CLIENT: Downtown Development Authority
YEAR: 2009-2011
McIntosh Poris Architects worked with the Downtown Development Authority of Detroit to improve downtown streetscapes with facade and lighting improvements on vacant buildings, including the Metropolitan Building, the Harmonie Club Building, three buildings on Woodward Avenue, and the Griswold Building on Capitol Park .The work consisted of making necessary repairs to the envelopes and installing solar panels on the roofs to power storefront, exterior, and focused interior lighting. The projects were a sustainable and efficient means to add life to the streets in the area as well as highlight the selected buildings to prospective developers. Rather than demolishing these vacant structures, the simple innovative improvements serve to stabilize the structures for future development and help retain Detroit’s historic context. Since completion of this work, five buildings have been sold and three are occupied.
2012 AIA MICHIGAN HONOR AWARD SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
