21st Century Identity: Downtown Detroit

Abstract

What is architecture's role in challenging conventions of mixed-use in downtown Detroit? This thesis investigation seeks to explore and challenge the idea of the mixed use urban environment in downtown Detroit. To understand how it might be rethought and articulated in a vehicle dominated urban fabric - at the scale of an individual intervention as opposed to a city district ("master planning") scale that attempts to act as a catalyst for improvement. How does one perceive the notion of how a mixed-use building is truly mixed-use? How ultimately does this allow an identity to begin to become established in the 21st century downtown Detroit? The omnipresence of technology and the internet playing an active role in the architecture and uses the architecture holds is what dictates the circumstance. Programmatically, uses of dwelling, exhibition, education, and entertainment in this thesis investigation can be translated into a private / individual (solid) vs. public / collective (void) study. The issue explored is not about blurring the edges between uses, but about articulating how they might directly inflect one another. The circumstance and architectural vehicle used to explore this question of mixed-use will place itself within the context of the heart of the downtown Detroit. designed (kept at the scale of a single, yet critical location as opposed to the entire downtown)? An urban hybrid intervention will act as the architectural vehicle to explore the issues. As a prototype, in attempt to address these issues in the context of our present time, it is appropriate to juxtapose them with the omnipresence of technology and the constantly moving or shifting life of today as well as the future - the visual, interactive, and communicatory medium of technology, as an omnipresent element in our lives, interweaving with the architectonics of an urban space. This architectural vehicle will consider the notion of balancing a hybrid of residential, educational, exhibition, and entertainment / cafe uses, promoting a 24-hour schedule that the city seems to lack ("The city never sleeps") -The focus is not to necessarily dwell on technology or visual media, but rather to interweave technology with these conventional uses, and to alter the conventional views associated with them. Furthermore, celebrating the notion of live, work, and leisure, incorporating both physical (literal) and figurative technology. This architectural vehicle will be located on a critical site to allow for the possibility of other important elements in the city to come into play in some manner. This investigation is a critical exploration of challenging conventions of"mixed-use"- what does it mean or could mean. As a whole, the focus is to encourage interaction while preventing social disconnection and allowing for a richness of experiences that move with Detroit and its 21st century.