Anchoring Detroit's Shifting Contextual Ground

Abstract

How do architects contribute to the physical city? And, what role does architecture play in the process of the city making? It is the edges or sense of edges that architects contribute to the physical city. By breaking down the development of edges, you are able to see the layering and the relationship of the edges to each other. Architects are able to form the edges and relationships between. Urban design is the negative (in-between) spaces that are created in between buildings (objects). The "in-between spaces" have the potential to have a reciprocal relationship to the building, street and spectators. In reviewing the city of Detroit and seeing all the negative spaces that are created by the shrinking city, I believe these negative spaces have the potential to be a great asset to the city. Detroit's contextual ground is always shifting. The shifting is caused by the evaporation of buildings within Detroit's contexts. Anew layer needs to be added to anchor (slow down) the evaporation and shifting ground. Working upon and weaving together the new layers of texture which are embedded within Detroit's fast shifting contextual ground will help anchor the shifting. The premise of the thesis investigation is in the idea prescribing urban design strategies can be used at alternate scales to address the architectural scale. When the architecture ofa city communicates with the urban realm, the result is a healthy dynamic condition. By translating this urban strategy into the scale of the building, I believe a more integrated and thoughtful architecture can emerge.