This project was for a 60,000 SF commercial and residential mixed-use building in the Midtown neighborhood of Detroit. The building was conceived as a CMU masonry building, with 16 commercial units on the bottom 2 floors and 32 residential units of varying sizes on the upper 3 levels. The building was also expected to provide some storage and administrative space
for the adjacent Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit.

The project’s situation in the economically devastated city of Detroit meant that sticking to the modest budget was an important concern to all. The building is therefore somewhat sober in form. The art of the design lies in the complexity of the plans and the care given to details. The plans combine duplex units accessed from different levels to form an interlocking, zipper-like pattern in section. The plans are orchestrated to provide each type of unit with unique amenities, such as balconies, roof decks and extremely generous square footage.

After 100% schematic design, funding for the building fell through and the project was canceled.