Michael Frederick

Michael Frederick is a licensed architect with approximately 20 years of professional experience and currently serves as the Director of Computational Design for Gensler's Southwest Region. In his role, Michael is responsible for leading and growing digitally fluent designers within the region and cultivating design excellence on projects through the integration of data-driven design principles in our daily practice. His interest in technology stems from a passion for science and a belief in seeking truth via observation, experimentation, and applied research. Building computers and learning to code with his father as a child showed how technology could serve as an aid in this passion, and as a result, Michael was hooked on technology from an early age. Michael's path to architecture was a combination of his love of science and technology, merged with an innate love for building with whatever he could get his hands on: Legos, Wooden Blocks, Sugar Packets at Restaurants and a myriad of other found objects. Michael became permanently hooked on the profession as he came to understand its role as one of a handful of creative disciplines that is responsible for designing and crafting the infrastructure of human experience. The ability to merge a love for science and technology with a deep and permanent connection to our shared humanity through design keeps Michael motivated to stay engaged in a field that is as much a passion as it is a profession.

Michael is the son of a Miami Merger and was thus destined to attend Miami from the beginning. An alumnus from the class of 2006, Michael holds a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture with a Minor in Mechanical Engineering. Michael attended UCLA for Graduate School, graduating with a Master's in Architecture. While at UCLA, Michael also nurtured an interest in real estate development, completing related coursework from the Anderson School of Management and participating multiple times in the local NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Development Association Design Competition.

Professionally, Michael has spent the majority of his career in Los Angeles with prior work experience in Seattle and Cincinnati. Michael has worked on projects all over the world with a focus on Higher Education, Transportation, High Rise Mixed Use, Civic, Institutional, and Commercial Office and Critical Facilities. Michael is a passionate cross-disciplinary practitioner and has taken on a leadership role on projects as a Design Leader, Design Technologist, Project Manager, and Project Architect. Notable completed projects include the LAX Central Terminal Area, where Michael was instrumental in the design, fabrication, and construction of the iconic Y roadside light poles. Throughout dozens of projects, Michael has developed a passion for fabrication and expertise in facade design and construction, as well as in building simulation and performance.

Michael and his family of three currently reside in Los Angeles. Our whole family has a passion for the outdoors, and we frequently travel to ski, hike, backpack, snorkel, climb, and mountain bike throughout the Western United States.