The Detroit Formula: Revitalization Through Trade Schools
Hunter Pattershall Fall 2016 - Spring 2017
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The Detroit Formula: Revitalization Through Trade Schools by Hunter Pattershall [Bachelors of Science in Architecture Wentworth Institute of Technology, 2016 (or other prior degree)] Submitted to in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture at the Wentworth Institute of Technology, April 2017
.......................................................................... Author Department of Architecture
.......................................................................... Certified by [Advisor’s Name] Thesis Supervisor
.......................................................................... Accepted by [Kelly Hutzell] Director of Graduate Program Š2017 [Full Name]. All rights reserved. The author hereby grants to Wentworth Institute of Technology permission to reproduce and to publicly distribute copies of this thesis document in whole or in part using paper, electronic, and any medium now known or hereafter created.
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Contents Introduction
11
Industrial Reuse
13
Literature Review
21
Programming Packard
33
The Detroit Formula
37
Reflection
60
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Probe: Paper Perception
Individual perceptions and actions manifest in various ways with the facade of a structure. Seemingly ordinary paper gives onlookers the choice to leave it be or engage with it. The act of engagement through colored spray water reveals it is not ordinary paper after all. The facade begins to change with each new interaction, creating new perceptions and actions. The way in which uses engage the facade and how the facade adapts to this begins to test the ways new program in an existing structure can engage people. The cellulose paper used has a unique ability to be dissolved and reformed when dry. The space created from this initial probe will dry and the new spaces can be retested for new ways of engagement and further modification by the users.
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Reflection: The probe acted as a test for the viability of inhabiting existing structures with new purpose. Given the basic framework of spraying the paper, users quickly developed their own methods of interaction. This growth beyond the initial programming is important to understand when reinhabiting industrial buildings. Taking the time and resources to inhabit abandoned industrial structures with program that would once again, be thriving and then fizzle out, would be a detriment to the site. The program needs to be sustaining and flexible.
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Literature Review
Research for the literature review was focused on the precedents for reusing industrial sites and how to resuse those sites. It details how culture can affect change in positive ways for cities. While these precedents engage most with the artistic end of the cultural spectrum rather than the civic end, they offer valuable insight into the workings of communities and cities. If the needs of a community are not being met, program has to be brought
in to fulfill that need. Where these new programs should go, specifically in post industial cities, became increasingly evident upon further research into industrial city centers. The literature review provided knowledge on reinhabiting industrial spaces with specific programs.
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Introduction Post-industrial sites across the United States of America are in need of architectural intervention. Whether it be in the form of reuse and rehabilitation or in co-opting their sites for better programmatic use, post-industrial sites cannot be ignored. Their presence is wide spread and due to their nature, they often take up large amounts of land that could be of great use to the neighborhoods and communities surrounding them. The industrial boom situated many of these sites in the heart of the city. The abandonment of these buildings in favor of the move to the outskirts of the city crippled these city centers. The large scars of deindustrialization can be repaired with the addition of culture in their places. Cities can recover not only by revitalizing these buildings but by providing a need for communities within them. The arts side of culture is resilient and has proven over time its ability to bring about change in a neighborhood. The addition of arts oriented programs such as theaters, galleries, and concert halls not only help cities economically revitalize themselves through tourism and increased density, but they encourage the growth to continue. Art communities find themselves helping one another; they are a unique type of 10
community where mutually beneficial exchanges occur. Art communities tend to find themselves in these post-industrial city sites because of their need for low cost but high return locations. They offer a solution to these forgotten sites that other communities are not as apt to pick up. Not only do the physical attributes of these buildings lend themselves well to the artistic needs of those seeking places to live and work, but the relative ease of starting a community is also appealing. In cities where there is a need for revitalization, such as Detroit, solutions can be found within the art community inhabiting post-industrial sites. They can stimulate the economy, increase population densities, promote tourism, and engage residents. Turning valuable land like postindustrial sites simply into housing would increase population densities, but it would not have the added effects that culture brings. Stimulating a city requires more than bringing people back; people need something to keep them there, engage them and bond them as a community where they will be invested in the city in return, furthering its development. The correlation between post-industrial sites, art and culture, and the growth of communities is the focus of the works of literature in this paper.
