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Elise DeChard, a 2018 Cranbrook Academy of Art graduate, is the first-ever winner of AIA Detroit's Women in Architecture Award, the organization announced Wednesday, Aug. 19.

DeChard founded END Studio, a Detroit-based, woman-owned architecture and research practice known for projects including community art spaces, collaborative manufacturing centers and a fortune-telling wall of TVs. The new award honors a woman whose work advances gender equity in the profession, according to Cranbrook Academy of Art.

AIA Detroit described DeChard as an architect, artist, educator and founder of the woman-owned studio.

DeChard earned her Master of Architecture degree from Cranbrook's Bloomfield Hills campus before launching END Studio. The practice uses what Cranbrook calls "playful techniques" to explore community, sustainability and interactivity. Her firm's Pineview Residence received a 2026 AIA Architectural Honor Award in the Building category.

The award is not her only recent honor.

Before moving to Detroit, DeChard worked in New York City, where she worked on projects including New Lab at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Beyond client work, END Studio partners with nonprofits and small businesses through programs like Motor City Match and reserves capacity for small-scale projects that expand access to architectural expertise across Detroit neighborhoods. Cranbrook noted that DeChard leads with a belief that great architecture starts with caring for the people who make it, focusing on collaboration, mentorship and well-being for young women entering the field.

In 2024, DeChard co-founded The New School, a Detroit-based collective of women architects and designers focused on sharing resources and lifting each other up.

Crain's Detroit named her a Notable Woman in Design in 2020 and a Notable Leader in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction in 2026. She has taught at Lawrence Technological University and Kendall College of Art and Design, and her work has appeared in Metropolis, Architectural Digest and The Architect's Newspaper.

AIA Detroit will celebrate all of its 2026 award recipients on Thursday, Sept. 10, at The Majestic Theatre in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are available through Eventbrite.