Commercial Architecture October 2017 - 13

FEATURE

mixed use

Woodward Garden
Apartments, Detroit
W

oodward Garden Apartments, located at 3909 Woodward Avenue in Detroit,
is connected to the adjacent Woodward Garden Theater (both designed by

McIntosh Poris Associates, Detroit). Both structures anchor the 3900 block of Woodward
Avenue in Detroit's Midtown District. The location is one block from the Max M. Fisher
Music Center, Detroit Medical Center, and Children's Hospital of Michigan. It's also in
close proximity to Wayne State Univ. and Detroit Institute of Arts.
The apartments were part of the fourth, and final, phase of the 15-yr. Woodward
Garden Block Development, and followed the restoration of the Woodward Garden
Theater. The program for the five-story, mixed-use building includes 11,000 sq. ft. of
commercial/retail/educational space at the ground level and 61 market-rate apartments,
consisting of studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units on floors two through five.
Because of the site's historic nature, district codes required the building's exterior to
have a masonry skin, which was beyond the project budget. McIntosh Poris developed
instead a loose interpretation of a "masonry exterior" and creatively designed the façade
with a highly efficient fiber-cement panel rainscreen system. To resolve the Main Street
Overlay's required corner enhancement, the architects used unconventional methods
by setting back the building's corner and creating a void to serve as a private outdoor
balcony for corner units.
A dynamic façade was introduced through the use of color and a panel joint
composition. Yellow and dark-gray color selections intentionally contrast with the
adjacent Woodward Garden Theater to provide a fresh interpretation to the ubiquitous
limestone detailing seen as a staple in historical buildings around the district.
The building's amenities include access to an outdoor terrace located on the second
floor, which not only provides a private retreat, but also ensures all units benefit from the
quality of natural light.
Residents have direct access to the adjacent parking garage from the second-floor
lobby to provide secured, covered parking. The 4,000-sq.-ft. basement is dedicated to
additional tenant storage, and space for the boiler system heated by Detroit Thermal's
steam system.
Located on the ground floor is the Michigan Research Studio, an off-campus
facility by the Univ. of Michigan's Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning,
offering the college preparatory Architecture Prep Program to Detroit public high school
students. The 3,715-sq.-ft. open facility emulates a collegiate design studio, emphasizing
creative learning through multiple teaching environments in the same space.

Top. The 3909 Woodward Garden Apartments building is connected to the adjacent Woodward
Garden Theater (both designed by McIntosh Poris Associates). The structures anchor the 3900 block
of Woodward Avenue in Detroit's Midtown District. Photo: Justin Maconochie
Middle. The five-story, mixed-use building includes 61 market-rate apartments, consisting of studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units on floors two through five. Photo: Justin Maconochie
Right. Located on the ground floor of 3903 Woodward is the Michigan Research Studio, an offcampus facility by the Univ. of Michigan's Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning,
offering the college preparatory Architecture Prep Program to Detroit public high school students.
Photo: Justin Maconochie

Continued on p. 14

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OCTOBEER 2017

COMMERCI A L A RCHI T EC T URE

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