Michael
Katsamakis
Reading the world for the architecture hidden within it.
Approaching architecture as a process of observation, investigation, and translation.
Architecture has much to learn from the world around us. Vernacular buildings, everyday practices, and the ways communities adapt to their environments hold knowledge accumulated over generations. These places and practices hold lessons about how people build, inhabit, and sustain relationships with the landscapes they depend on.
Materials, environmental systems, cultural histories, and patterns of inhabitation become starting points for new interpretations rather than traditions to simply reproduce. The work explores how this knowledge can be translated into architectural possibilities that respond to changing climates, evolving communities, and uncertain futures.
Resume
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Williams Architects, Architectural Coordinator II - Aug 2025 – Present
Praxis Construction, Architectural Freelancer - May 2024 – Jul 2025
Nia Architects, Project Designer I - Jun 2022 – Jun 2023
Tandem Architecture and Development, Architectural Intern - Apr 2021 – Aug 2021
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BIM & CAD: Revit, AutoCAD, Rhino + Grasshopper, SketchUp, Blender, ZBrush
Visualization: D5 Render, Lumion, Enscape, V-Ray, Keyshot, Veras, Krea, Midjourney, Adobe Creative Suite
Technical: Bluebeam, LiDAR scanning and software, Microsoft Office, Google Suite
Knowledge: Sustainable design principles, material specification & research, climate-responsive design, construction documentation, IBC/ANSI/Chicago Building Code compliance, project coordination
Other: 3D Printing, Woodworking, Plaster Casting, Laser Cutting, Hand Sketching
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University of Michigan — Master of Architecture - May 2025, Ann Arbor, MI
University of Illinois at Chicago — B.S. Architecture - May 2021, Chicago, IL
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Honorable Mention, Tulane Prize for Climate Change Curriculum in the Built Environment — Arid Logics Studio thesis group (2025)
Taubman College Thesis Nominee — Best Thesis & Best Representation (2025)
Student Representative, Dean's Advisory Board, Taubman College, University of Michigan (2025)
Selected Presenter, Climate Futures Symposium, Taubman College, University of Michigan (2024)
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Lison Winery: Terraviva Competitions (2026)
Top 10 of 300 Entries, Sustainable Smart Marina Monaco International Competition (2024)
Selected Participant, Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture (ANFA) Discourse Competition (2024)
Invest Southwest 89th and Commercial Ave. Mixed-Use Housing Student Competition (Selected Student Work) 2021
A full record of education, practice, teaching, and published mentions, kept current and available as a PDF.
Get in touch
Open to practice, collaboration, and teaching. If the work is relevant to something you are hiring for, I would be glad to talk.