Detroit Cultural District V4

Parking

2019-2022

DETROIT

CULTURAL

DISTRICT

Agence Ter

+ Akoaki

Parking

2019-2022

DETROIT

CULTURAL

DISTRICT

Agence Ter

+ Akoaki

DETROIT CULTURAL DISTRICT 6

PARKING

AGENCE TER + AKOAKI 7

The Detroit Cultural District 08

The Future of Parking 28

Existing District Conditions 42

Zooming Into Zone C 60

Designing Parking Plus 72

1

The Detroit Cultural District


Creating spaces that combine

culture, civic infrastructure, and

sustainable systems is essential

for equitable urban regeneration.

The Cultural Center Planning

Initiative (CCPI) will introduce

civic infrastructure that’s smart,

efficient, and serves collective

needs. Beyond the physical

rejuvenation of public spaces, this

initiative will facilitate a sense

of ownership and engagement

between citizens and the cultural

institutions that hold the keys to

their history—and their future. The

THE DETROIT CULTURAL DISTRICT


CCPI proposes a comprehensive

80-acre campus that integrates

green infrastructure, cultural

engagement and inclusion,

and urban biodiversity into an

accessible space that is equally

welcoming to all Detroiters and all

visitors.

CULTURAL DISTRICT INTRODUCTION


6

11

THE CARR

CENTER

THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE

OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT

12

HELLENIC MUSEUM

OF MICHIGAN

7

DETROIT HISTORICAL

MUSEUM

2

DETROIT PUBLIC

LIBRARY

3

WAYNE STATE

UNIVERSITY



5

COLLEGE FOR

CREATIVE STUDIES

9

4 8

THE CHARLES H. WRIGHT

MUSEUM OF AFRICAN

AMERICAN HISTORY

DETROIT INSTITUTE

OF ARTS

THE SCARAB CLUB

10

MICHIGAN

SCIENCE CENTER

1

THE UNIVERSITY

OF MICHIGAN

PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS


Above: While providing pedestrians the right of way, a shared street option on East Kirby Street safely

combines cycling, social activities, parking for universal access, and local car traffic to create a shared

public space. Eliminating the traditional segregation of motor vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists using

bollards, varied textures in the hardscape and signage create a shared and more vibrant streetscape.



Smart, Sustainable

Parking Design

An efficient parking strategy is the

foundation of the District plan. To

restore valuable open space within the

District and to ensure equitable ease

of access for residents and visitors,

CCPI has focused on the functions,

locations, and purposes of parking.

Cars, after all, spend 95% of their time

doing nothing. So why not reimagine

the urban space currently devoted to

them?

CCPI consolidates private and onstreet

above ground parking by

bringing cars below ground. The

plan proposes two underground

structures: the full renovation of the

existing Woodward Avenue car park

at the Detroit Institute of Arts, and

the introduction of a new car park

adjacent to Brush Street. The strategy,

designed to create a pedestriancentric

public landscape, helps

mitigate the negative impacts parking

has on the environment, while opening

up precious space for community

benefit.

Working with Rich and Associates

Parking Consultants, the CCPI Parking

Plan analyzed the 10-block area to

assess parking requirements and

projected feasibility. Informed by

annual patron volumes, hours of

operation, staffing levels, and other

relevant statistics, Rich and Associates

established the optimal number of

spaces for the Brush Street car park.

They demonstrated that the parking

supply within the District would

continue to meet the demands of the

institutions over the next decade.

Once realized, the CCPI’s Parking

Plan will transform 16 acres of paved

surface currently dedicated to car

storage into an adaptable public

landscape that improves the quality

of life for Detroit residents.

“

Cities do not need to accept

parking as a necessary

evil. Instead, design

has a responsibility to

promote solutions that

mitigate the negative

impacts parking has on

the environment, mobility,

and land use. Parking

is where environmental

impact, urban planning,

architectural design,

enterprise, and public space

can come together to make

significant urban change.

Jean Louis Farges

Principal, Akoaki

“



The District will be composed of

four landscape elements and

their interactions: The Square,

The Band, The Ecotone, and

The Necklace. Each of these

are designed to be adjusted

through stakeholder and public

engagement. The elements will

define the district in distinct ways

by offering varied perspectives,

engaging experiential sequences,

and providing legible points

of entry. The elements will also

unify by bringing together a site

that was formerly residential but



divided by streets and small plots.

Focusing on what will be shared,

CCPI merges the distinct parts into

a generous whole.



The Square



A pedestrian framework defines the boundaries of the district by transforming a network of

auto-centric streets into a people-focused pedestrian experience. It welcomes the possibility of

shared infrastructure while offering institutions generous spaces for outdoor programming and

public amenities. CCPI’s adaptation offers a democratic foundation for an urban plan where

each institution, big or small, connects equitably to public space and the District’s amenities.

THE ELEMENTS


The Band



A series of open green spaces highlights the historic axis of the Cultural District and creates

adaptable eventscapes for daily and exceptional activation. The surface parking lot on Brush

is transformed into a Great Lawn by consolidating cars below grade. On Woodard Avenue, an

ephemeral plaza emphasizes the well proportioned relationship between the Detroit Institute of

Arts and the Detroit Public Library, opening possibilities for seasonal happenings. Connecting

College for Creative Studies and Wayne State University, the Band integrates open spaces that

unites the venerable campuses on both the east and west sides of the plan.

THE ELEMENTS


The Ecotone



The Ecotone incorporates nature into the city by merging infrastructure with the beauty of

an inhabitable landscape, reimagining engineering and ecological requirements as a public

attractor. In the form of two green zones bracing the districts open plazas, the Ecotone

addresses climate adaptation, provides valuable solutions to urban overheating, augments

biodiversity and mitigates noise/air pollution and introduces stormwater management at a

district scale.

THE ELEMENTS


The Necklace



A meandering pathway that links the District with unique programming opportunities. If the

Square is the destination, then the Necklace is the journey. The walking path connects smaller

sites and experiences: sculptures, places for play, climate gardens, and other discrete activities,

while offering moments for quiet reflection. A tool for navigating the District in an open-ended

or theme-driven way, the Necklace creates distinct atmospheric experiences by facilitating

intimate encounters with art, culture, and landscape.

THE ELEMENTS


The Square at the intersection of Farnsworth Street and John R Street looking west highlights a shared

street that privileges pedestrian activity and creates space for commercial programs to activate the public

life of the District.



THE ELEMENTS

2

The Future of Parking


Parking is a common sight in

cities; particularly in auto-centric

metropolitan areas like Detroit.

But with rapid changes in mobility,

the future of parking holds the key

to reimagining the ways cities are

organized, how they operate, and

the public amenities they provide.

Car-sharing, electric vehicles,

and a growing conscientiousness

around the ecological impacts

of private transportation are

transforming parking in profound

ways. Most will agree that single-

THE FUTURE OF PARKING


use and underused parking areas

need rethinking. Whether parking

spaces double as charging

stations or connect to rental bikes,

dynamic public space design

increasingly demands more

sustainable, adaptable solutions

to make parking spaces both easy

to access and eco-friendly.