What is Culture? Culture is a word than can be defined many times over. It has seemingly endless definitions with varying components of what makes culture. Dr. Louise C. Johnson, an expert in regional restructuring and the human impacts of urban and suburban planning and development, sites one definition of culture in her book, Cultural Capitals Revaluing the Arts, Remaking Urban Spaces. Johnson sites Raymond Williams, whose writings on politics, culture, the mass media and literature encompass a significant contribution to the Marxist critique of culture and the arts, provided the groundwork for the field of cultural studies. His book Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society, traces three interconnected meanings of the word culture: as describing the general process of intellectual, spiritual and aesthetic development; as a particular way of life of a people, period, group or humanity; and also the works and practices of intellectuals, especially artists.1 Johnson uses Williams definition to give meaning to her term, Cultural Capital. Johnson sees culture as objects or events which are produced by those defining themselves as artists which in turn encapsulate and give meaning to the 1. (Williams, Raymond. 1983. Keywords. 1st ed. [London]: Fontana.)
particular way of life of a people. Thus in this regard Johnson defines a Cultural Capital, “as a city which has recently and consciously made the arts (and often related Cultural Industries) central to its society, economy, urban form and place identity.” 2 (Johnson, 2009, 6) Kim Zimmerman, a freelance writer specializing in technology and business, adds to the discussion of culture with, “Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.”3 Zimmerman expands this definition of culture by adding the element of socialization, the ability for people to come together where they can learn and grow together, providing culture. This idea of place providing a framework for culture to grow is evident in the artist’s movements and rise of the creative class seen throughout the United States.
2. (Johnson, Louise C. 2009. Cultural Capitals. 1st ed. Farnham, England: Ashgate Pub.) 3. (Zimmermann, Kim. 2016. “What Is Culture? | Definition Of Culture”. Live Science. http://www.livescience.com/21478what-is-culture-definition-of-culture.html.) 11
The Creative Class in a Cultural Capital Richard Florida, an American urban studies theorist, defines his concept of the creative class as, “people in science and engineering, architecture and design, education, arts, music, and entertainment whose economic function is to create new ideas, new technology, and new creative content.”4 (Florida, 2014, 8) Both Florida and Johnson agree on the economic need and advantages of a creative class or cultural capital. While Florida speaks about the type of people involved in a cultural capital, Johnson explains how cultural capitals came to be and what benefits a cultural capital can have on a downturned economy. Johnson writes that a cultural capital involves social, economic and spatial change. These three factors can be seen repeated throughout the discourse of post-industrial sites and their revitalizations. A method of social, economic, and spatial change involves utilizing arts to enliven these urban and social post-industrial environments.5 The precedent set by the pattern of artist’s movements and the successive 4. (Florida, Richard. 2014. The Rise Of The Creative Class, Revisited. 1st ed. New York: Basic Books.) 5. (Johnson, Louise C. 2009. Cultural Capitals. 1st ed. Farnham, England: Ashgate Pub.) 12
redevelopment of neighborhoods emulates this idea of a cultural capital supported by the creative class.
Artist Communities Artists’ communities develop with faceto-face contact, trust, and creative breakthroughs, all of which are possible through the clustering of the creative class.6 Markusen, the director of PRIE7 and the Arts Economy Initiative, writes about artists gravitation to denser residences in more central urban transitional neighborhoods. The location of central cities provides access to art schools, performance and exhibition spaces, affordable live/work and studio space, training institutions, artists’ centers, and amenities from nightlife to recreational opportunities.8 Markusen’s point supports the notion that culture develops its own community and needs a community to develop. Art starts 6. (Altman, Irwin and Abraham Wandersman. 1987. Neighborhood And Community Environments. New York: Plenum Press.) 7. PRIE: Project on Regional and Industrial Economics. PRIE researches industries and occupations in urban/regional development. 8. (Markusen, Ann and Greg Schrock. 2006. “The Artistic Dividend: Urban Artistic Specialisation And Economic Development Implications”. Urban Studies 43 (10): 16611686. doi:10.1080/00420980600888478.)
to inhabit cities and bring about economic, social, and spatial change. Florida reinforces this statement with his own ideas that a diverse arts community creates a hub of rich activity for future gravitation of new artists, residents, business.9 John Roberts outlines an example of this phenomenon in his article, “Community Activism vs. Community Design.” He describes the redevelopment of downtown Berkley with arts and culture, and public street art installations, as a catalyst for other cultural programs to rise. The sense of place was restored through art and the creation of an arts district that allowed the community to continue to grow naturally10 The city is not solely about business and economy; in fact it cannot survive on that alone. It requires a people climate, a general strategy aimed at attracting and retaining people, especially, but not limited to, creative people.11 9. (Florida, Richard. 2014. The Rise Of The Creative Class, Revisited. 1st ed. New York: Basic Books.) 10. (Roberts, John. 2008. “Community Activism Vs. Community Design”. Places Journal 20 (2). https://placesjournal.org/ article/community-activism-vs-communitydesign/.)
