Ann Lui

Ann Lui is an Assistant Professor of Practice at the University of Michigan's Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, where she teaches architectural design. She is also a founding principal of Future Firm, a Chicago-based architecture and design research practice that specializes in creating spaces for nonprofits, community-led developments, and arts and culture organizations.

Education:

• Bachelor of Architecture, Cornell University
• Master of Science in Architectural Studies (History, Theory, and Criticism), MIT

Lui's scholarly work examines the intersection of professional practice and social justice, focusing on access to design services, equitable building code enforcement, and coauthorship of the built environment. Her research has been published in Log 48 and HDM, including the 2024 article "Building Code as Battleground."

Future Firm's projects, such as the Justice of the Pies bakery renovation and the Bronzeville Winery, emphasize community-centric design. The firm was recognized with the Miller Prize in 2021 and exhibited at international venues like the Shenzhen Bi-city Biennale and the Venice Architecture Biennale.

Scientific Awards:

• J. Irwin and Xenia S. Miller Prize (2021)
• Crain Chicago Business '40 Under 40' (2018)

Lui actively contributes to urban policy through roles on the Metropolitan Planning Council’s Zoning and Land Use assessment committee and the Illinois AAPI Business Collective advisory committee. She has also co-curated and edited publications like Dimensions of Citizenship (2018) and Log 53: Coauthoring (2022).