Wolverine's Undergrad Capstone Project

[dtown]

Its good to see you putting those college skills to use Wolverine. Sounds like youve got some great concepts, and cant wait to see what else youve got in store.

[tracer1138]

Oh man, is that an egg-crate model???

I'm going to have ARCH 218 nightmares tonight!

That model looks fantastic by the way.

Will there be a public showing of the work? If so when/where?

[wolverine]

Oh, I got that 218 nightmare sitting on my shelf here in my apt. Although those were the good ole days where you could bs about your project since it was only a model of space. Now we are working with buildings, the real shi*ts right here!

I'll never forget this place. I can't believe 2 years have already passed.

Actually that was cheap corregated plastic I bought at Michigan Book and Supply. I didn't have time to egg crate it, although I probably wouldn't have done it even if I did have the time lol.

As far as public showings, not pinned up or anything. I should have mentioned when the reivews were going on Monday. There will be reviews for other projects Wednesday (today) from 1:30-5:30. The A&AB is a public building so people are definitely invited to pass through the galleries and view some of the projects. I don't believe there will be too many Detroit related ones tomorrow except for one group that is proposing a new border crossing (or the renovation of the existing crossing) to Canada. I've only heard pieces of what is going on in their studio...from the renovation of MCS, to a pedestrian bridge or gondola from Hart Plaza, to establishing a sense of "place" on the existing toll plazas which we all know are currently the worst places to be ever.

Of course tracer, you can come up anytime and look at our work in disarray in the studio workspaces. I think my drawings fell behind my desk, but my Detroit model should be visible for a few more days before it ends up beneath a stack of paper and model materials.

[dtown]

I recently made a foam board model of my own design for a museum for history class. I mean, i enjoyed it, but it was a pain in the ass, lol. When i got it back, i was pretty satisfied with my grade, and even more satisfied after i destroyed the model. lol.

Whats an egg crate model?

[Jasoncw]

Dtown: Sounds like a fun history class. In one of my history classes we did a sort of town planning project thing, where groups of people would have a town (very early US) and they'd have to respond to changes in culture and technology and all of that kind of stuff. I tried to actually plan things to work well, but the simulation/teacher didn't consider any of that kind of stuff. But me and my friends were the mayors of the town during its most successful periods regardless.

I really like how the convention center faces the new park. I don't understand what the empty corner of that block is though. Is it a small plaza to accommodate the big crowds entering/exiting conventions?

Something else that stands out to me, is that facing the park on the existing side is the Pontchartrain (which is being renovated, but I don't think it will affect that area), and 211 W Fort's garage. I think it will look good still, but what do you envision happening to those parts?

[jsmyers]

Nice work Wolverine!

Something you might not thought of (and most other architects probably wouldn't either). Transportation planners do though

The Congress/Larned one-way pair is very important to vehicle circulation in the area. They together are an important on/off ramp to the Lodge. Your proposal cuts off Larned and doesn't appear to have access from Congress to the Lodge.

The result of your design is that Jefferson will have to hold even more traffic (while you are trying to make it a more livable street). In addition, turns onto and off of Jefferson at locations like Griswold and Woodward will greatly increase. Turns, especially left ones, are what lead to frustration and gridlock.

I don't think much change is necessary to make the concept workable though. I believe you have a 2 block piece of greenspace bound by Congress, Jefferson, Washington, and Cass. I think you are going to have to turn Congress into a 2-way west of there and send east bound traffic onto Larned through a part of that park. It will be similar (traffic-wise) to what happens on the other side of downtown near BCBS:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&...010815&om=1

One other quick transportation thing: 2 People mover stops are enough, and I think there might be value for the city in having one of them at the west edge of your plan. (The Riverfront Towers rely on that connection, and will put up a fuss.) In addition, those 4 little blocks between the towers and the center present interesting opportunities, but with the street grid basically cut off in three directions, a people mover stop there will help accessibility a lot. You might be able to convince me 3 where needed if one was for the hotel, one for the west, and one for the east/hart plaza.

I also suggest you pay careful attention to Congress. It is the most lively street in the area but has a lot more potential. This is the best birds eye angle I can find. From the intersection with Griswold, where it is the center of the "financial district" two blocks west to Washington, where parking and Cobo currently mostly kill it, it is a great downtown street.

http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&amp...p;scene=5649393

IMHO, it is more important than Jefferson, but I like the idea of having retail along most of the first floor facades and putting the convention space above it on the second floor. Please put glass on all sides of the space. People on the street should be able to tell there is something going on inside through the windows, and most conventioners should be able to see the lively streets and river. In addition to using the roof for skylights and greenery, you might be able to use it as an outdoor convention space for some functions. That might be a first in the business!

I'm not sure if you are considering it in your study, but loading and service functions are a big concern of convention centers.

Great work!

[jas49503]

I didn't have a ton of pictures of the interior. I had actually only two and they were nearly the same so I only posted one. most of the interior of the san diego convention center was like any other that I've been to. it is a large open area with concrete floors and movable walls. the only differentiating feature between any convention center is the lobby it seems. San Diego does have a cool room on the third floor. is like a giant atrium or greenhouse but just under the glass roof there is a sort of canopy or tent like thing that blocks the sun. it looks similar to chene park ampitheater. I unfortunatly didn't take a picture of it.

this is a terrace on the bay side of the convention center

a shade canopy outside a large room. to the left is the room with the tent like covering under a greenhouse

this is a photo shot from an escalator in the lobby

a sort of elevator that leads to a terrace off the third floor of the convention center

this is harbor dr. just in front of the center you can see seperate lanes for shuttle busses and cabs for transportation to and from the center

this shows how the convetion center is serviced by public transportation. on the right hand side lies tracks for a trolly system and commuter rail. on the left hand side lies the center and harbor dr.

at the southern corner of the convention center lies a plaza/park with this concrete decoration that echoed the front of the center

[jsmyers]

One more idea:

The Riverfront Towers have a small marina:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&...mp;t=k&om=1

http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&amp...p;scene=5649414

I think it would be cool to put a small boat harbor at the river side of the 4 blocks between Cobo and the towers. A breakwall could be built off the corner that juts out into the river by JLA. It could probably be tied into the riverfront slips, but there should be solid division between the private slips for Riverfront Tower residents and the public spaces.

There are all kinds of promotional opportunities related to that space and conventions. Water Taxis, publicity stunts, yatch parking! In addition, it would help make those two blocks fronting the river more attractive entertainment space. (Boats are great for people watching -- a river bank about a mile away is not. Conspicuous consumption has an upside, and that is that other people are entertained by it.) Remember to plan for the riverwalk to continue through.

I would imagine that the marina construction would pay for itself with parking fees due to all of the summer events downtown and in Hart Plaza. If you were a rich guy with a boat that lived in Saint Clair Shores, would you rather pile your friends into the SUV to go downtown for something or load up the cabin cruiser?

[jsmyers]

Here is a map of the San Diego center:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&...mp;t=k&om=1

I promise I had the marina idea before I saw jasonsquiresdo's pictures, I promise.

But it just goes to show...

[jsmyers]

One more thing (this idea has taken over my mind, so I can't concentrate on work):

I wonder if there is any way to ave cost by keeping some parts of it instead of tearing down the whole thing and starting over.

Also, thought it isn't likely part of your project, construction phasing for something like this is really important, and a big driver of cost.

Taking the center out of commission completely for more than a month or tow at a time is not likely to be a good idea.