11. (Florida, Richard. 2014. The Rise Of The Creative Class, Revisited. 1st ed. New York: Basic Books.)
America has seen a turn-around from the edge cities of its past. The decline of manufacturing has brought urban centers back into resurgence due also in part to the rise of the Creative Class. The city enables innovation and creative centers because of the mix of business and culture.12
Culture and Economy Culture works in tandem with the economic and social aspects of a city. Art is a powerful tool for redevelopment. In recent years art has been recognized as an economic development engine, most notably as an alternative to manufacturing and factories of days past.13 The art communities that develop are a way to engage post-industrial sites in a method of redevelopment. It is a common occurrence for artist communities to radically change the neighborhood in which they take up residence, one notable example being New York’s Soho. Michael Rushton, a professor and the former director of Arts Administration Programs in Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs, gives an overview of Soho’s history in his book, Creative Communities, 12. (Smith, Neil and Peter Williams. 1986. Gentrification Of The City. Boston: Allen & Unwin.) 13. (Berens, Carol. 2010. Redeveloping Industrial Sites. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.) 13
several detailed historical studies have described Soho’s trajectory: what was a blighted postindustrial area in the mid-twentieth century was infiltrated in the 1960s by artists looking for cheap apartments and studios; the artists were followed by galleries in the 1970s and 1980s; and the galleries were followed by
references Florida’s creative class in his arguments for culture’s effect on economic development. He equates the impacts of art and culture on local economies to two factors; direct income from local cultural institutions and arts production; and indirect impacts of arts and creative activities in attracting particular types of
mainstream retail and high-end residential tenants in the 1990s and afterward. Artists were drawn to the space by both relatively cheap rents and the availability of buildings with high ceilings, open floor plans, and large windows, suitable for working studios. Galleries likewise were attracted by those physical attributes as well as by the social ties between artists and gallery owners. Researchers have argued that the presence of artists and galleries reduced visual blight and increased the social cachet of the neighborhood.14 (Rushton, 2013,14) Post-industrial sites are of interest to artists due to their relatively low cost and location. The revitalization of these sites often leads to further revitalization of surrounding buildings in the neighborhood. The economic and social gains from artist intervention is one of the leading examples for why post-industrial buildings should be revitalized with culture.15 Rushton 14. (Rushton, Michael. Creative Communities. 1st ed.)
employees and firms to a region.16
15. (Young, Robert A. 2012. Stewardship Of The Built Environment. Washington, D.C.: Island Press.) 14
Post-Industrial Location The question of why post-industrial sites specifically still remains to be clarified through the relation of this body of work. Why cities should revitalize and reuse the buildings instead of tearing them down has many layers. The economic footprint is one, many of these buildings are more expensive to demolish and remove from their respective locations than to retrofit and update. The conservation of energy is a factor; the energy and associated costs has already been expended in the building. Alan Berger17 speaks to this idea in his book, 16. (Rushton, Michael. Creative Communities. 1st ed.) 17. Alan Berger is Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urban Design at Massachusetts as well as the founding director of P-REX lab at MIT, a research lab focused on environmental problems caused by urbanization, including the design, remediation, and reuse of waste landscapes worldwide. His research and work emphasizes the link between our
Drosscape. Berger describes dross as waste and scape as being resurfaced or reprogrammed for adaptive reuse. Further describing drosscapes as the wasted landscapes of urbanized areas that occurred from economic and industrial processes that have been affected by deindustrialization and sprawl.18 Tearing it down and rebuilding not only wastes the energy already put into the building but adds more energy in materials and construction to produce a new building in its place. The efficient land use with the use of postindustrial buildings counters the issues of urban sprawl seen in many cities. 19 Carol Berens’, an architect and former vice president at the Empire State Development Corporation, assertion that, “the vacant land and abandoned property of long-gone factories and failed projects stifle growth consumption of natural resources, and the waste and destruction of landscape, to help us better understand how to proceed with redesigning around our wasteful lifestyles for more intelligent design and development outcomes. 18. (Berger, Alan. 2006. Drosscape. 1st ed. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.) 19. (Young, Robert A. 2012. Stewardship Of The Built Environment. Washington, D.C.: Island Press.)
and effectively seal off sections of towns,”20 further promotes the need to effectively reuse post-industrial building sites. Berens also implies the trend for post-industrial sites to occupy large amounts of social, cultural, and economically valuable land. Art builds a well-rounded economy; it fills the void that industry left behind. Adaptive reuse retains a neighborhood’s history, a strategic move with the hopeful pay off of tourism, stimulating the economy.2120 The vacancy of post-industrial sites both creates the voids and resolution of such voids. The ability to introduce necessary program for neighborhood rebuilding without disrupting the existing fabric is a feature suited for post-industrial sites. Rehabilitation is possible when redevelopment is not exclusively attempted though housing but rather through the creation of cultural programming. Altman and Wandersman, environmental and ecological psychologists, comment on this in, Neighborhood and Community Environments, Nevertheless, the general consensus seems to be that a neighborhoodbased program enables a macrolevel and comprehensive approach to 20. (Berens, Carol. 2010. Redeveloping Industrial Sites. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.)
