i
ii
3
4
New Hope Studio’s focus was a parcel of land on Detroit’s impoverished east side. Students were asked to design a neighborhood that would address inner city challenges while providing a home for Syrian refugees arriving in the Detroit area. The beginning of the semester involved intensive research on Detroit and the Syrian Refugee Crisis while developing an urban plan for the neighborhood. The rest of the semester consisted of students designing individual projects that would collectively make up the new district.
Class Focus Area Local Parks Nexus Park Project Site 5
Underground Waterways
6
ry
e all
ing
B
d uil
3
G
yB
er
ll Ga
ry
e all
ing
B
d uil
ing
d uil
2
1
G
7
Gallery Building 1
Gallery Building 2
The Nexus Park Project emerged with the objective of connecting Detroit’s under-invested east side with the neighborhood our class had designed. The result is an urban green space providing the following amenities: 1. Greenspace for escape from the urban environment 2. Wetlands providing water retention 3. Sports facilities for the youth 4. Graffiti galleries showcasing Detroit’s street art 5. Non-profit offices providing services to the impoverished and refugees 6. A grocery store offering fresh food in an area designated as a food desert
Floor 2 Grocery Non-profit office Green roof Gallery Floor 1
Gallery Building 3
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
The Vliet Street team was assigned the task of designing artwork responding to the lack of activity on Vliet Street. This graphic required the process of community engagement, surveying local citizens on their visions for the neighborhood. One of the largest issues was the speed at which traffic moved through the neighborhood. Vliet Street was not a lively public realm, therefore not presenting a reason for drivers to slow down. In turn, the fast traffic discouraged businesses from congregating along the street. Moving forward, our team engaged local residents, asking the question, ‘What makes you slow down?’ The responses from the community inspired us to create an installation meant to raise awareness of pedestrian life on the street. We used a former business sign to frame a new art piece, mimicking common pedestrian crossing signs. Bright colors found on common street graphics were used to bring the artwork to life. Cut-outs of the pedestrian were then placed in various locations on Vliet Street to give character to the neighborhood and emphasize the existence of local residents.
15
16
17
18
19
20
Moving forward from the Vliet Street Intervention, students then pursued individual projects focusing on a long-term plan for the corridor. This project focused on using passageways (empty set-backs between buildings) as innovative sites for social life and activity. Reusing vacant in-between spaces would improve Vliet Street by transforming once unsafe and vacant spaces into inviting public spaces for residents and visitors.
21
22
In the fall of 2015, thirty-two percent of the Vliet Street properties between 35th and 40th streets were vacant (shown in gray). Restructuring these spaces to respond better to the public realm could generate more interest from tenants to occupy vacant buildings.
23
PRECEDENTS
Passageway Project - Cairo, Egypt
Indian Alley - Los Angeles, CA
Paddy’s Pub Passageway - Milwaukee, WI
24
Zone 3 Storage and Utility Zone 2 Secondary Gathering and Utility Zone 1 Entry and Gathering
The method used to transform these passageways was changing the morphology of the vacant buildings bordering them. Most buildings on Vliet Street can be divided into three zones. Based on this formal layout, this project experiments with shifting edge (load bearing) walls or creating internal infill walls to reapportion existing exterior spaces.
25
Iteration 1 Addressing the Street
Iteration 2 Central Courtyards
Iteration 3 Front and Back Patios
26
Looking at the potential of these new public spaces, two buildings with their central zones indented were placed side by side to see what would happen
27
28
The result was a collaborative courtyard for businesses or community centers that remained active all day. In this instance, the courtyard is shown as a central sculpture garden surrounded by an arts center. The existing infrastructure on Vliet Street presents opportunities to create new and unique public spaces. These public spaces have the potential to generate more interest and activity along the retail corridor, contributing to its revitalization.
29
Step 3: Morphology
Step 2: Artwork
Step 1: Infrastructure
30
31
32
The pavilion project challenged students, asking them to create an art gallery with twice the square footage of the site given. This forced students to think of the ground as a medium to design with rather than design on. Students also had to take into consideration the challenge of ADA accessibility. All pavilions had to be adapted with ADA accessible ramps to every gallery and a green roof.
33
34
This pavilion was designed with the intention to create a large, airy space that would let in natural light as well as stunning views of the Milwaukee skyline and lakefront to the south. Sloping roofs allowed the building to be embedded into the landscape while allowing daylight into the galleries below. Parametric designs were incorporated on the west facade of the building acting as louvers to prevent glare in the evening hours. The louvers accentuate an orthographic structured form contrasting the natural curved forms on the eastern elevation.
35
36