CCPI recognizes that parking is

at the core of effective planning,

and that the metropolitan

underground is a key urban

resource. In the District the



consolidation of parking below

grade offers answers to many

contemporary urban challenges

and opens up precious space for

public occupation on the surface.

In this model, parking is no

longer a site of inert storage, but

integrates changes in mobility by

servicing people and vehicles in

equal measure.





The current surface lot behind the Detroit Institute of Arts boasts over 400 spaces.



What’s the Matter

with Parking?

Detroit’s urban core is one of the most

hallowed out of any major city, with

about 40% of the parcels downtown

devoted to parking cars. While in

Midtown, that percentage is slightly

lower, 32% of the public space in the

Cultural District is currently occupied

by parking, a swath of area with real

and significant environmental, social,

and spatial ramifications.

We know above ground city parking

lots pose many challenges. They are

expensive to maintain, break up the

pedestrian experience, and diminish

architectural continuity. They are

detrimental to the urban environment:

contributing to polluted street runoff,

contaminating watersheds, and

exacerbating the heat island effect.

And, of course, they take up valuable

space.

In the Cultural District, the current

above ground lot, located between

five institutions, clogs over 3 acres

of the most essential landscape in

the center of the District. Cars and

the parking lot infrastructure are

significant obstacles to an open and

continuous experience of the District.

Paying aesthetic and environmental

design attention to the reorganization

of entrenched parking strategies

creates space for a variety of public

uses and catalyzes the District’s

evolution.

Street parking captures another 2

acres of the District’s public space,

physically and visually blocking

access to institutions while impacting

the environmental quality of the

public experience for all. CCPI

carefully incorporates public concerns

and visitor desires for convenience to

elevate experiences, environmental

quality, and public interconnectivity.

The result is a plan that reclaims

parking space as public space

to create a more flexible, multifunctional,

environmental, social, and

economically productive solution.

“

CCPI’s parking strategy

invites us to put Joni

Mitchel’s famous lament

on its head, suggesting

it’s time to “un-pave the

parking lot and put up a

paradise” in its stead. The

modern parking lot is ready

for transformation. The

District Plan offers bold

solutions that will change

pervasive strategies and

reverse the impacts of our

automobile-centered

society.

Anya Sirota

Principal, Akoaki

“

WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH PARKING


CCPI’s

Parking Solutions

1. Lowering Demand

Some planners suggest that the

best way to address the problem of

parking is to lower demand. Certainly,

densification can help. More people

living in Midtown will lead to a more

connected, environmentally friendly

urban ecosystem, with more people

walking or using public transportation

to engage with the Cultural District.

Transformations in mobility options

and access to new modes of public

transit will also make a difference.

As bike and car sharing becomes

increasingly more available

and supported by CCPI’s public

infrastructure, projections point to a

decrease in individual automobile

ridership.

2. Sharing

A visionary way to consolidate space

occupied by cars can be achieved

by optimizing shared parking

infrastructure. In the District, a robust

hour-by-hour analysis of parking

demand, that takes into account daily

trends in visitorship in conjunction with

staff and volunteer shift operation,

serves to model a strategy where

full utilization of all parking space is

guaranteed. This nimble approach

offers new efficiencies that are as

functional as they are economical.

3. Smart Parking

30 to 60 percent of the cars driving

around an urban destination are

typically circling for an open space,

increasing levels of harmful emissions.

CCPI introduces a smarter, faster

solution to help drivers and residents

park. Smart technology in the District

will optimize parking by introducing

a system of sensors that alerts drivers

where garage spaces are available.

Coupled with a parking app, like

ParkDetroit, will allow visitors to

quickly find available public and

private garages as well as street

parking in close proximity to the

District.

4. Parking Plus

The District Plan reimagines space

devoted solely to inactive car storage

as a multi-use asset. By opening

parking garages to various cultural

and public activities, the plan will

transform parking decks into public

spaces that broadcast the arts,

change with cultural programming,

and evolve with the community. In

this way, parking is conceived as an

active public space that features

exhibitions, performances, new media,

information technology, and a space

of welcome.

Embracing the projection that

automobile ownership is on the

decline, Agence Ter and Akoaki have



Above: While providing pedestrians the right of way, a shared street option on East Kirby Street safely

combines cycling, social activities, parking for universal access, and local car traffic to create a shared

public space. Eliminating the traditional segregation of motor vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists using

bollards, varied textures in the hardscape and signage create a shared and more vibrant streetscape.

designed parking structures that are

adaptable and capable of holding

multiple activities that accommodate

visitors, new mobility networks, and

programming, in addition to the

required storage of cars.

5. Green Infrastructure

The parking infrastructure is designed

to generate rather than drain resources

in the District. Both underground car

parks incorporate green roofs, EV

charging stations, energy-efficient

powering, and environmentally

responsive landscapes. Liberated from

the burden of parking, the District’s

streets are transformed into a space

that simultaneously helps control

polluted water run-off and offers an

inspiring multi-purpose landscape.

6. Multimobility Hub

CCPI’s parking decks will house more

than just parking and utilities. They

will be central hubs for a variety of

vehicles ranging from privately owned

cars to shared fleets of scooters and

everything in between. In this plan, the

car parks will connect both vertically

as an extension of the street level, and

horizontally by plugging into the city’s

public transportation networks and

cultural venues. The parking decks will

also accommodate charging stations

that provide energy necessary to

power electric vehicles.

CCPI’S PARKING SOLUTIONS


The Untapped

Underground

Above: The Children and Family center proposed for the ground floor of the Charles H. Wright

Museum of African American History will connect new programs to the outdoors.

CCPI’s underground urban strategies

respond to the District’s fundamental

organizational challenges. The

construction of consolidated

underground parking liberates public

space by removing automobiles and

their necessary infrastructure from the

surface. The expansion of the District

through the thickening of the ground

is a sensible and human centered

planning approach that coordinates

mobility-related services and impacts

the quality of urban experience in

fundamental ways.

There are clear advantages to

building underground in the District.

For one, the building practice is

naturally more ecological and

environmentally friendly. The soil’s

inherent thermal capacity allows for

common-sense, low-tech heating

and cooling of interior spaces within

the two underground structures.

Soil is a massive, essential heatsink

that will help cool the District while

reducing energy consumption. The

layer of topsoil sheltering below

grade construction introduces porous

material to mitigate stormwater

runoff, while creating new spatial

possibilities along the Band that are

resilient, responsible, aesthetic and

sustainable.



Open, green public space like the

Band positively impacts the quality

of life for residents in Detroit.