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rehabilitation rather than more microlevel and individualized attempts to aid particular families. It is now generally recognized that the quality of life in a neighborhood is a function not only of the quality of the housing stock but also of the quality and level of public services, social
new housing projects. She also adds that schools, parks, or certain demographics promote good neighborhoods. She warns of the danger of homogenous pre planned cities that follow a prescribed notion of what a city should be, suggesting cities should have choice and opportunity.22
relationships between residents, percentages of safety and security, and accessibility to transportation, shopping, and cultural facilities. (Altman and Wandersman, 1987, p. 115)
This is indeed the point of cities. Furthermore, this very fluidity of use and choice among city people is precisely the foundation underlying most city cultural activities and special enterprises of all kinds. Because these can draw skills, materials, customers, or clienteles from a great pool, they can exist in extraordinary variety, and not only downtown but in other city districts that develop specialties and characters of their own. And in drawing upon the great pool of the city in this wat, city enterprises increase in turn, the choice available to city people for jobs, goods, entertainment, ideas, contacts, services. (Jacobs, 1992, p. 116)
They go on to discuss the cultural diffusion that has taken place in society. Altman and Wandersman trace this cultural diffusion trend to two factors, lack of proximity and availability to urban resources, and a need for regional or authentic revival. The need for regional or authentic revival is especially notable in relation to the built environment.21
Art in Post-Industrial Locations Jane Jacobs, an author and activist best known for her influence on urban studies, also shares this belief in a good neighborhood encompassing more than housing alone. Jacobs argues that trying to justify the idea that social change is possible through housing is preposterous, using the Pittsburgh study that concluded its findings with an increase of delinquency with 16
Jacobs talks about the city as a reflexive system. The people are brought together by 21. (Altman, Irwin and Abraham Wandersman. 1987. Neighborhood And Community Environments. New York: Plenum Press.) 22. (Jacobs, Jane. 1992. The Death And Life Of Great American Cities. New York: Vintage Books.)
common interest and create communities; those communities then in turn provide for those interests. The interests being cultural in nature are enhanced by Robert Young’s, cultural critic and historian, findings in adding quality of life and growth occurs with important cultural facilities.23 Markusen discusses the contributions of artists to
cities and landscapes, talks about the need for these kind of spaces in his work, “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Sustainable Happiness”. Hester calls for places of special ritual where community can come together in the pursuit of common interests. These places encourage everyday activities and can also support multiple activities.25 With
communities, writing that studies have found artist rich communities help stabilize and revitalize urban neighborhoods.
the different interests cropping up in postindustrial cities, land use needs a fresh look at the allocation of its uses to provide for these ritual spaces.26
The support of both public and private enterprises in the creation of arts centers such as museums, concert halls, and theaters, contribute to the broad reaching effect of art in the city. The support of these places not only encourages their being built but the after effects of their existence provide a place of further community.24 Randolph Hester, a professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning at the University of California at Berkeley and an authority on the topic of designing neighborhoods, 23. (Young, Robert A. 2012. Stewardship Of The Built Environment. Washington, D.C.: Island Press.) 24. (Markusen, Ann and Greg Schrock. 2006. “The Artistic Dividend: Urban Artistic Specialisation And Economic Development Implications”. Urban Studies 43 (10): 16611686. doi:10.1080/00420980600888478.)
The restructuring of urban space, however, is not a new phenomenon. Smith, a professor of Anthropology and Geography at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, states, A given built environment expresses specific patterns of production and reproduction, consumption and circulation, and as these patterns change, so does the geographical patterning of the built environment. The walking city, we have been told, is not the automobile city, but of greater import, perhaps, the city of small craft manufacturing is not the 25. (Hester, Randolph. 1995. Life, Liberty And The Pursuit Of Sustainable Happiness. eScholarship, University of California.) 26. (Smith, Neil and Peter Williams. 1986. Gentrification Of The City. Boston: Allen & Unwin.) 17
metropolis of multinational capital (Smith, Neil and Peter Williams. 1986, p. 21) Smith speaks to the change in postindustrial cities trying to find new life in the shadow of old ways. The shift from industry creates new patterns; from these patterns the new community can form. The ability to grow is a trait of community. The adaptability of art communities is evident in the movement across different regions; they are constantly adapting to their surroundings, finding new places to work when they are cast out of their current locations. This unique adaptability to change makes art communities resilient and more able to bring about change in cities going through transition, like Detroit.
