheg@udmercy.eduSchool of Architecturehttp://architecture.udmercy.edu/http:///www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/images/UDM-FrGilbert-lrg.jpgUDM-FrGilbert-lrg.jpgUDM-FrGilbert-lrg.jpgWhy you’re going to love my classYou have a chance to explore how religious thought has informed public space or how certain buildings capture a sense of transcendence in their designs.Great things for you at UDMYou’ll get the chance to ask some deeper questions about what it means to acknowledge a power greater than yourself in contemporary times.Great things in store after UDMIt’s not so much that I’m trying to get you a great job as I am trying to help you continue to be a great person—and be genuine in what you do in the larger world.“We want great things for you” meansGetting to study at the only full architecture program at a Jesuit university in the U.S., and one located in a city that is famous for its ingenuity (from the auto to the music industry).My favorite part about teaching you isYou’re real, you know the complexity of life, you work hard, you rise to the occasion and you’re doing incredible work.No other professor can say to youI serve as a consultant on church architecture nationwide./www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/images/UDM-FrGilbert-sm.jpgUDM-FrGilbert-sm.jpgUDM-FrGilbert-sm.jpgYou'll think about things you may never have thought of before about sacred architecture and public space.Will-WittigWill Wittig/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/Will-WittigWilliam S. WittigB.A., Architecture, University of KansasM.A., Architecture, Cranbrook Academy of ArtEcological DesignMaster’s Thesis Studio/www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/cv-pdf/WillWittig_CV.pdfWillWittig_CV.pdfWillWittig_CV.pdfLO313-993-1532wittigw@udmercy.eduSchool of Architecturehttp://architecture.udmercy.edu/http:///www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/images/UDM-WillWittig-2-lrg.jpgUDM-WillWittig-2-lrg.jpgUDM-WillWittig-2-lrg.jpgWhy you’re going to love my classYou’re going to learn what it means to design a green building. You’ll understand the implications of the environmental movement for a designer—and you’ll feel empowered to see how a designer has an impact on the environment.Great things for you at UDMWe are a fairly small program and our students receive more personal attention than at larger programs. When you graduate, you’ll know all the faculty, and we’ll know you quite well.Great things in store after UDMMy overall objective is to put you in a situation that allows you to think for yourself. I’m thinking about you 10 years down the road, and how your experiences here will help you develop as a thinker and a problem solver.My favorite part about teaching you isInteracting with you one on one. It’s enjoyable to see you develop as you grapple with the process of learning how to design, which is not easy. It requires hard work and soul-searching. But you’ll be incredibly passionate about what you’re doing or you wouldn’t be here.You might like to knowI am working as a consultant on the design for sustainable, affordable house prototype. It’s a single-family affordable house in an urban context./www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/images/UDM-WillWittig-2-sm.jpgUDM-WillWittig-2-sm.jpgUDM-WillWittig-2-sm.jpgYou’re going to learn what it means to design a green building./www.udmercy.edu/about/meet_faculty/soa/soa_profilessoa_profiles