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Allan

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It would be located 1 block North of the Masonic Temple on 2nd Street. I chose the location because this building is similar in architecture to the surrounding buildings. They have the same exact elevated ground floor with porches and stairways. This would continue the "wall of buildings" along the East side of 2nd St.

mapof.jpg

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Yeah LOL. That's what happens when you don't set up the lighting rigs correctly. I'll eventually learn how to get them right. The people are actually 3d models themselves. Architects sometimes like to take shortcuts, and I've actually seen some of my friends collage people from The Sims into their work. It's hilarious. Although, I was guilty of collaging in some objects myself on one project.

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See my earlier post. I started working on this over the summer but never finished it. The first time I saw 9 on 3rd is when it was posted a few pages back. By then, the walls and windows were already built. I did re-adjust the cornice though after seeing theirs. Mine was originally limestone capping that protruded a few inches from the top of the wall. I revised it with the angle cut cornice after seeing how they did it, but that was it LOL.

Here are my references and inspirations for this project

1. Baltimore Rowhouse 1:

ttp://www.geographing.com/Baltimore/rowhouse500.jpg

I was following this more closely originally, but ditched it. I only took the high windows out of this image. The building was also to have exedras, but I left them out since it wasn't working with the more orthagonal design. It would have been a huge fake with the relative scale of these units I was trying to make.

2. DC Rowhouse

http://www.kestan.com/travel/dc/easternmar...s%20nr%20EM.jpg

Although these are deeper into the 19th century than I wanted to get, I used this image to determine where to place the mid cornice, which in many building falls beneath the window sill. Many people think they are placed at where the floor plane is, which it can be, but it looks awkward that way in certain designs.

3. Woodshores Rowhouse (Chicago)

http://www.thearchesatoakwoodshores.com/images/rowhouse.jpg

Used to understand window configurations. The limestone jambs between windows are actually commonly found in Detroit as well.

4. Unknown Rowhouse

http://tenant.net/Other_Laws/zoning/r5b-dev.jpg

I had to re-google this one, because I didn't have it saved, so I don't remember where it is. This one helped me strongly determine placement of limestone bands.

5. Baltimore House 2

http://flickr.com/photos/jsmjr/72573708/

Above is the closest image I could fine to the shared porch idea. Actually, they aren't shared, but in some houses they are. What I modified though in my plan is to allow the larger units to have their own porch. I figured not all residents would like to share their porch,

6. Nine on Third

See image above.

After seeing the rendering, I modified my cornice to make it similar to their's. I was inspired by it yes, and I was surprised how similar their facade was to mine. My initial thoughts of 9 on third was that it was really cool, unfortunately, I felt my design was better than theirs for the following reasons.

A. The porches on 9 on 3rd are very contemporary. I see some sort of connector bridging the walkway. The stairways are also inset which is a very contemporary move. In my project I wanted to reference historical formal values, but still remain somewhat contemporary. I preferred to keep my original idea of having the stairways come out instead of inset.

B. The projected windows are cool, but I wouldn't have wanted to go that far. I had created an extruded bay that is a throwback of the Baltimore exedra. The extruded surfaces around the windows imply a contuing line of limestone in my work, since it is not feasible to use brick and limestone on such a massive cantelever for a small residential building.

7. Other Studies

I looked at surrounding Detroit architecture. I loved the lintels that cut through larger windows found in many of Detroit's historical homes. The architects of 9 on 3rd used it as well. It's very common. I used the Detroit Mackenzie House as my inspiration. http://www.preservationwayne.org/location.php. Allan is aware that I sat on the front porch of this house for 3 hours straight over the summer, so I had plenty of time to study its architecture.

Unique incorporations

Setbacks have positive psychological effects on people when they are done correctly. This added depth to the building, and set off various "bays" of the structure. Most importantly, it made this appear more as rowhouses. Theoretically, one unit could be demolished with the rest of the structure still intact. I had to incorporate party walls for fire code reasons. I actually intend to develop this work further. The back of this structure which i only have drawn up by hand is very different. There are more intense setbacks to allow inner rooms receive light on the second floor. It makes for some really interesting architecture. Additionally, this building does have garages (I finally added them) on the garden level at the back.

So that's basically the explanation of the whole building. I was actually a little dissapointed when I saw the 9 on 3rd, because if I apply for internships within the local areas, I'm going to be forced to list it as an inspiration because they are so arguably similar, although the floor layouts would appear to be entirely different. Oh well, this happens a lot in the architecture world.

BTW, this project was to have some Baltimore influences. It is likely where I will be this entire summer for an internship. This all depends on cost and how much I would get paid. Although I would love to do work in Detroit, preservation and infill projects are moving at a faster pace in that city. I hope to take knowledge gained their and use it more in projects that would benefit Detroit. It is my intention to do work in Detroit after receiving my masters degree.

Edited by wolverine
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No, no no, I knew you were kidding LMich. I honestly love to tell the processes in which my buildings develop. Nearly all buildings are built from earlier ideas. I feel it is important to cite our inspirations. I think it appeared more of an issue because I informed the community 2 pages back of the similarities.

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The back of this structure which i only have drawn up by hand is very different. There are more intense setbacks to allow inner rooms receive light on the second floor.

Wolverine, could you explain this. I noticed you had mentioned these setbacks before, but I'm not sure if I am correctly visualizing them. Do you mean setbacks like those for the doors and porches on the front but deeper and only on the second floor?

Edited by andrew69@ltu
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Andrew, I have some good sketches that will help clarify what the back is like. Perhaps I should call it an alcove, but it only exists on the 2nd floor. It is above the kitchen area.