With improved livability, comes

compact growth and densification

– a transformation that makes good

economic sense for the District, the

city, and its residents. Developing

Detroit’s existing communities in

Midtown, New Center, and the North

End by improving the livability of

these diverse neighborhoods is both

cost and resource efficient. The Plan’s

parking strategy will directly affect

livability by activating subterranean

space for logistics, while tapping into

land reserves that improve people’s

health and the ecology of the city.

Finally, building underground creates

connectivity between buildings,

systems and people. In the District,

the underground proves to be the

obvious zone to embed new mobility

technology that reinvents the idea

of the city in its broadest sense. The

resulting parking plan counters the

common perception of underground

space as dark and hostile, and

embraces it as a resource that extends

and completes our world, a nourishing

root system without which the ground

level cannot operate.

THE UNTAPPED UNDERGROUND


Above: The proposed Art Walk along the current John R Street connects the College for Creative Studies

Campus to the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.



PROPOSED ART WALK

3

Exisiting District Conditions


Currently 40% of the District

is occupied by cars. What if

consolidating parking below

ground could liberate significant

and underestimated surface,

volume, and land reserves? To

make this possible, the Plan must

consider the amount of parking

currently available, its ownership,

proximity to institutional

thresholds, and costs in order

to map a way to accommodate

the volume as efficiently and

economically as possible.

DISTRICT CONDITIONS


460 public on-street parking spaces;

12 public on-street universal access spaces;

515 public off-street surface lot parking

spaces;

8 public off-street surface lot universal access

spaces;

396 private off-street surface lot parking

spaces;

16 private off-street surface lot universal

access spaces;

915 private off-street garage parking spaces;

24 private off-street garage universal access

spaces.

DISTRICT CONDITIONS


John R St.

24 ON-STREET

PARKING SPACES

38 ON-STREET

PARKING SPACES

Woodward Ave.

24 ON-STREET

PARKING SPACES

37 ON-STREET

PARKING SPACES

36 ON-STREET

PARKING SPACES

21 ON-STREET

PARKING SPACES

Cass Ave.

Current public on-street parking supply. Total spaces: 460

DISTRICT CONDITIONS


25 ON-STREET

PARKING SPACES

30 ON-STREET

PARKING SPACES

17 ON-STREET

PARKING SPACES

41 ON-STREET

PARKING SPACES

30 ON-STREET

PARKING SPACES

17 ON-STREET

PARKING SPACES

33 ON-STREET

PARKING SPACES

16 ON-STREET

PARKING SPACES

15 ON-STREET

PARKING SPACES

42 ON-STREET

PARKING SPACES

14 ON-STREET

PARKING SPACES

Warren Ave.

CURRENT ON-STREET PARKING SUPPLY


John R St.

Woodward Ave.

84 OFF-STREET

PARKING SPACES

531 OFF-STREET

PARKING SPACES

Cass Ave.

Current public off-street parking supply within the District. Total spaces: 1,046

DISTRICT CONDITIONS


431 OFF-STREET

PARKING SPACES

Warren Ave.

CURRENT OFF-STREET PARKING SUPPLY

57 OFF

PARKIN


John R St.

70 OFF-STREET

PARKING SPACES

Woodward Ave.

152 OFF-STREET

PARKING SPACES

Cass Ave.

Current private off-street parking supply within the District. Total spaces: 1,311

DISTRICT CONDITIONS


610 OFF-STREET

PARKING SPACES

23 OFF-STREET

PARKING SPACES

20 OFF-STREET

PARKING SPACES

-STREET

G SPACES

24 OFF-STREET

PARKING SPACES

41 OFF-STREET

PARKING SPACES

9 OFF-STREET

PARKING SPACES

305 OFF-STREET

PARKING SPACES

Warren Ave.

CURRENT PRIVATE OFF-STREET PARKING SUPPLY


Taking

Stock

Rich and Associates evaluated the

parking demands for each institution

in the District. The purpose of this

surplus and deficit analysis was to

assess parking needs, to understand

how the District operates today, and

to project the impact of the District

Plan on parking in the future. Rich

and Associates administered surveys

to all institutions requesting statistics

on annual patron volumes, hours of

operation, and staffing/volunteer

levels. Seven institutions provided

data points, five of which guided

the analysis of parking needs due

to their scale and impact on parking

demands. These institutions include:

• Charles H. Wright Museum of

African American History

• Michigan Science Center

• Detroit Institute of Arts

• Detroit Historical Museum

• Detroit Public Library

The analysis showed that all five

institutions generally receive

patrons Tuesdays through Sundays

with Mondays either closed or

accommodating in-house staff

activities. Using this data, Rich and

Associates developed models to

demonstrate the parking needs by

time of day, institution, visitor arrival

patterns, and average lengths of

stay. The study showed that the

average length of stay was two hours

for most institutions in the District.

Detailed data was analyzed by time

of day and day of week in order to

accurately represent precise, timed

conditions occurring within the

District. Unsurprisingly, the District

generates more activity on weekends.

“

We envision redevelopment

that increases parking to

better accommodate school

buses, commercial coaches

and private vehicles. We

believe parking must

have affordability and

accessibility as a top

consideration, as we should

seek to reduce or eliminate

any barriers that would

prevent guests or vulnerable

populations from accessing

our institutions.

Jeff Anderson

COO, Charles H. Wright Museum of

African American History

“

DISTRICT CONDITIONS


The current surface lot behind the Detroit Institute of Arts with additional parking on the adjacent streets,

and in this instance the hardscaping of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

TAKING STOCK


ZONE A

ZONE B

GROUPING INFORMATION

ZONE A - The Detroit Historical Museum

ZONE C

ZONE B - The Detroit Public Library

ZONE C - The Charles H. Wright Museum of African

American History, The Detroit Institute of Arts,

The Michigan Science Center, The Scarab Club.

DISTRICT CONDITIONS


Parking Zones,

Breaking It Up

Convenient parking is the utmost

priority for all institutions and

their visitors, which is unsurprising

given Michigan’s infamous winters.

Through institutional and community

engagement, CCPI determined that

five minutes is the maximum time a

visitor is willing to walk between a

parked vehicle and an institutional

threshold. We took that number and

cut it in half. The resulting strategy

meets the demands of all institutions

within 700 feet of their front doors

- a two and half minute walk for an

average person.

With a 700-foot walking radius

established, the parking strategy

takes parking needs for individual

institutions and groups them into

zones according to geographic

proximity. Three zones define the

District: Zone A, the Detroit Historical

Museum; Zone B, the Detroit Public

Library; and Zone C, the Charles H.

Wright Museum of African American

History, the Michigan Science Center,

and the Detroit Institute of Arts. The

combined surplus and deficit analysis

for Zone C informed the scale of

the proposed underground garage

at Brush Street. Zones A and B did

not contribute to the estimation of

underground car parking needs and

have been considered independently.

Zone A

• Parking supply consists of 125 onstreet

parking spaces, and 84 offstreet

parking spaces

• The Detroit Historical Museums

current off-street parking lot has

the capacity to address staff,

volunteer and patron demands

during the week.