Looking Ahead The relationship between all these factors, post-industrial sites, art and culture, and the growth of communities are what make it possible to revitalize cities that have experienced post-industrial deurbanization. Repurposing post-industrial building sites with cultural amenities that focus on the arts builds a community that can grow and encourage positive change within the neighborhoods they find themselves in. How these communities can grow without disrupting the natural, authentic realm of the existing fabric is a question posed by 18
many.
What types of art based cultural program works best is still in question. Does education play a role in the development of these communities? Do large cultural institutions like museums have the same effect as a community painting class/ Does the type of art evolve over time, a more grass roots approach to begin, eventually establishing itself into more concrete programming such as a fine arts school or large scale gallery? Regardless of the type of art institutions in place, the expression provided by art is not to be overlooked in terms of healing and rehabilitating a community. A showing of public pride through a community based art program, like murals and public street art installations, fosters a greater sense of community. When people are encouraged to engage with each other and their surroundings, it reinforces the city’s values. In an already wasteful society the environment cannot afford to ignore new solutions to its growing environmental issues. The reuse of post-industrial sites, or drosscapes, not only combats environmental issues but economic as well. The initial three ideas of social. economic, and spatial can all be addressed in the allocation of post-industrial site to find
the voids in community needs.. Providing places for different artists to work and collaborate to post-industrial sites offers a framework for community to develop, creates a sense of place, and revitalizes the city both economically and socially.
Bibliography Altman, Irwin and Abraham Wandersman. 1987. Neighborhood And Community Environments. New York: Plenum Press. Berens, Carol. 2010. Redeveloping Industrial Sites. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. Berger, Alan. 2006. Drosscape. 1st ed. New York: Princeton Architectural Press. Florida, Richard. 2014. The Rise Of The Creative Class, Revisited. 1st ed. New York: Basic Books. Hester, Randolph. 1995. Life, Liberty And The Pursuit Of Sustainable Happiness. eScholarship, University of California. Jacobs, Jane. 1992. The Death And Life Of Great American Cities. New York: Vintage Books.
Development Implications”. Urban Studies 43 (10): 1661-1686. doi:10.1080/00420980600888478. Roberts, John. 2008. “Community Activism Vs. Community Design”. Places Journal 20 (2). https://placesjournal. org/article/community-activism-vscommunity-design/. Rushton, Michael. Creative Communities. 1st ed. Smith, Neil and Peter Williams. 1986. Gentrification Of The City. Boston: Allen & Unwin. Williams, Raymond. 1983. Keywords. 1st ed. [London]: Fontana. Young, Robert A. 2012. Stewardship Of The Built Environment. Washington, D.C.: Island Press. Zimmermann, Kim. 2016. “What Is Culture? | Definition Of Culture”. Live Science. http://www.livescience.com/21478what-is-culture-definition-of-culture. html.
Johnson, Louise C. 2009. Cultural Capitals. 1st ed. Farnham, England: Ashgate Pub. Markusen, Ann and Greg Schrock. 2006. “The Artistic Dividend: Urban Artistic Specialisation And Economic 19
INNOVATION SPACE
DEMOLISHED
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SMALL BUSINESS SPACE
LEASE SPACE
TRADE SCHOOL
TRADE CLASSROOMS
LEASE SPACE
TRADE SHOP CLASSES
LEASE SPACE
Programming Packard
The decision to reinhabit industrial buildings in order to revilatize cities needed to be tested. Extensive research into different cities suffering from economical downturns due to post-industrial deurbanization steered the location for this thesis into Detroit. Detroit offers a site facing deurbanzation, economic struggles, large scale blight, and an array of abandoned industrial building waiting to be put back to use.
Chosing which industrial building to inhabit required futher research into the exact needs of Detroit as well as the factoring in the immeditate and long term effects of adding certain program to different areas of Detroit. In addition to location, viability of the structure, building form, and square footage were also put into consideration for sites.
