Karen Burton

Karen is a 35-year architecture, construction, and creative industry practitioner who leverages her background to shape design, cultural, and workplace experiences. She is the Co-Founder and CEO of SpaceLab, a shared workspace and entrepreneurial ecosystem with locations in Detroit, Michigan and St. Petersburg, Florida. Through SpaceLab, she leads the corporate vision of elevating small businesses’ image, cultivates a community of designers, innovators, and city builders, and fosters collaboration within the shared workspace community. SpaceLab also works closely with the City of Detroit’s public art programs, helping steward projects that elevate artists, activate public spaces, and reinforce Detroit’s cultural identity.

Karen is also a Principal Partner at A/E Collaborative, LLC, an architecture and engineering consultancy that fosters synergy among industry professionals and works to unlock opportunities for small minority-owned firms to excel in major design projects. The firm recently led the project team for The Dr. Ossian Sweet Memorial Park on Detroit’s east side.

Her technical architectural experience includes contributions to significant developments such as One Campus Martius (formerly Compuware Headquarters); Ford Field; Greektown Casino; and multiple multifamily and mixed-use developments, including CityCenter in Las Vegas—the largest private development in the United States at the time of her involvement. She has also served as an instructor of architecture, construction, and interior design at colleges throughout mid- and southeast Michigan.

Deeply committed to cultural preservation and narrative equity, Karen is Co-Founder of Noir Design Parti, an award-winning initiative documenting the history and career journeys of Michigan’s Black architects and integrating their stories into the broader architectural canon. Across multiple media platforms, she works to ensure that these contributions are recognized, preserved, and accessible.

Karen’s leadership is rooted in community, collaboration, and inclusion. She is a co-founding board member of the Women’s Sustainable Development Initiative, where she mentors emerging women real estate developers. She also serves in leadership roles with the University of Michigan Club of Greater Detroit as well as the Urban Land Institute (Michigan), the Detroit chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects, and the National Association of Black Women in Construction—advancing pathways for women and people of color in the built environment.