Zone B

• Parking supply consists of 142 onstreet

parking spaces, and 152

off-street parking spaces

• The Detroit Public Library’s current

lot has 152 off-street parking

dedicated to staff, volunteer and

patron demands during the week.

Zone C

• Parking supply consists of 200

on-street parking spaces, and

665 off-street parking spaces

• The University of Michigan’s

Rackham Building and the

College for Creative Studies

private garages contain 915

parking spaces and could help

accommodate student and

patron demands in a shared

parking model.

PARKING ZONES


Every

Institution

Has

Demands INSTITUTION

Average Daily V

Tuesday W

A key part of the analysis is a

determination of the individual

parking needs from each of the five

institutions. Data was collected and

parking industry standard analytics

applied to derive the number of

visitors to each institution.

The table at right charts the number

of patrons by day of week with the

corresponding number of vehicles.

This data set assumes that 75

percent of patrons arrive by private

automobile with an average of 2.5

people per car.

The District’s largest institutions are

generally open to visitors Tuesday

through Sunday. Meaning, there are

approximately 313 days of operation

per year. If the number of daily

patrons and vehicles are multiplied by

the respective number of weekdays,

there is an annual volume of 1.2

million visitors and 360,000 vehicles.

This means there are an average of

1,153 cars arrive at the District daily.

Charles H. Wright Museum

Average Daily Volume (Patrons)

Average Daily Volume (Cars)*

Michigan Science Center



Detroit Institute of the Arts



Detroit Historical Museum



Detroit Public Library



Total Daily Volume (Patrons)

Total Daily Volume (Cars)*

Annual Total Volume (Patrons)

Annual Total Volume (Cars)*

103

31

207

62

1,067

320

450

135

900

270

2,727

818

141,804

42,536

*Using 75% arrive by car & 2.5 people/ car

DISTRICT CONDITIONS


verage Daily Volume of Visitors by Institution

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

TOTALS

ns)

rs)*

103 107 123 137 217 123

31 32 37 41 65 37

ns)

rs)*

207 127 243 360 1,360 270

62 38 73 108 408 81

ns)

rs)*

1,067 833 1,300 2,557 2,783 2,443

320 250 390 767 835 733

ns)

rs)*

450 450 853 377 703 343

135 135 256 113 211 103

ns)

rs)*

900 873 873 980 1,333 523

270 262 262 294 400 157

ns)

rs)*

2,727 2,350 3,392 4,411 6,396 3,702

818 717 1,018 1323 1,919 1,111

23,018

6,906

ns)

rs)*

141,804 124,280 176,384 229,372 338,988 192,504

42,536 37,284 52,936 68,796 101,707 57,772

1,203,332

361,031

Days of Operation

Daily Average

313

1,153

INSTITUTIONAL DEMANDS


Parking Demand,

At Its Peak

Smart parking strategies do not

plan for the exceptional, they plan

for the daily. Understanding the

ebbs and flows of parking demand

on a weekly basis is an optimization

based approach that arrives at an

efficient and responsible solution for

our growing District.

The fundamental challenge with

parking is that while the supply is

constant, demand fluctuates greatly.

The key is to address peak demand

on a daily basis, while finding flexible

solutions for stand out events. In the

District, all five institutions generally

receive patrons Tuesdays through

Sundays with Mondays either closed

or accommodating in-house staff

activities. Using this data, Rich and

Associates developed models to

demonstrate the parking needs by

time of day, institution, visitor arrival

patterns, and average lengths of

stay. The study showed that the

average length of stay was two hours

for most institutions in the District.




conditions occurring within the

District. Unsurprisingly, the District

generates more activity on weekends.

Four of the five institutions considered

exhibited peak activity coinciding

with weekends, while the fifth

exhibited relatively consistent levels

of parking need across the five days

analyzed. Levels of parking ranging

from 10-20% above an average day

have been calculated to formulate

resulting spaces needed in the

proposed parking garage.

“

The motivation behind

the parking strategy is

to ensure rapid, efficient

turnover of parking spaces,

while reducing the need

for gargantuan parking

structures. This benefits

visitors by enabling them to

park in easy to access and

relatively low-cost spaces.If

space is designed and used

more intelligently, you can

actually build less.

Olivier Philippe

Principal, Agence Ter

“

Right: This series of diagrams illustrates the exisiting surplus and deficit calculations for all three District

zones. The parking supply is represented with a horizontal pink line. Demand that surpases the parking

supply line needs to be accomodated in the parking plan.

DISTRICT CONDITIONS


CARS/ DAY ARRIVAL: 211

PEAK PARKING DEMAND (CARS): 83

ZONE C (SATURDAY) ZONE B (SATURDAY)

ZONE A (SATURDAY)

PARKING SUPPLY (SPACES) PARKING SUPPLY (SPACES)

PARKING SUPPLY (SPACES)

80

60

40

20

6AM 9AM 12PM 3PM 6PM 9PM

HOURS OF OPERATION



200

160

120

80

40

6AM 9AM 12PM 3PM 6PM 9PM

HOURS OF OPERATION

CARS/ DAY ARRIVAL: 1,308


1000

800

600

400

200

12AM

12AM

6AM

9AM

12PM

3PM

6PM

9PM

12AM

HOURS OF OPERATION

PEAK DEMAND

4

Zooming Into Zone C


When it comes to District parking,

Zone C is the epicenter. The

current large surface parking

lot between John R and Brush

Streets boasts over 400 spaces.

This area offers abundant

parking supply, but also poses

significant spatial challenges by

creating a disconnect between

the institutions. As a solution, CCPI

proposes a new underground

car park. This is an opportunity

to reassess current modes of

operation and to implement an

optimization-based approach

ZOOMING INTO ZONE C


that plans for the future of

parking. The Charles H. Wright

Museum of African American

History, the Detroit Institute of

Arts, and the Michigan Science

Center are all within 700’

of the new underground car

park. Through the analysis of

combined institutional parking

demands and the incorporation

of their projected growth, CCPI

established the scale, location,

and spatial organization of the

proposed structure.

ZOOMING INTO ZONE C


Zone C,

Supply and

Demand

Supply is how many spaces are

available at any given time. Demand

is the amount of space necessary to

accommodate visitor and staff needs.

An analysis of supply and demand

is the first step of CCPI’s parking

study. By analyzing the combined

parking demand for the Charles H.

Wright Museum of African American

History, the Detroit Institute of Arts,

and the Michigan Science Center,

and comparing the figures against

the existing supply within a 700’

radius to each institution’s front

door, the parking study yielded an

hourly surplus/deficit calculation that

informed the required scale of the

new underground car park.

Supply

To map Zone C, a point was dropped

at the main entrance of each

institution. Next, a 700’ radius is

drawn from each point to establish

the maximum walking distance from

a parked car. Zone C encompasses

three anchor institutions, and their

respective radii. Only parking supply

within the District was considered in

this analysis. On-street, and private

institutional facilities within and

just outside the 10-block area will

further supplement the District’s

needs. While some of the parking

is currently restricted, it represents

a valuable opportunity for a future

shared parking model.

