nARCHITECTS (with James Corner Field Operations, Team Lead) was one of four finalists for the Detroit West Riverfront competition. Within the larger landscape we designed a Porch, conceived as a flexible armature, to span the edge of the park.
At 2,140 ft long, the open armature of glulam timber and steel supports a variety of amenities and elements, variously providing shade, shelter from rain, or voids open to the sky. Beneath this canopy, a number of smaller gable roofed structures support different programs – greenhouse, café, restrooms, storage.
The Porch celebrates Detroit’s industrial past, albeit with current innovations in mass timber that speak to the city’s green future.
