How can we create value from vacancy? a Detroit case study
Marissa Zane + Eric Blyth
Detroit Vacancy Map
detroit has lost 25% of its population in the last 10 years* Mass emigration to the suburbs has left a blight-ridden city in its wake, empty and stagnant.
*US Census 2011
deconstruct vacant buildings
sort materials
store reuseable items
Solution:
Deconstruct, sort, & store Extract valuable materials. Remove negative impact. Create value from vacancy.
section
Consolidating the house down to its most essential parts cleans up the community and gives a sense of value to the decay. The attic symbolically drops to eye level, providing storage and visibility to the house’s remains. A landscape of rooftops forms gradually, creating a memorial to what once stood while standing as a symbol of what lies ahead.
[memorialize the past, prepare for the future]