Firm Also Honored with Four Additional Statewide Awards, Following 2024 ‘Firm of the Year’ Recognition
McIntosh Poris Architects received four AIA Michigan 2025 Design Awards for the following projects: Eastern Market Mixed-Use Development, The Freelon at Sugar Hill, Gilly’s Clubhouse, and Bombshell Treat Bar. Images (left to right): McIntosh Poris Architects, Justin Maconochie, John D’Angelo, and Karl Moses.
Detroit — McIntosh Poris Architects (MPA) founder and principal Michael Poris, AIA, has been honored with the AIA Michigan 2025 Hastings Award, one of the highest individual distinctions granted by the state chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The award recognizes an architect’s lasting contributions to the profession, design excellence, and leadership in advancing Michigan’s built environment.
The Hastings Award is presented annually to an architect whose career demonstrates both design excellence and a profound impact on the profession in Michigan. Poris has been recognized for his leadership in shaping Detroit’s urban fabric and for a body of work that consistently elevates design quality across a range of project types. This honor follows MPA’s Firm Award from AIA Michigan in 2024, as well as Poris’ Charles Blessing Award from AIA Detroit in 2022.
“AIA Michigan is proud to recognize Michael Poris with the Hastings Award,” said Dan Pitera, FAIA, President of AIA Michigan. “Michael Poris as well as the entire team at McIntosh Poris Architects represent the union between talent and commitment to Detroit. They are some of the few architects that have been bringing their unique design abilities to create community-focused projects in Detroit long before many others.”
In addition to this individual recognition, MPA received four AIA Michigan 2025 Design Awards for projects that highlight the firm’s broad range of expertise and its commitment to community-centered design.
The Freelon at Sugar Hill, recipient of the Community Impact Award, is a mixed-use affordable housing development in Detroit’s Midtown, designed in partnership with Perkins&Will for Develop Detroit and the Preservation of Affordable Housing. Completed in 2022, the project includes retail, residential units, and parking, while honoring the neighborhood’s history as a hub for Black musicians and artists. The design incorporates the work of local artists and applies trauma-informed strategies, with units dedicated to veterans, fulfilling the client’s mission of providing high-quality housing for all. Sustainable practices were central to the project, which earned Enterprise Green Community certification. The jurors noted: “A project that has and will have an impact on the community. This project shows how good design and planning can change the image and reputation of a community.”
Eastern Market Mixed-Use Development, honored with an Unbuilt Award, proposes a transformative addition to Detroit’s historic market district with more than 150 residential units, a 150-key hotel, food and innovation spaces, and active retail frontage. The design preserves portions of an existing building to maintain the neighborhood’s architectural character while introducing new uses that extend the area’s vibrancy beyond market days, helping to establish Eastern Market as a 24/7 community destination. The project also incorporates public spaces that support civic events and gatherings, creating a dynamic environment that complements the market’s longstanding cultural significance. The jurors commented: “In addition to its mixed-use focus, the design is creative and innovative in meeting site expectations that fit the neighborhood.”
Bombshell Treat Bar, recognized with the Low Budget/Small Project Award, is a vibrant ice cream shop in Berkley, Michigan. MPA transformed two tenant spaces into a playful, contemporary brick-and-mortar location for the owners’ first permanent shop. The design juxtaposes a traditional exterior with a modern, whimsical interior featuring an open production area, a conditioned chocolate room with customer viewing, pops of color, custom murals, and a sprinkle-inspired motif. The layout balances retail and food production while addressing design challenges, such as visibility, solar heat control, and structural modifications. This creative approach celebrates the brand’s joyful identity and delivers an engaging experience for customers, reflecting MPA’s commitment to inventive design on a modest footprint and budget. The jurors remarked: “Taking a lost non-descript building and bringing it back to life is a real challenge. This project does so without reservation and without any inhibitions.”
Gilly’s Clubhouse, recipient of the Masonry Award, is a dynamic entertainment destination in downtown Detroit that combines three distinct venues: Gilly’s Clubhouse sports bar, The Rooftop at Gilly’s restaurant, and Saksey’s cocktail lounge. Situated in a long-abandoned 1965 department store at 1550 Woodward Avenue, MPA’s renovation introduced a modern glass rooftop addition and carefully restored masonry façades, balancing historical context with contemporary urban design. The interiors, designed by Coevál Studio and Pophouse, create immersive environments ranging from an upscale, sports-focused clubhouse to an intimate cocktail lounge and rooftop dining with city skyline views. The project strengthens the downtown streetscape, celebrates Detroit’s culture, and exemplifies MPA’s expertise in adaptive reuse and large-scale hospitality design. The jurors commented: “The facade was completely transformed from the original non-descript statement to a new solution resulting in an outstanding use of brick.”
“These recognitions affirm MPA’s mission to create architecture that is rooted in community, history, and contemporary life,” said Poris. “I’m deeply honored by the Hastings Award and proud of the firm’s ability to continually produce meaningful work across scales and project types.” The latest honors follow MPA’s selection as AIA Michigan’s 2024 Firm of the Year, marking back-to-back recognition for both the firm and its founding principal.
About McIntosh Poris Architects
Detroit-based McIntosh Poris Architects believes in the power of design as a catalyst for change, transforming communities through creative, interactive city building. Since 1994, the architects and urbanists of McIntosh Poris Architects have delivered architecture, interior, and urban design services for commercial, residential, and institutional clients across the U.S. Led by principals Michael Poris, AIA, John Skok, AIA, and Laurie Hughet-Hiller, AIA, McIntosh Poris Architects has won more than 160 design awards, including 30 regional and national AIA awards and a ULI Global Award for Excellence. Poris is a recipient of the Hastings Award from AIA Michigan and the Charles Blessing Award from AIA Detroit.