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Block
vacancy
In use manufacturing
blight in relation to
in
industriall
industrial
zones
relation
to zones
Creative/Innovative
College/Universities
hubs in relation to
in
industrisal
industrisal
Trade in
zones
schools relation
industrisal
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and
to zones
All in
relation
program relation
industrisal
to zones
shown to zones
5 mile radius impact Housing Commercial/Retail
Filling the Voids:
Why Packard?
Mapping techniques were used to locate the amenities Detroit has or lacks. It was through this mapping excerise where the percieved lack of arts amenities was corrected. While large pockets between the current arts ammenities exist, there are enough to make more of them far less influential in Detroit’s progress than another type of program. Detroit’s untrained labor force, struggling economy, large scale deurbanization, and lack of trade schools all add up to a city without the resources it needs within itself to recover. The addition of trade schools are a way to stimulate the economy, build a strong labor force, combat the effects of deurbanization, as well as give post-industrial sites a new purpose in a declined age of manufacturing. Buildings that once helped sustain Detroit’s economy can once again be purposeful.
The Packard Motor Plant is a 3.5 million square foot abandoned automotive plant. It sits in the Gratiot neighborhood on a hinge point between the East Side, West Side, and Downtown. The disconnect between the revitilzation seen in the downtown area and the surrounding neighborhoods can be bridged through the introduction of civic spaces such as trade schools into sites like Packard. With its large scale is can be broken into the different facets of civic ammenities, social, econimic, and political. Social: education, entertainment, parks. Economic: markets, small business, self employment, tourism, museums. Political: city halls, public gathering.
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Low Population
Job Shortage
Large Quanity of Abandoned Homes
Increase Population
Provide Jobs
Manage Abandoned Homes
Trade school Students Increase Population Deconstruction and Reconstrucion Provide New Jobs
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Students Deconstruct Homes and Use Materials to Rebuild
The Detroit Formula
Using Detroit and the Packard Plant as testing ground for the reoccupation of postindustrial sites with new civic programming meant not only mapping what the city currently needs but what the city would need and encounter as it grows. The criteria established for determing the success of the chosen site and program was in the urban development of the surrounding neighborhoods.
Not only does the Packard Plant evolve in phases but so does the neighborhood. The Detroit Formula is the process of finding the problems facing a city, and enacting a method to use those problems as the solution. For Detroit the forumla is as followed on the left.
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Formula Variables: The decline in the once thriving auto industry left Detroit with a void in its job market and because the job market and housing market are co-dependent on each other, a housing crisis. People are not able to afford their houses, afford repairs for houses, and are leaving Detroit in rapid
proximity to valuable amenities in Detroit. Swaths of land ready to be reengaged and made useful again. The large scale of these buildings though is optimal for programs that require more space, such as a trade school that can combat both the housing needs and economic needs.
succession. In order to revitalize cities like Detroit who are facing a co-dependent issue they need to address each of these issues in tandem. Only addressing one problem at a time is ineffective. Instead the problems can actually be used as the solutions. Detroit’s blight is not only in housing but its abandoned urban infrastructure. The seams of its industrial glory days remain in 26
The reoccupation of post industrial sites offers a fertile territory for community to develop through civic spaces such as trade schools focused on the deconstruction and reconstruction of housing within the framework of repurposed urban infrastructure, revitalizing the city both economically and socially.
Effects of Trade School Salvaged Materials Livable Housing Blight Revenue Population Businesses Quantity Time Year 5
Year 20
Year 30
Formula Outputs: The investment in a trade school initially focused on the deconstruction and reconstruction of housing will provide numerous stable jobs not only in the field of housing and construction but small businesses and teaching. Deconstruction offers the benefits of essentially free materials, students invest the time and learn while doing so. The school is able to sell
the salvaged materials, use the materials a teaching resource, and as building material for the students. The larger benefits to deconstructing and reconstructing homes can be seen in the graph above. Given time the blight reversal becomes much more, allowing the city to repair itself. 27
2,000 sq. ft. masonry/wood construction 3 bedroom/2 bathroom home Total debris with typical demo 74 million tons
Cost Comparison
Deconstruction
Demolition
Labor, Equipment, Overhead Disposal Total Cost
$20,00 $4,000 $24,000
$5,000 $8,000 $13,000
Appraised Value Tax Savings Final Cost
$20,00 $28,000 $-4,000
$13,000
*Based on a 2,000 sq. ft. home
Recycle Repurpose Reuse
Metal Copper ($3.34 a lb): 195 pounds - building wire
Asphalt Singles 3.5 tons - recycled asphalt shingles* ($40 - $350 per ton) *recycled asphalt shingles (RAS) can be used for asphalt cement and aggregate
24 pounds - plumbersÕ brass goods 47 pounds - built-in appliances 12 pounds - builders hardware 10 pounds - other wire and tube
2 - bathtub ($300 - $12,000) 2 - toilet ($45 if salvagable) 4 - sink ($30 - $300)
Doors
Framing Lumber
2 - exterior ($1,000 - $4,000) 7 - interior ($100 - $2,000)
400 - 2x4Õ s ($2 - $12 per linear ft.) 190 - 2x8Õ s ($2 - $12 per linear ft.)
