Michael C. Abrams, RA, NCARB

Michael C. Abrams is a Puerto Rican architect and Clinical Professor at the University of Maryland-College Park. Mr. Abrams is the author of the best-selling book The Art of City Sketching: A Field Manual—2^nd ed. (Routledge, 2021). The book has been translated into several languages, specifically English, Simplified Chinese, and Complex Chinese. He has taught graduate and undergraduate architectural design studios, sketching and drafting courses, as well as history of contemporary architecture at several colleges and universities along the East Coast and Midwest of the United States, such as George Washington University, Catholic University of America, Marymount University, and Columbia College Chicago, among other institutions. Mr. Abrams obtained a Master of Architecture from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and a Bachelor in Environmental Design from the University of Puerto Rico. Michael has spent several years working in the profession in the United States, Spain, and Italy.

Currently, Prof. Abrams is working on his 2^nd book, entitled: Metaphoric Architecture: Transforming Ideas into 3D form (Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, exp: 2025). Metaphoric Architecture promotes the exploration of metaphors as a way to evoke space design and demystifies the architectural design process. The book also presents a unique perspective for understanding the multifaceted process of architectural design through imagery and precedent analysis. Beyond the initial investigation, Metaphoric Architecture demonstrates the use of precedents in the design process and analyzes them in order to learn about their ordering principles and stimulate the architect’s mind in the search for ideas. To understand the design process, the book introduces the fundamental aspects of architectural design, and systematically examines three different themes (i.e., art, music and film) with the purpose of understanding their main characteristics and transforming those features into space design.

Mr. Abrams involvement in academia has provided him with a platform to inspire students, create new course syllabi, organize workshops, participate in faculty governance, and collaborate with professionals in related fields. As a result of his academic contributions at the University of Maryland, Michael has received two prestigious scholastic awards: the “Outstanding Teaching Award” (2024) from the School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation and the “Faculty Mentor Award” (2021) from the Philip Merrill Presidential Scholars Program, both awards given in recognition for his devotion, rigor, and influence to his student’s architectural education. In 2014, Mr. Abrams received the American Institute of Architects award for his vibrant design proposal of an art center in Evansville, Indiana (One Site, Infinite Solutions competition) and in 2011 an honorable mention for his innovative music rehearsal space design in Madrid, Spain (Soundroom International Design competition). 

Mr. Abrams’ architectural sketches have been exhibited in North America at the National Building Museum (Wash., DC), the George Washington University (Wash., DC), the Catholic University of America (Wash., DC), Marymount University (Arlington, VA), Marywood University (Scranton, PA), and the University of Monterrey in Mexico (MEX). His unique style of sketching has been admired and sought-after by architects, teachers, and students alike, which led in 2019 to the creation of an ongoing series of short-term drawing workshops in Washington, DC, USA.