1. Ustation: Reshaping Detroit
Winston Churchill once said “we shape our buildings and then afterwards, they shape
us.” In Detroit too many buildings are left abandoned and falling apart, this is reflected upon
the city in its current state. In specifically downtown Detroit, there is a lack of density on any
level, from foot traffic to building footprints. The building I designed, Ustation, will help deliver
a new identity to Detroit and shape future generations. The goal of the building’s program is to
make the surrounding site better served for transit and walkability by enhancing its vitality
through growth and revitalization. Ustation will become a one-stop, mixed use, transit-
community center to counter the dispersion of the current density and to unify information,
transportation and services to help reshape the city.
Ustation impacts the health, safety and welfare of the public by reshaping public space
and activating and reenergizing the city, becoming the pulsating heart of the city. The programs
for Ustation identified four primary modes— application, collaboration, learning, and
socializing. Included in the wide array of spaces planned are retail spaces, educational spaces,
cafés, baristas, a fine dining restaurant, both indoor and outdoor parks, a theater, residential
spaces and exhibition spaces. Specifically, the roof park space is a destination for intimate
recitals/gatherings and provides unmatched views of downtown Detroit on the panoramic roof
parks.
Inside the Ustation serves as the nerve center, bringing together the experiences of the
city and supplying everything in an efficient, appropriate and stimulating manner. As a learning
environment, Ustation appears as a vibrant and visually engaging educational experience, in
which group areas, presentation spaces, and solitude spaces allow for a more diverse approach
to education. The educational spaces and service spaces work hand-in-hand to invite
interaction between each other. The building is a model for the city to follow where what’s
learned in the educational spaces is implemented in the service spaces. Ustation has a strong
partnership approach, working closely with professionals to ensure program ingenuity,
connection to place, and, above all, imagination. Doing these things Ustation becomes a
catalyst for job growth for Detroit. Then green space found throughout the Ustation will be the
“heart” spaces. These areas will facilitate an interchange and exploration among disparate
disciplines with overlapping concerns that create interdisciplinary interactions, whether it’s
educational, services or both. Ustation is a step in the right direction for Detroit, providing new
infrastructure from the inside out.
The mission of the Ustation is to create walkable streets during any time of the year,
develop inclusive residential, educational and retail options, and reduce commute times and
traffic congestion by encouraging pedestrian activity and discouraging automobile dependency.
By doing this Ustation becomes a healthy and livable urban center that inspires residents,
workers, and visitors alike. Ustation seeks to re-energize the Detroit through tactical urbanism,
where spaces are organized to showcase innovation and collaboration. Ustation pursues to
shape new truths of the city about future vitality, and dismiss the perception that Detroit is
merely transient.