Windows 24 - ($200 - $2,000)
Sheathing Boards 475 - 1x6 boards ($0.65 - $4 per sq. ft.)
950 sq. ft./48 cartons* - ($7.58 - $10.85 per sq. ft.)
Brick 5,500/11 pallets* - ($0.35 - $0.70 per sq. ft.) *One pallet = 500 bricks
Rubble 62 tons* - ($1- $30 per ton) *1 dump truck carries 13 - 25 tons
Construction Trades Carpentry Electrician HVAC Painter Plumber Welding Construction Sider/Roofer Brick Mason Plastering Sheetrocker Asbestos Removal Concrete Excavator Surveryor Architect Flooring Tiling
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Clean Up Waste Disposal
Millwork 100 sq. ft. - cabinets ($150 - $1,500) 20 - stair treads ($100 - $300) 80 linear feet- molding ($15 - $1,000)
Total amount salvaged 96.5 tons
8,420 cubic feet
Left image:
Outputs Continued:
The amount of demolition anticipated to address Detroit’s blight problem cannot be sustained by the landfills. Detroit does not have enough space to demolish all the homes, deconstruction offers a more viable solution with many benefits.
The following eight pages are a timeline of both the Packard Plant and the surrounding neighborhood.
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Let’s see how the trade school effects this neighborhood.
The warehouse sections of the Packard Plant are ready for students to begin their education at the new trade school.
The Gratiot neighborhood is scheduled for over 150 home demolitions.
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Trade Classrooms
Material Storage Deconstruct me!
Deconstruct me!
Original Neighborhood Plan 31
Work continues on the Plant to expand the trade school into the south buildings. Students are able to assist in it’s rebuilding.
The salvaged materials are being sold for profit, used as teaching tools for students, and as materials for rebuilding. Students deconstruct and reconstruct the surrounding homes as a method of learning.
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Trade Classrooms
Major deconstruction for paths and sectioning Minor deconstruction with existing paths for sectioning Trade School Addition
Material Storage Deconstruct me!
Deconstruct me!
Recontructed Homes
Deconstruct me!
Deconstruct me!
5 Year Neighborhood Plan 33
Work on the Plant to moves beyond the trade school. Sections of the north building are leased and tennants are able to modify the building as needed.
Students move beyond home reconstruction. They begin other projects that benefit the neighborhood such as greenhouses and community spaces.
The neighborhood is seeing growth beyond housing. Business is growing as students move off campus and need places to eat hang out, and shop. The trade school reaches it’s full development which includes student housing and student ammenities. Off campus housing is now also available due to the reconstruction of surrounding homes.
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Privately owned lease space
Trade school business lease space
Trade School Deconstruct me! Green House
Craft Furniture Shop
Traditional Family Homes
Small Business Office Space Student Housing
Community Farming
Shop Front Homes
Deconstruct me!
20 Year Neighborhood Plan 35
Space is limited in the revived downtown area, business are looking towards suburbs to expand. Industrial buildings such as Packard offer this opportunity for businesses.
The neighborhood serves as a precedent for other cities in need of post-industrial redevelopment.
Packard is an important piece of the Detroit ecosystem, taking the old and giving it new life. It’s prevented tons of waste from going to landfill, provided education and jobs, boosted the econonmy, and provided housing.
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Innovation Lab Space
Community Pool
On to the next neighborhood!
Library Parks and Fields
30 Year Neighborhood Plan 37
Original Section
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5 year section
Funding:
Outputs Continued:
Partnerships between not-for-profit organizations, resident-owned businesses, developers, and/or private general contractors can fund a deconstruction project and the revitilzation needed at the Packard Plant.
The above pages and following two pages are a sectional timeline of the Packard Plant and its development through phases. The two yellow callout boxes can be referenced on pages 52 and 54 with the larger callout sections.
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Strategic cuts in the long expanse that is t he P ackard Plant a llow for greater access through the site.
20 year section
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Packard m ay s tart w ith a trade school but t he m ixed u se p rogram that is added later is what keeps the
30 year section
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Trusses like these secured, cleaned, painted
Windows were replaced to meet code
were and
Floor was leveled and new
The warehouse had to pass structu and hazardous material inspections.