Wolverine's New Proposal

I'm giong to make up a new proposal. This last one was fun, but I'm ready for something bigger, and something CHALLENGING!!

My next project will be the Statler Site. In honor of the great hotel that stood there, this project will now be called THE STATLER PLACE.

Here are the general details:

General Height:

40-50 story tower at the narrow end of the site, with an adjoing wing at the wider end that will be 25-35 stories.

Special features:

A large atrium will seperate the "wings" or massings of the building. The atrium will be glass on two sides, one facing Bagley, and the other facing Washington. Circulation, both horizontal and vertical will occupy the atrium space giving residents breathtaking views of the city skyline. The shape of the building will be unique. Not only will it conform to the shape of the site, but the tower portion, which will be slightly set back above the base, will be interesting in form.

Building Type:

Mixed use, residential highrise. Condos will occupy the tower portion, and affordable apartments will occupy the annex.

Commercial space for large scale retailers will be available on the 3 lower levels of the building. Tenants would include CompUSA, Whole Foods, a smaller scaled department store, Starbucks, a music store, a restaurant, and a hair salon. (haha, I know.... laugh)

Architectural Type

Contemporary

Project Goals/Intentions

It is my goal to produce a building that restores the greatness in the built environment around the Grand Circus Necklace. Once filled with prestigious hotels and highrises, many of them fell into disrepair, were abandoned, or torn down. During the early 20th century, Grand Circus Park was a major focal point of the city, hotels competed in appearance to draw guests. One can only imagine the grandeur of Grand Circus Park during its glory days. With the area seeing a Renaissance, I intend to contribute (laugh it up again) by drawing up this proposal that will (never get built, at least mine) make a statement and revitalize this up and coming district. THE STATLER PLACE will be an exciting highrise building that will embrace and enliven the surrounding commercial areas and contribute to Detroit's impressive skyline. The lasting impact on this project will benefit the downtown significantly, by bringing new residents and businesses and encouraging new growth in the surrounding area.

So there you have it. Don't expect to see anything too soon. It takes a long time to work this stuff out, even from a ficitional standpoint. You will see a total of 3 renderings of this project. A construction or progress rendering, a rough rendering, and a final rendering. With the rough rendering, you will be able to contribute ideas and criticisms that will allow me to revise and refine the design. The final rendering will probably be more polished and professional looking than the rowhouse renderings. By then I will have figured out the 3ds lighting system more in depth.

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Since you mentioned the Statler site, I wanted to contribute what I have created.

I have been working on this for a while, when I have a little time. If anyone remembers the original rendering:

UAStatlerSitecopy.jpg

Well it grew a little in height. The base of the building still is a "tribute" to the Statler with cornices and details that are reminicent of the original builfing. The tower is then a square shaft that cuts through the base. Whaite areas are stone clading and two different shades of glass are used to define tower and base.

Here is what I have so far:

StatlerBagleycopy.jpg

Bagley/Grand Circus Elevations

StatlerWashingtoncopy.jpg

Basic Form of the Washington Side. Main entrance and a small atrium will be centered in the wall under the tower

StatlerPedimentDetailcopy.jpg

Detail of top few floors of the building base

StatlerTopcopy.jpg

The pyrmidal top

I haven't decided the buildings actual use. It will probably be similar to what was outlined by Wolverine with either offices or condos in the tower and retail in the bottom floors. Many of the lower roofs will include greenery.

Also, I'm not sure about the six story brick building that I created next to the AAA building. My initial intention was to see how it could be integrated into the design since it would look out of place if surrounded by two towers.

I hope this isn't seen as "stepping" on the proposal that was just presented. It more of contributing what I was thinking and also seeing what everyone else thinks of this approach.

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I'm not sure I remember the significance of the AAA building, other than it has something to do with the way it was built. Reguardless, it can be relocated to a narrow lot adjacent to the site.

The nature of the site is somewhat unfortunate. It's rare to build structures that are in the shape of a "V" nowadays. There's a tendancy to never create dead ends in architecture. However, because of the narrowness of the site, it would be impractical to close it off and drop a light well down the center. The Compuware building was lucky to have more space, therefore it could be done. It is sometimes done if the atrium is merely to bring in light and provide breathtaking views outside of the front door to your condo or apartment. I noticed Andrew realized the shape of the site in his design, and accounts for the fact that the floor planes couldn't be too big or not enough light would come in. So there is carved out space in the volume implying the original location of the Statler. Hope I have that right?

I was rather annoyed by the AAA building, I know it means something to some people, but the place basically burned down and has a ton of water damage. Structural uniqueness asside, it's a rather nondescript building that is currently in a serious state of disrepair. Needless to say, I wouldn't lose sleep over it being torn down. But since I have an appreciation for older structures, and the fact that Detroit tears way too much stuff down, I'd like to move it off site, and have my building occupy the entire block. This would make it accomodating of the large retail units and gathering space in the atrium. I know Tony of Bagley Acquisitions is rather open to this building. He does intend to renovate it, but he doesn't want it to be a barrier to progress. That is why I feel relocating it is the best compromise between the two.

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What happened with the "I" though?

The I is there it is just small and hard to see. I personally know the guy who did it and I asked him about it. He said considering that the I is in the area with the revolving door he didn't have much space to work with. So he did what he could.

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I noticed Andrew realized the shape of the site in his design, and accounts for the fact that the floor planes couldn't be too big or not enough light would come in. So there is carved out space in the volume implying the original location of the Statler. Hope I have that right?

I think you have it right. The building is a sort of "H". The cornice lines continue straight, and imply the shape of the Statler, but yes there would be two large cavities cut out of the implied form.

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