Julie Michiels AIA, IIDA, ASID, LEED AP

Julie Michiels is an architect, interior designer, and partner at MAS Studio. She has extensive experience leading teams focused on developing innovative yet timeless design solutions from the inside out. 

Julie received her Bachelor of Architecture from Illinois Institute of Technology in 2003, a period that included studying abroad in Paris and learning from many talented professors.

While she is rooted in Chicago, her work has taken her all over the world and given her the opportunity to practice at a variety of scales and on a wide range of project typologies. With a focus on interiors, throughout her career she has led the design of commercial office and workplace projects, libraries, K-12 schools, university buildings, single-family and multifamily housing, and cultural institutions.  

Since 2000, she has practiced in offices in Chicago, most recently as the Interiors Practice Leader and Senior Associate Principal at SOM Chicago. She previously held roles at Perkins&Will and Environ (now HED).

Julie has been an integral part of several award-winning projects from concept to completion. Her work for 800 Fulton Market (while at SOM) has been recognized with over a dozen awards, including the 2023 AIA National Interior Architecture Award. The Northtown Library and Apartments (designed while at Perkins&Will) received multiple awards, including winning a 2020 Interior Design Magazine Best of Year Award. 

Julie has lectured as part of programs organized by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), and the International Federation of Interior Architects / Designers (IFI), where she is a member of the Executive Board. She is regularly invited to serve as a juror in professional awards and in academia. Julie is an editor of MAS Context, a nonprofit organization based in Chicago that explores issues that affect the built environment.

As a recognition of her contributions to the field, in 2020 she was a finalist of Interior Design Magazine Interior Designer of the Year Award.

• MC06, Chicago
• MC04, Chicago
• An Addition with Six Windows, Chicago
• Summer Pavilion in Millennium Park, Chicago
• Cut. Join. Play., Chicago
• NYC Bike Rack, New York City
• 330 N. Green, Chicago *
• 800 Fulton Market, Chicago *
• 800 Fulton Market Spec Suite, Chicago *
• 848 Brickell, Miami *
• American College of Surgeons, Chicago *
• Appleton Public Library Renovation, Appleton, WI *
• Central Place Sydney, Sydney, Australia *
• Confidential Cultural and Research Institute, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia *
• John Deere Global IT Workplace, Chicago *
• Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities Field Office Study, Chicago *
• Mulva Cultural Center, DePere, WI *
• One Tower Bridge Repositioning, Conshohocken, PA *
• SOM Chicago Studio, Chicago *
• Stream Realty Office, Chicago *
• Vanderbilt University Kirkland Hall Interior Renovation, Nashville *

* Completed prior to joining MAS Studio

• 1 Bank of America Center, Charlotte *
• 311 W. Monroe, Chicago *
• American University of Beirut Medical Center Expansion, Beirut, Lebanon *
• The Cooper at Southbank, Chicago *
• Dena’ina Elementary School, Wasilla, AK *
• Deerpath Middle School Library Renovation, Lake Forest, IL *
• Gigi’s Playhouse, Northbrook, IL *
• Kenect Nashville, Nashville *
• Lisle Elementary School, Lisle, IL *
• Morningstar Agile Office, Chicago *
• Northtown Library and Apartments, Chicago *
• Owens Corning World HQ Interior Renovation, Toledo, OH *
• Perkins&Will Chicago Office, Chicago *
• Riverline Masterplan, Chicago *
• Roche Canada, Mississauga, ON, Canada *
• Ryan Middle School, Fairbanks, AK *
• SAGE Elementary School, Gladstone, MO *
• University of Chicago Medicine Clinic, Chicago *
• University of Cincinnati Health Science Building, Cincinnati *
• University of Virginia Hospital Expansion, Charlottesville *
• Waterfront Botanical Gardens, Louisville *

• 2023 AIA National Interior Architecture Award, 800 Fulton Market
• 2023 AIA Chicago Interior Architecture Honor Award, SOM Chicago Studio
• 2023 AIA Chicago Distinguished Building Citation of Merit, 800 Fulton Market
• 2023 IIDA Interior Design Award, 800 Fulton Market
• 2023 CTBUH Best Tall Building Award, 800 Fulton Market
• 2023 Architizer A+ Award, 800 Fulton Market
• 2023 AIA Chicago People’s Choice Award, SOM Chicago Studio
• 2022 AIA Chicago People’s Choice Award, 800 Fulton Market
• 2022 Crain’s Chicago Coolest Offices, 800 Fulton Market
• 2022 Interior Design BoY Finalist, 800 Fulton Market
• 2022 IES Illumination Award of Merit, 800 Fulton Market
• 2022 Architect Magazine Honor Award for Interior Lighting, 800 Fulton Market
• 2022 Smart Buildings Technology Smart Building of the Year Award, 800 Fulton Market
• 2022 Architizer A+ Award Finalist, SOM Chicago Studio
• 2022 NLB Tesla Award, 800 Fulton Market
• 2022 ICFF Interiors Award, 800 Fulton Market
• 2022 National Terrazzo & Mosaic Association Honor Award, 800 Fulton Market
• 2020 Muse Design Awards (On the Boards), 800 Fulton Market
• 2020 Interior Design Magazine Interior Designer of the Year Finalist
• 2020 Interior Design Magazine Best of Year Winner for Early Education, Lisle Elementary School
• 2020 Interior Design Magazine Best of Year Winner for Social Impact, Northtown Library and Apartments

• Tate Gunnerson, “Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Designs a Cutting-Edge Mixed-Use Space in Chicago,” Interior Design Magazine, April 6, 2022.
• R.J. Weick, “Rhythm and scale,” Great Lakes by Design, December 8, 2022.
• Kayla Dowling, “This Chicago Office Building Looks Ahead With Workplace Wellbeing,” Frame Magazine, April 25, 2022.
• “S(O)Marter Buildings,” Chicago Architect, Summer 2022.
• Jeff Link, “Can smart technology get workers back to the office?,” Smart Buildings Technology, June 28, 2022.
• “Project highlights: 800 Fulton Market,” AIA, February 7, 2023.
• Jennifer Bardoner, “800 Fulton Market’s award-winning design combines coziness and flexibility,” Floor Focus Magazine, August/September 2023.
• Barbara Horwitz-Bennett, “Exploring Large Aggregate Terrazzo,” Architectural Record, June 2023.
• Dennis Rodkin, “What’s That Building? 800 W. Fulton Market,” WBEZ, September 29, 2022.