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ural .
Wiring, plumbing, and HVAC were assessed and installed to meet the needs of the trade school.
We use one warehouse next!
With a fresh coat of paint on the doors and walls this warehouse will be ready to go!
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Phased occupation and construction keeps the school functioning during renovations.
Lectures halls, classrooms, and other facilities occupy the upper levels of the plant.
Shop classrooms like carpentary and brick laying are on the ground level making it easy to access and store materials.
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Trussed concrete is repaired and the plant begins to be be divided into sections
Packard isnÕt just a place to learn, with 3.5 million square feet thereÕ s room for social activities!
is replaced with windows and warehouse doors for greater student visibility and interaction.
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Non material heavy labs like eletrical and painting occupy the appendages of the south building. The Avenue of Learning is the main circulation through Packard wiith space to allow for vehicles and pedestrians.
Packard has space for material storage for the school as well as storage for wholesale distribution.
Locating the shops and labs along the Avenue of Learning immerses students in the Packard experience.
Original view of section perspective
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Small par recreation between bu
rk spaces and outdoor zones inhabit the space uilding appendages.
The warehouse spaces are easiest space when the remainder of the south building is renovated.
Section Callouts:
Outputs Continued:
The section on page 52 represents the very first days of the trade school being open. It has limited occuption containted to the warehouses. The section on page 54 is a representation of the Packard Plant in its fifth year of operation where occupation has expanded to the main building and continues to develop beyond the school.
The above image is a representation of the future the Packard Plant could have. The Avenue of Learning, as it’s been named, is a productive and inviting space for students to come together, learn, and socialize. This fully functioning trade school and ancillary programs give the industrial building the new lease on life its been waiting for. 47
Reflection: The process of inhabiting industrial buildings was far more complicated than I could have imaged. At times it seemed like this particular thesis was like battling the Hydra, for every solution found a new problem appeared. In the spirit of the Detroit Formula though, these problems turned into solutions and I enjoyed the direction of this research. However, because of the enormous amount of research required to fully flush out all the details that is turning the Packard Plant into a trade school and mixed use building, it did not yet reach it’s full potential. More research is required in terms of the economics of the project. The exact planning of the phasing and deconstruction of the building needs to be progressed beyond schematic design. There is also more to work out in both the design of the actual trade school and other sections of the building. Because this thesis became both an urban design proposal and an adaptive intervention proposal, neither aspect got developed far enough. The urban design of the neighborhood development is one of the main lacking elements of this thesis. 48
What I see my thesis as is a jumping off point, a fresh idea to bring forth change in Detroit and any city in need. The change required is not something attainable by one person alone. Despite the holes and undeveloped areas of this thesis I do truly believe that a trade school is one answer to aiding Detroit’s redevelopment. As I learned early with my probe, changing perception is a powerful tool. If more people can think of ways to turn problems into solutions then the Detroit Formula can come to life.
Bibliography: Altman, Irwin and Abraham Wandersman. 1987. Neighborhood And Community Environ ments. New York: Plenum Press. Berens, Carol. 2010. Redeveloping Industrial Sites. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. Berger, Alan. 2006. Drosscape. 1st ed. New York: Princeton Architectural Press. Florida, Richard. 2014. The Rise Of The Creative Class, Revisited. 1st ed. New York: Basic Books. Hester, Randolph. 1995. Life, Liberty And The Pursuit Of Sustainable Happiness. eScholar ship, University of California. Jacobs, Jane. 1992. The Death And Life Of Great American Cities. New York: Vintage Books. Johnson, Louise C. 2009. Cultural Capitals. 1st ed. Farnham, England: Ashgate Pub. Markusen, Ann and Greg Schrock. 2006. “The Artistic Dividend: Urban Artistic Special isation And Economic Development Implications”. Urban Studies 43 (10): 16611686. doi:10.1080/00420980600888478. Roberts, John. 2008. “Community Activism Vs. Community Design”. Places Journal 20 (2). https://placesjournal.org/article/community-activism-vs-community-design/. Rushton, Michael. Creative Communities. 1st ed. Smith, Neil and Peter Williams. 1986. Gentrification Of The City. Boston: Allen & Unwin. Williams, Raymond. 1983. Keywords. 1st ed. [London]: Fontana. Young, Robert A. 2012. Stewardship Of The Built Environment. Washington, D.C.: Island Press. Zimmermann, Kim. 2016. “What Is Culture? | Definition Of Culture”. Live Science. http:// www.livescience.com/21478-what-is-culture-definition-of-culture.html.
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