there might not be any. traditionally, it seems that many of the best firms in the state have been by foreigners, e.g., saarinen, yamasaki, birkerts, so maybe its time to start some international recruiting.

There's plenty of good firms in michigan. It really depends on where you want to be, and what type of work you'd like to do. Unfortunately, michigan's midwest location keeps it from being a recruiting hotbed - and it seems that many talented young people leave the area after they get out of school.

Check out the following:

Smithgroup
Integrated Architecture
Van Tine l Guthrie
Progressive AE

I don't have any direct experience with any of these firms, and they range in size, location, project types, etc.

check the following website for more information.

http://www.insidearch.org/home.php

i just interviewed with vantine/guthrie, and i have friends who work at integrated, progressive, and smithgroup. i wouldn't say smithgroup is all that great, but their headquarters is in detroit. vantine doesn't seem to hire all that often because they are very small, but they are probably one of the best design-oriented firms. progressive and integrated are more corporate firms, but with a somewhat forward-thinking approach to design when they are doing important projects. vtg is in northville [a suburb of detroit] smithgroup's headquarters is in downtown detroit, with an office in ann arbor, and the other two are in grand rapids.

there are actually a lot of small, design oriented firms around detroit, but check these out also.

http://www.lordaecksargent.com

http://www.mcintoshporis.com

j, i lost you, who is las? http://www.lordaecksargent.com/?

le bossman and hutch, thank for introducing me to all these firms... i am looking to find a medium sized office, around 15-20 people. i am not too crazy about huge firms because i fear that i'd be running the risk of becoming specialized in some aspect of architecture and loosing sight of the whole picture... rather, i'd find a place that does engages in critical thinking and is smaller in scale, a place where i could be part of the project team from sd to ca...

in new york, where i have been working, small, progressive studios mean long hours and few or no benefits and always really crazy bosses... are small office principals in michigan more laid back?

More trad/scandinavian, based in Ann Arbor.

i think you'll find it to be more laid back, but it is still within the framework of architecture culture. i think all these places offer pretty good benefits. where in mi are you moving?

and these losers... www.m1dtw.com

Rossetti - they've done some award-winning design (i.e. Ford Field, etc) and are involved in any discussion for upcoming projects in Detroit.
Office is located in Birmingham:

http://www.rossetti.com/flash.html

i am thinking of moving to ann arbor but it may not happen... i would consider other more rural areas up north or near lake michigan... detroit has its appeal as an anthropological experiment...
i do like ann arbor a lot, i used to live there as a student some years ago... didn't keep up with what is happening on the archiscene so that's why i am asking if anything new has emerged... i know the work of david osler, i interviewed him once for a paper i was writing. very nice guy and he has some beautiful drawings. he must be pretty old by now, is he still running his office or does he have other people?
my family is in sterling heights and bloomfied, neither of which are places i'd want to be for any extended period of time... closer, within the state would be nice... as such am considering nearby places like cincinatti, toledo etc. the net is cast wide open...

the last i heard, david osler was sill running his office and yes, he is quite old.