Considering on-street and off-street

parking, as well as private off-street

parking, Zone C has an existing

parking supply of over 800 spaces.

This value includes lots associated

with the Michigan Science Center, the

Charles H Wright Museum of African

American History, the Detroit Institute

of Arts, the Hellenic Museum, and

the Scarab Club that are generally

intended for staff and volunteers. Not

included in the existing supply count

is the 350± space underground car

park at Woodward and Farnsworth

that will be reconstructed to

accommodate staff and visitors.

Combined Demands

To understand the demands of Zone

C, the parking study combined hourly

needs of three anchor institutions

for visitors, staff, and volunteers. The

resulting analysis quantifies average

conditions on a daily basis. Planning

for possible changes, the parking

analysis provides levels of activity

that range from 10 to 20 percent

higher than any average day.

ZOOMING INTO ZONE C

N

N

N


PUBLIC ON-STREET PARKING - 182 SPACES

PUBLIC OFF-STREET PARKING - 482 SPACES

PRIVATE OFF-STREET PARKING - 137 SPACES

Above: Visitor volumes are based on data provided to Rich and Associates from each institution. The Detroit

Historical Museum and the Detroit Public Library are outside of the 700’ radius to the new underground

car park. Therefore, parking demand west of Woodward is not incorporated into the scale of the new

underground car park. As was done for the three anchor institutions east of Woodward, the visitor, staff, and

volunteer parking needs have been calculated separately.

SUPPY AND DEMAND


WEDNESDAY

1,067 VISITORS

TUESDAY

1,377 VISITORS

THURSDAY

1,676 VISITORS

FRIDAY

3,054 VISITORS

WEEKLY AVERAGE

14,360 VISITORS

Above: Combined visitor volumes for Zone C institutions broken down by day of the week. Visitor volumes

are based on data provided to Rich and Associates from each institution.

Next Page: Combined visitor volumes from Tuesday through Sunday broken down on an hourly basis

Visitor Demands

To understand visitor parking needs,

the parking study examines the

surplus or deficit of spaces for the three

anchor institutions daily. Throughout

the week (Tuesday through Friday),

the daily space needs range from

126 spaces to 269 spaces, while the

demand on the weekend increases to

559 spaces.

Staff/ Volunteer Demands

In addition to accounting for the

visitor parking needs of the three

anchor institutions, each facility must

also accommodate full- and parttime

staff, and volunteers. These

additional parking demands were

based on survey data provided

by the individual institutions. This

information did not break down

arrival, duration, and turnover rates.

Therefore, the following assumptions

were made:

• At peak time, 100 percent of fulltime

staff are on-site.

• At peak time, 40 percent of parttime

employees are on-site.

• At peak time, 20 percent of

volunteers are on-site.

• 97 percent of full and part time

staff will arrive to the District in

private vehicles.

• 95 percent of volunteers will arrive

to the District in private vehicles.

When combined, the calculated need

for staff and volunteer parking in Zone

C is 195 spaces. With the completion

of the Farnsworth underground car

park, 370 spaces will be available

ZOOMING INTO ZONE C


SATURDAY

4,360 VISITORS

SUNDAY

2,836 VISITORS

east of Woodward to accommodate

all the anticipated staff and volunteer

parking needs, as well as a significant

number of visitor parking spaces.

Playing It Safe

The parking demand model takes the

unpredictability of human parking

behaviors into account. Applying

conservative industry standard

percentages to supply, CCPI is able

to make accurate projections for the

availability of a parking space at any

given time. To estimate the adjusted

supply in the District, the study makes

the following assumptions;

when a visitor arrives in the

District.

• 75% of the total public off-street

supply is available. Parking

standards assume that only

25% of the spaces are already

occupied when a visitor arrives in

the District.

• None of the private off-street

spaces are available

• 25% of the total public on-street

supply is available. Parking

standards assume that 75% of

the spaces are already occupied

VISITOR AVERAGES


900

TUESDAY

DAILY VOLUME: 1,377 VISITORS

PEAK ARRIVAL VOLUME: 304 VISITORS

VISITOR VOLUME

675

450

225

6AM

9AM

12PM 3PM 6PM

HOURS OF OPERATION

9PM

12AM

WEDNESDAY



900

VISITOR VOLUME

675

450

225

6AM

9AM

12PM 3PM 6PM

HOURS OF OPERATION

9PM

12AM

THURSDAY



900

VISITOR VOLUME

675

450

225

6AM

9AM

12PM 3PM 6PM

HOURS OF OPERATION

9PM

12AM

ZOOMING INTO ZONE C


900

FRIDAY



VISITOR VOLUME

675

450

225

6AM

9AM

12PM 3PM 6PM

HOURS OF OPERATION

9PM

12AM

SATURDAY



900

VISITOR VOLUME

675

450

225

6AM

9AM

12PM 3PM 6PM

HOURS OF OPERATION

9PM

12AM

SUNDAY



900

VISITOR VOLUME

675

450

225

6AM

9AM

12PM 3PM 6PM

HOURS OF OPERATION

9PM

12AM

VISITOR VOLUMES


When Zone C

Demand Peaks

The adjusted parking supply in

Zone C accommodates daily visitor,

staff, and volunteer needs. Utilizing

an optimization based approach

that carefully considers occupancy,

duration, and turnover on a weekly

basis has allowed CCPI to develop

efficient and responsible solutions for

the current and future demands of

the District.

In Zone C, all three anchor institutions

generally receive visitors Tuesdays

through Sundays with Mondays

either closed or accommodating

in-house staff activities. Using this

data, Rich and Associates developed

models to demonstrate the parking

needs by time of day, institution,

visitor arrival patterns, and average

lengths of stay. The study showed

that the average length of stay was

two hours for the Charles H. Wright

Museum of African American History

and the Detroit Institute of Arts, while

the Michigan Science Center visitors

stayed an average of three hours.




conditions occurring within Zone

C. Unsurprisingly, the demand on

weekends was higher.

In Zone C, the peak parking demand

does not fill all of the current available

spaces. In the proposed parking

plan, there will be minimal strain as

demand accumulates on Saturdays.

Based on current parking supply

and parking assumptions there is an

availability of 380 spaces within a

700’ radius to the Charles H. Wright

Museum of African American History,

the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the

Michigan Science Center.

Right: Peak parking demands for Zone C on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in exisiting conditions. This

analysis shows there is only a deficit on Saturday.

