About Michelle Laboy
Michelle Laboy is an Associate Professor at Northeastern University and founding principal at FieLDWorkshop, a Boston-based firm dedicated to regenerating cultural and ecological space in cities. Laboy is trained in engineering, architecture, and urban planning, bringing an integrated approach to the design of sustainable sites, urban landscapes and infrastructure. Her research and teaching explores how socio-ecological thinking in design builds community resilience in changing cultural and ecological environments. Her practice-focused research has twice been awarded the Latrobe Prize, in 2017 and 2022, by the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects, resulting in the book “The Architecture of Persistence: Designing for Future Use” and the CommonSENSES playbook, a guide on using sensor networks towards more equitable development in environmental justice communities. Her research has also been published in the Journal of Architectural Education, the Journal of Industrial Ecology, The Plan Journal, Enquiry, Environment and Planning B, and others, and has been funded by AIA, DOE, DHS, and NSF.
Areas of Expertise
Architectural and Urban Design, Sustainability and ResilienceSelected Publications
Zellner, M.; Massey, D.; Laboy, M.; O'Brien, D.; Mueller, A.; Milz, D.; Engelberg, D.
"Realizing the potential of digital twins through community-led, science-driven participatory
modeling: A case in green infrastructure planning." Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science (2025):pp.1-25.
https://doi.org.ezproxy.neu.ed...
Laboy, M.; Zellner, M.; Mueller, A.; O’Brien, D.; Massey, D. “Decentralizing infrastructure:
expanding architectural practice towards equity and health.” Proceedings of the 112TH ACSA
Annual Meeting. (Vancouver, BC). https://www.acsa-arch.org/chapter/decentralizing-
infrastructure-expanding-architecturalpractice-towards-equity-and-health/
Fannon, David; Laboy, Michelle; and Wiederspahn, Peter. The Architecture of Persistence: Designing for Future Use. New York, NY: Routledge. 2022. https://doi.org/10.4324/978100...
Laboy, Michelle and Fannon, David. “RHOnDA: An Online Tool to Help Homeowners and
Tenants Increase Resilience” in Climate Adaptation and Resilience across Scales, edited by N. Rajkovich and S. Holmes. 68-88. New York: Routledge, 2021.
https://doi.org/10.4324/978100...
Recent Courses Taught
ARCH 5115 Envision Resilience Challenge studio
ARCH 3352 Design in Copenhagen: Innovations in Sustainable Cities, Architecture, and Infrastructure.
ARCH 5115 Common SENSES studio: Participatory Modeling of Green
Infrastructure and Transit-Oriented Development for a Climate Resilient
Chelsea.
ARCH 2140. Urban Housing: Collective Living and the Architectural Imaginary
Associate Professor