丨美国底特律丨MASS Design Group

Detroit Institute of Arts Plaza

Project Data

Full Team

Year

2019

Status

Unbuilt

Size

64 Acres

Location

Detroit, Michigan, United States

Partners

Midtown Cultural Connections, Detroit Institute of the Arts

Collaborators

TenxTen, D MET, Local Projects, HR&A Advisors, Dr. Craig Wilkins, Atelier Ten, Wade Trim

Focus areas

Civic Spaces & Cultural Centers, Parks & Public Spaces

Services

Architecture, Urban Design & Planning

Project Team

Jha D Amazi, Giovanna Araujo, Thatcher Bean, Justin Brown, Emma Colley, Patricia Gruits, Michael Murphy, Annie Wang

Full Team

Project Team

Jha D Amazi, Giovanna Araujo, Thatcher Bean, Justin Brown, Emma Colley, Patricia Gruits, Michael Murphy, Annie Wang

This proposal for a civic commons in Detroit reimagines the city’s cultural core through shared public space, collaborative programming, and immersive landscapes.

In partnership with a comprehensive design team co-led by TEN x TEN, MASS was one of three finalists in the Midtown Cultural Connections and Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) design competition to create a cultural commons linking twelve existing cultural and educational institutions.

Challenging narratives that suggest Detroit must be revitalized or reawakened, MASS proposed a civic plaza that “de-thinks” the city—dismantling physical and perceived barriers that currently prevent its densest concentration of arts and cultural institutions from forming a unified district.

The proposal was anchored in three strategies: “d.construct” car-centric infrastructure to create continuous, shared spaces; “d.cipher” institutions by turning their programming outward to encourage collaboration; and “d.light” public experiences through immersive sensory landscapes and a cohesive, interactive identity.

These strategies converged in a central public park featuring two cultural pavilions, a public forum, two mixed-use development sites, a new DIA main lobby, and sensory gardens.