ZOOMING INTO ZONE C




ZONE C (SATURDAY) ZONE C (FRIDAY)

ZONE C (THURSDAY)

PARKING SUPPLY (SPACES) PARKING SUPPLY (SPACES)

PARKING SUPPLY (SPACES)

1000

800

600

400

200

1000

800

600

400

200

1000

800

600

400

200

6AM



6AM

9AM

9AM

12PM

12PM

3PM

3PM

6PM

HOURS OF OPERATION

6PM

HOURS OF OPERATION

9PM

9PM

CARS/ DAY ARRIVAL: 1,308


12AM

12AM

6AM

9AM

12PM

3PM

6PM

9PM

12AM

HOURS OF OPERATION

PEAK DEMAND

5

Designing Parking Plus


Parking infrastructure is evolving

beyond inert vehicle storage. The

car park of the future will be a

site of connections, an extension

of the street, and a welcoming

portal. Horizontally, car parks

will connect to transport lines,

retail, cultural venues and public

space. Vertically, they will create

infrastructural efficiencies that

will outlast our current default

solutions.

While the automotive takeover of

cities has created countless issues,

DESIGNING PARKING PLUS


CCPI is rectifying expectations to

redefine urban sustainability, one

step at a time. The plan starts with

a parking strategy that considers

investment in single function

parking not enough. To catalyze a

District that makes positive urban

impact, parking infrastructure

needs to account for the ways our

relationships with automobiles,

energy, and public space are

changing. Appropriately, CCPI’s

parking plan puts people at the

center and pushes infrastructure

to do more.



John R St.

24 ON-STREET

SPACES RETAINED

38 ON-STREET

SPACES RELOCATED

Woodward Ave.

24 ON-STREET

SPACES RELOCATED

37 ON-STREET

SPACES RELOCATED

36 ON-STREET

SPACES RELOCATED

21 ON-STREET

SPACES RELOCATED

Cass Ave.

The District parking strategy maintains over 150 on-street parking spaces for public use and consolidates the

remaining 300 + spaces into two underground car parks located off of Brush Street and Woodward Avenue.



25 ON-STREET

SPACES RETAINED

30 ON-STREET

SPACES RELOCATED

17 ON-STREET

SPACES RELOCATED

41 ON-STREET

SPACES RELOCATED

30 ON-STREET

SPACES RELOCATED

17 ON-STREET

SPACES RETAINED

33 ON-STREET

SPACES RELOCATED

16 ON-STREET

SPACES RETAINED

15 ON-STREET

SPACES RETAINED

42 ON-STREET

SPACES RETAINED

14 ON-STREET

SPACES RETAINED

Warren Ave.

DISTRICT STRATEGY


Five and

Ten Year

Forcast

The District plan is designed for the

success, growth, and maturation of

each of the stakeholder institutions.

From the scale of the interiors to the

District’s infrastructure, the design

team has worked with institutions

to increase connectivity and

accommodate projected growth. The

parking strategy does the same.

The parking plan integrated projected

growth above pre-pandemic visitor

volumes by 10% for the next five

years and 20% for the next ten years.

By applying the same lengths of stay

and arrival patterns for the existing

conditions to horizon year projections,

the number of parking spaces at peak

hours was determined. An increase in

visitorship, however, does not require

a proportional increase in the number

of District parking spaces. Instead,

CCPI’s parking plan introduces new

final mile connections, supports an

increase in shared mobility strategies,

and utilizes technology to make

arrival and departure more efficient.

This optimization based strategy

ensures a high level of access and

connectivity, and avoids overscaled

infrastructure.

DETROIT SQUARE | Cultural Center Planning Initiative

AGENCE TER - AKOAKI, LLC



FOR INTERNAL REVIEW ONLY

Above: To attract additional visitors in the years to come the Charles H. Wright Museum of African

American History is planning to introduce a new media center as an addition to their building.

Next Page: Locations of the two underground car parks that will accomodate parking demands of the

District.

003-PHASE2-CHW-201124

FORCASTING VOLUMES


John R St.

336 PARKING

SPACES

Woodward Ave.



282 PARKING

SPACES

Brush St.

Warren Ave.

UNDERGROUND PARKING


The Detroit

Institute of Arts

In Conversation With

Elliott Broom

CONVERSATIONS WITH ELLIOTT BROOM


CONVERSATIONS WITH ELLIOTT BROOM


Elliott Broom is the Chief

Operating Officer at the Detroit

Institute of Arts. He has been tuned

into the museum’s needs over a

decade, and has played a critical

role in managing events including

Frida Kahlo in Detroit. We sat down

with Elliott to learn more about

how he manages the complexities

of operating Michigan’s largest

fine art museums.

Anya Sirota (AS): Tell us a little about your role at the DIA. When did you

join the institution? What are your key responsibilities?

Elliott Broom (EB): For more than 13 years I acted as the VP of Operations. Recently, I was promoted

to Chief Operating Officer, where I am responsible for running the DIA’s facilities smoothly. This

includes working together with the directors of the departments of Protection Services, Building

Operations, Environmental Services, Visitor Services, Events and Food Service operations, Group

Reservations, Special Projects, and Volunteer Services. This team of department leaders and

their awesome staff help to ensure that the entire campus and museum building is a safe and

welcoming environment for all. With my background in hotel management, I bring my skills and

experience in hospitality to help me focus on delivering the services and experiences expected of

a world-class art museum.

CONVERSATIONS WITH ELLIOT BROOM


AS

EB

AS

EB

AS

EB

Over a decade with the DIA! That’s impressive. What

kinds of evolutions or transformations have you observed

or even facilitated at the DIA?

Since the Grand Reopening in 2007, we have continued to create an

innovative, audience-friendly experience of the collections for our visitors.

The building’s reorganized interior and expanded gallery spaces have

allowed us to deepen our commitment to diversify the audience experience,

including making the museum more accessible and interesting for the

community and beyond, regardless of background. With the passage

of the DIA’s millage in 2012, our mission continues to evolve to be more

community-centered and focused on local audiences that have supported

us with their tax dollars, while still welcoming our national and international

visitors who make the DIA an important stop when they are in Detroit.

What opportunities do you see embodied in the CCPI

guiding plan that may enable greater activation of the

outdoors. Is this a direction the DIA was already moving

toward?

The CCPI plan is vitally important and a transformational project not only

for the DIA but also for our neighboring partner institutions. The plan will

allow us to achieve a longstanding goal of the DIA’s as well as the other

institutions in the District: create a comprehensive and connected campus

experience for visitors. At the DIA, for the last several years, we have

been offering more outdoor programming on the campus including music

programming and films. But the challenges of programming are many, as

are the opportunities for bringing even more exciting and educational

programs for our audiences once the CCPI plan is realized.

A main element in creating a comprehensive and

connected campus you mention is the transformation

of the existing parking lot behind the DIA into an

underground car park. Can you speak more towards the

benefits of the current Brush Street proposal?

The proposed Brush Street reconstruction is an amalgamation of an

underground car park and a public art vitrine.The Welcome Center,

mediates between the public space at street level and the operational

infrastructure below grade and provides an opportunity for contemporary

installations that are as remarkable as they are interactive.

