George R. Hass - Architectural Scholar and Multi-faceted Artist looking to make a positive impact in any space that I may find myself in.

Throughout my schooling I have felt more akin to an Architectural Designer than a Designer Architect, favoring the out-of-the-box and sometimes off-the-wall takes on building solutions, with both of my previous institutions fostering this feeling and mold-breaking tendency. “Taking the ordinary and adding the Extra”, with an interest in imagining spatial and experiential design in a way that subverts expectations and allows for differing pieces of your brain and body to interact with the final product, subject to dual or triple readings and interpretations due to layered symbolism. Each person has their own perception and by working multimodally, the differing views can converge, unlocking potential that was previously unseen.

I feel it is my privilege and obligation to give back what has been put in, especially regarding my Architectural Education and capacity to envision something better, which is why I have applied both for the Challenge Detroit Fellowship with hope to work alongside the West Downtown Development Organization, and the Hudson Weber Foundation’s Philanthropy Fellowship. I want to make a tangible and visible difference in the way we process architectural information, and the lenses through which we view potential occupants. I thrive in conceptual design and I love the aspects that come with creating space (both at the table for others, and in the general study of the genus loci of various places around the globe). I have traveled around the world to study spatial and societal relationships, I play numerous instruments and partake in various crafts to connect my visual and tactile synapses, I am an emerging polyglot (EN/ES/PT/Currently learning DE/FR), and a giant cinephile. At my core I just love to learn where value and belonging manifest, within perceived and unperceived spaces, because Architecture at a metaphysical level is just as intangible and ideational as it is concrete.

I have the heart of an Academe, with a desire to eventually pursue a PhD in Architectural and Urban History, exploring through a culturally anthropological lens the mechanisms by which marginalized communities have managed to craft resilient communities in the shadows and underground (In Unseen Houses). It might seem fortuitous that I am an INTJ Virgo (Match Made in Architectural Logic Heaven) and while I usually know exactly how I want something to look before putting pen to paper, or mouse to icon, I am willing and able to learn and adapt because every day provides an opportunity to learn and grow. Feel free to fall down the rabbit hole and see where it leads!