
Principal
Steven Lewis
FAIA, NOMAC, LEED AP®
Steven Lewis brings to ZGF a wealth of experience across urban planning and design, most recently holding a post with the City of Detroit where he served as the Design Director for the Central Region of Detroit’s Department of Planning and Development as well as holding a Professorship in Practice at the University of Michigan, leading design studios focused on community issues and urban planning. He was a founding partner of the firm RAW International in Los Angeles where he helped build a successful design practice over a 20-year period and collaborated with ZGF on memorable projects, including the Exposition Park Master Plan and the California Science Center that made a real difference in the fabric of their communities. In 2004, Steven accepted an invitation to join the U.S. General Services Administration’s Office of the Chief Architect in Washington, DC, where he served a four-year term as program manager. In addition to his excellence across the built environment, Steven demonstrates a commitment to equity in the profession that infuses every part of his professional life. He was a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design for the 2006-07 academic year, where he focused on the issue of race within the profession of architecture. In December of 2010, Steven concluded a two-year term as President of the National Organization of Minority Architects, traveling around the U.S. and several other countries advocating for architects-of-color. He used his platform as president to prioritize cultivating the next generation of diverse architects and designers. Steven was the 2016 recipient of the AIA’s esteemed Whitney M. Young, Jr. Service Award, and was elevated to the AIA’s College of Fellows. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the Syracuse University School of Architecture.