Installations in the Brush Street Welcome Center will be visible from street

level and provide a great opportunity for the DIA and the other institutions

to curate museum-quality content as accessible public art inviting everyone

to participate. In addition, the Welcome Center provides a much needed

switchboard for visitors navigating the District.



AS

EB

What challenges and opportunities does the current

building and parking infrastructure of the DIA pose?

The direction and needs of museums worldwide – especially in the last

few years, and certainly with the pandemic – have dramatically changed

based on what audiences are seeking. Since we are working in a framework

that was built in a different time, it’s easy to understand that while our

contemporary needs have changed, it’s not easy to accommodate them in

outdated facilities.

Our current underground car park on Woodward, for example, was

constructed in 1965, but was unable to keep up with the quick paced

changes of mobility and needs for accessibility. Currently, the facility is

closed for service. In 2017, we commissioned Walker Parking Consultants to

assess existing conditions, and determine feasibility of repair. Ultimately,

we are going to have to construct a new lot to ensure we are up to ADA

standards and the facility can be a resource for the District for years to

come. Upon completion this car park will add over 300 new spaces to the

District.

Internally, one of our big challenges is how to manage the museum’s current

layout with the needs of our curators and programmers.

AS

EB

How can the CCPI guiding plan support the City of

Detroit?

I see the CCPI plan as an exceptionally positive and potentially catalytic

project for the city of Detroit. It holds the possibility of accomplishing many

things that have been desired and needed in this great city for many years,

including: tying the cultural institutions together with a comprehensive and

thoughtfully designed campus not unlike what you find in my other favorite

midwest city, Chicago. Our campus could certainly rival the museum

campus in Chicago that connects the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum

of Natural History and the Adler Planetarium. If the CCPI is realized, I am

confident it would be a huge win for the City of Detroit and our region.

The CCPI plan also offers exciting concepts for building modifications at

the DIA including its exterior campus. Of course, such a great vision requires

great financial resources to make the dream come to life. If I could wave a

magic wand, I would wave it for the resources to realize this design team’s

impressive proposal and all it offers for improving and expanding the visitor

experience at the DIA and across our partner institutions





Top: The current above ground parking lot between Brush and John R Streets occupies four prime acres of

real estate on the central axis in the Cultural District

Bottom: An aerial view of the parking lot between Brush and John R Streets illustrates the distinct

opportunity the site offers in connecting many of the Districts anchor institutions around a Common Green.



A New Car Park for

the District

When thinking about the future and

vitality of a Cultural District, how and

where we park cars is the place to

start. By reimagining parking, CCPI

can turn acres of asphalt into vibrant

public space, and the region can begin

to enjoy the enormous potential of its

Cultural District. Rather than viewing

this structure as merely car storage,

the design dramatically expands on

the functions of parking, introducing

a range of public amenities and intermodal

transportation options.

anticipates non-parking uses, adding

programmatic flexibility.

At street level, the Welcome Center

greets visitors emerging from the

parking level and entering the

District from Brush Street. The

Welcome Center’s circulation cores

mediate between levels and double

as light wells to bring natural

daylight into the car park, ensuring

safety and creating a feeling of

At grade, the car park replaces

the 4 acres of asphalt between

John R and Brush Streets with a

Common Green and a one level,

282 space underground car park.

The transformation integrates

environmental strategies, while

creating a natural respite in the

center of the District.

Below grade, the car park leverages

a smart parking management

system that relays information

through signage and phone apps to

ensure demand is met efficiently. EV

charging stations and final mile hubs

are included in the design to ensure

connectivity with evolving modes

of transportation. The structure

itself is a high capacity system that

“

The Cultural Center

Planning Initiative

hinges on finding a smart,

ecological and economical

solution for parking in the

District. The parking plan

moves beyond standard

concrete shelving for car

storage to create a system

that seamlessly plugs into

its surroundings and avoids

the trappings of a monofunctional

structure.

Sue Mosey

Executive Director, Midtown Detroit

“

A NEW CAR PARK

250’-0”


Frederick St.

18’-0”

18’-0”

Above: Vehicular access to the proposed Brush Street underground car park is off of Frederick and

Farnsworth Streets. Pedestrians will access the structure through the attached Welcome Center parallel to

Brush Street or through one of the two free-standing vitrines located along the Square between the College

for Creative Studies and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.


250’-0”


50’-0”

Brush St.

18’-0”

18’-0”

400’-0”

Farnsworth St.

BRUSH STREET UNDERGROUND CAR PARK


Above: The Welcome Center integrated into the Brush Street car park frames the District’s newly created

Common Green and provides a distinct entry into the District from Brush Street.



WELCOME CENTER ATOP CARK PARK


THE SQUARE

ENTRY/ EXIT

VITRINE

Above: A longitudinal section of the Brush Street Car park looking North toward the College for Creative

Studies Campus

destination for those arriving to the

District. The ground floor, designed

with transparency and overture in

mind, operates as a cultural vitrine,

hosting exhibitions, public programs,

orientations, and other practical

functions of a welcome center.

The roof of the Welcome Center

is activated by a series of iconic,

interlocking outdoor pavilions.

These lightweight multi-functional

structures offer well-ventilated

classrooms and spaces for gathering.

This roofscape provides a privileged

view of the cultural campus, highlights

the adjacent institutions, frames the

edge of the newly created Common

Green, and creates a new distinct

entry point for the District.

Siting the Car Park

There are many spatial, ecological,

and organizational challenges

posed by the current surface lot

between John R and Brush Streets.

The surface lot divides and fragments

the District by creating physical

barriers to access and navigation,

negatively impacting the pedestrian

experience. Open space paved with

asphalt is not only an eyesore, but it

contributes to climate change and

overburdens our systems with toxic

runoff. And, of course, when that

lot is filled with stationary cars no

viable opportunities for public space

activation remain.

The solution CCPI proposes has

access, ecological, and economic



350 PARKING

SPACES

THE COMMON GREEN

Brush St.

considerations in mind. The single slab

underground car park democratizes

connections and ensures that every

anchor institution East of Woodward

has equal proximity to the shared

asset. The entrance and exit ramps

are strategically placed to avoid

sectional obstacles.

Finally, the single slab solution is the

most economical solution to achieve

CCPI’s goals. Consultation with cost

estimators for parking garages

showed that a single level car park is

more cost effective than excavating

multiple levels below grade.

Providing greater space for green

cover reverses the negative impacts

of parking lot surfacing.The Common

Green simultaneously mitigates

the heat island effect and creates a

new shared amenity for the District.

The sustainable grasses and trees

planted on top of the car park creates

a porous, welcoming environment to

host large scale events and extend

daily outdoor activities.

BRUSH STREET CAR PARK


Above: The Welcome Center is designed to host programs such as installations by local artists.



BRUSH STREET WELCOME CENTER


EXHIBITION AND

WELCOME SPACE

PUBLIC

TERRACE

Above: A ltransverse section of the Brush Street Car park looking West toward the Detroit Institute of Arts

illustrates the relationship of the Welcome Center to the underground carpark.



OUTDOOR

CLASSROOM

FABRICATION

STUDIO

FLEXIBLE

LEARNING

BRUSH STREET CAR PARK PROGRAM


Rebuilding the Farnsworth

Street Car Park

The Detroit Institute of Arts’

Farnsworth Avenue car park was

completed in 1965, but was unable

to keep up with the quick paced

changes of mobility and needs for

accessibility. Within a few decades

of its construction, the facility was

obsolete and closed for service. In

2017, the Detroit Institute of Arts

recognizing the need for parking in

the District commissioned Walker

Parking Consultants to assess existing

conditions, and determine feasibility

of repair.

Walker Parking Consultants

identified a myriad of challenges

with the facility. Among them...

Overhead Clearance

At the time of its completion, the

Farnsworth Avenue car park was

designed with a clearance of 6’-3”. An

engineering review determined that

it is feasible to modify the concrete

structure of the facility to increase

the clearance to a maximum of 6’-

7”. However, current code suggests

a 7’-0” overhead clearance in

parking facilities, and 8’-2” overhead

clearance where ADA van parking

spaces are provided.

A 6’-7” clearance would mean that

tall vehicles will have to be turned

away from the underground facility,

a practice that would prove as

organizationally cumbersome as it is

frustrating for visitors.

Parking Space Optimization

and Patron Level of Service

Walker’s review of the existing

parking space layout within the

facility revealed no feasible options to

increase the total number of parking

spaces, the width of parking stalls, the

width of the drive aisles, or to create

more “user-friendly” improvements

without losing approximately 1/3 of

the parking space capacity.

Passenger Elevator Review

Review of the passenger elevator

by Michael Blades and Associates

confirms that the existing elevator

equipment is not salvageable,

primarily due to prolonged water

damage. In order to modernize the

elevator, a replacement elevator will

need to be installed. Yet, even this

poses problems as the existing hoist

is too small to allow the replacement

elevator car to have width and depth

dimensions that meet current ADA

(Americans with Disabilities Act)

requirements.

Underground Drainage

Piping Review

Pipe clearing and video inspection of

select portions of the underground

portion of the floor drainage system

was conducted, with the intent to

confirm that the existing underground

floor drainage system piping can be

relied upon for reasonable future

use, or if not, to determine conceptual


AGENCE TER + AKOAKI for internal review only

101

h street

Above: The current entrance to the 350 space underground car park at the corner of Farnsworth Street

and Woodward Avenue.

Next Page: The Great Lawn created behind the Detroit Institute of Arts

repair options and cost opinions.

The results of the pipe clearing and

video inspection revealed that the

existing underground piping system

is generally in poor condition. There

is debris build up which minimizes

inside pipe diameter throughout the

underground piping system, as well as

several locations where underground

piping is completely blocked.

Mechanical, Electrical, and

Plumbing (MEP)

Walker and a MEP subconsultant

toured the project site and reevaluated

the various mechanical,

electrical, and plumbing systems

in the facility. This was done to

determine if any existing systems can

reasonably be salvaged, rather than

completely replacing all accessible

portions of MEP systems as based

on a past study of the facility. In the

end, the review agreed with previous

evaluations that determined the

existing MEP systems are too old and

outdated to be reliably salvaged in

whole or in part.

Outcomes

In general terms, the saying of

“penny-wise, pound (dollar) foolish”

applies here. While it may be

physically possible to salvage select

portions of existing facility systems,

any salvaged elements are 50+ years

old and the serviceability materials

would be suspect. Future repairs and

replacements shortly after the major

renovation would be a given. The cost

and inconvenience would outweigh

any savings to the initial renovation

project.

VEHICULAR THRESH

FARNSWORTH REBUILT


18’-0”

18’-0”

Woodward Ave.

248’-0”

18’-0”

Above: Vehicular access to the renovated Farnsworth Street underground car park is at the corner of

Woodward Avenue and Farnsworth Street. Pedestrians can access the structure through free-standing

vitrines located along the Necklace and experience public art as an extension of parking infrastructure.



18’-0”

18’-0”

25’-0”

Farnsworth St.

100’-0”

18’-0”

284’-0”

WOODWARD CAR PARK


Parking & High Art Vitrine

The proposed Farnsworth Street

reconstruction is an amalgamation

of an underground car park and a

public art vitrine. A glass box sits on

the Detroit Institute of Arts grounds at

the access ramp to the underground.

The simple luminous architectural

structure mediates between the

public space at street level and the

operational infrastructure below

grade. The vitrine houses evertransforming

opportunities for

contemporary installations that are

as remarkable as they are interactive.

In its first speculative iteration,

the design team proposes a fully

functional car wash. Imagined as

a hybrid encounter between an

ubiquitous Motor City-based service

and a high art experience, the

intervention invites visitors to see

beauty in the mundane and humor

in the refined. A rotating cast of

contemporary artists are welcomed

Above: Visitors are able to experience the Auto Spa by way of an enclosed tunnel that bisects the

structure at grade.

Right: A section illustrating vehicular access to the car park in relation to the high art vitrine.



to reimagine a vernacular experience

invented in Detroit. Here pulleys,

brushes, driers, car radios, and suds

are aesthetically elevated and

treated as fantastical elements that

situate the audience as protagonists

of a technological performance.

Blending the transcendent and

the familiar through immersive

technologies such as extended

reality, digital projection, and

holography, the arts vitrine skirts

entrenched expectations associated

with a venerable art establishment

while diversifying the audience.

Connoisseurs will appreciate an

encounter with curatorial excellence

through the discovery of new work

by globally recognized artists. Those

new to contemporary practices will

intuitively appreciate the experiential

quality of a new media installation

with animated atmospherics and

contextual whimsy.

Unlike other large-scale immersive

art experiences driving the art

market however, installations in

the Farnsworth arts vitrine will

be visible from street level. This

circumvents the problem of ticketing

and commodification. In this way,

museum-quality content doubles

as accessible public art inviting

everyone to participate.

WOODWARD CAR PARK


Above: Vehicular access to the proposed Brush Street underground car park is off of Frederick and

Farnsworth Streets.

Next Page: Vehicular access to the proposed Brush Street underground car park is off of Frederick and

Farnsworth Streets.



WOODWARD CAR PARK


B2 PARKING

LEVEL

B1 PARKING

LEVEL

NECKLACE

AND CATWALK



“THE SQUARE”

VEHICULAR ENTRY

AND EXIT

WOODWARD CAR PARK




THE GREAT LAWN

THE CULTURAL CENTER PLANNING INITIATIVE

HAS BEEN FUNDED BY:

Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation

Hudson Webber Foundation

Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation

Rocket Community Fund

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

The Kresge Foundation

University of Michigan

Walters Family Foundation

Wayne State University

William Davidson Foundation

Detroit Cultural District V4

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