Working closely with a family of animal care clinics, we designed a fear-free clinic to support our pets’ needs. Shelter Bay transforms a defunct chain restaurant into a visually open animal hospital. The project makes visible the way our pets experience the world through color and perception. The gradient of color expresses the strongest color ranges that dogs and cats perceive. No bright colors are used, as they can create anxiety in pets. The existing skylights are exposed to bring in daylight, and wood material carves out human spaces in the center of the animal care zones.
Finding people on the screen or in the building quickly is essential. The clinic’s growing network of places and people is translated into a spatial platform while choreographing the intricate function of movement required to care for our dogs and cats through form and #purrrposeful interventions. Views connect the lobby, nurses station, treatment, exam rooms, and even the surgery room. Finding people on the screen or in the building quickly is essential.
THE NEW SCHOOL is a group of Detroit-based architecture and landscape designers that share resources and design projects grounded in the communities we partner with - with a focus on reuse, sustainability, community and mentorship.
Members are Salam Rida of @9xsdesign Design, Laura Marie Peterson of @oneplusoneplusoneplusoneplus , Kimberly Dokes of @dokes_design_architecture , Elise Dechard of @e.n.d.studio , Mollie Decker of @subject_studio , Laura Walker of @otherwork__ , Ujijji Davis Williams of @jimastudio and Torri Smith of @arc.bae_design .
The New School, is a loose tongue-and-cheek reference to the New York Five, a group of “old-school” white male architects popular in the 1970s. Together, THE NEW SCHOOL is working towards a more inclusive, equitable and beautiful city and state.
Read more about us in HOUR Detroit’s May 2025 issue!
Thank you Khristi Zimmeth and Kate Walsh for highlighting the work we do! @hourdetroitmagazine thank you @johndangelophoto for the photos!
A Framework for Aging in Place in O’Hair Park @ohpca . Excited to share our work over the past year collaborating with the O’Hair Park Community Association. Our team includes the brilliant Audra Carson @izzieglobal
Our design approach was led by extensive, consistent community dialogue, and we prioritized independence, accessibility, environmental responsibility, and joyful + uplifting spaces. We scaled the typical large block structure down into four walkable mini blocks with a mixture of uses, typologies, textures, and moments of engagement. Organic relationships are nurtured through intentional connections at every scale between a porch, a street, a house, a pavilion and community commons.
#aginginplace
#urbandesign
#cohousing
#communitydesign
#detroitcityofdesign
#detroitarchitecture
Sometimes you get lucky enough to work with a client who epitomizes what it means to provide radical hospitality, love, and community. Denisse and Carlos became more than a client. They have been stewards of mutual aid, joy, advocacy, and health. Having a physical place meant they have continued to provide a refuge for all walks of life. We wanted that space to represent their values and vibrancy!
@_vamonos__ is a community based cafe and fitness studio located in Southwest Detroit. We helped them through the permitting process, and we designed, fabricated, and installed their colorful, swooping smoothie counter. Working closely with Carlos and Denisse, we tested a variety of layouts that included a rolling cart/counter. We handpainted colorful stripes while their studio was filled with dancing, singing, and reggaeton!
We were inspired by the relationship between physical movement and the collective body within the cafe and fitness spaces. A system of layers and objects push and pull in response to activity, point of view, artwork, and merchandise. Plants as a source of body sustenance are celebrated through reimagined Talavera tiles with plant iconography forming patterns. Cultural patterns and colors are playfully reinterpreted and deployed to highlight objects, surfaces, and experiences.
CNC fabrication: @donutshop.design
#design #architecture #community #art #detroit
Sometimes you get lucky enough to work with a client who epitomizes what it means to provide radical hospitality, love, and community. Denisse and Carlos became more than a client. They have been stewards of mutual aid, joy, advocacy, and health. Having a physical place meant they have continued to provide a refuge for all walks of life. We wanted that space to represent their values and vibrancy!
@_vamonos__ is a community based cafe and fitness studio located in Southwest Detroit. We helped them through the permitting process, and we designed, fabricated, and installed their colorful, swooping smoothie counter. Working closely with Carlos and Denisse, we tested a variety of layouts that included a rolling cart/counter. We handpainted colorful stripes while their studio was filled with dancing, singing, and reggaeton!
We were inspired by the relationship between physical movement and the collective body within the cafe and fitness spaces. A system of layers and objects push and pull in response to activity, point of view, artwork, and merchandise. Plants as a source of body sustenance are celebrated through reimagined Talavera tiles with plant iconography forming patterns. Cultural patterns and colors are playfully reinterpreted and deployed to highlight objects, surfaces, and experiences.
CNC fabrication: @donutshop.design
#design #architecture #community #art #detroit
Sometimes you get lucky enough to work with a client who epitomizes what it means to provide radical hospitality, love, and community. Denisse and Carlos became more than a client. They have been stewards of mutual aid, joy, advocacy, and health. Having a physical place meant they have continued to provide a refuge for all walks of life. We wanted that space to represent their values and vibrancy!
@_vamonos__ is a community based cafe and fitness studio located in Southwest Detroit. We helped them through the permitting process, and we designed, fabricated, and installed their colorful, swooping smoothie counter. Working closely with Carlos and Denisse, we tested a variety of layouts that included a rolling cart/counter. We handpainted colorful stripes while their studio was filled with dancing, singing, and reggaeton!
We were inspired by the relationship between physical movement and the collective body within the cafe and fitness spaces. A system of layers and objects push and pull in response to activity, point of view, artwork, and merchandise. Plants as a source of body sustenance are celebrated through reimagined Talavera tiles with plant iconography forming patterns. Cultural patterns and colors are playfully reinterpreted and deployed to highlight objects, surfaces, and experiences.
CNC fabrication: @donutshop.design
#design #architecture #community #art #detroit
We’ve met with over 150 people so far in the planning process for The Denby / Whittier Neighborhood Framework Plan. During our second public meeting, folks from all ages came together to share their ideas, experiences, and hopes. New connections were made, old friends reacquainted, and a fun time was had by all! We got great feedback for our preliminary recommendations for the Plan’s four pillars: Housing and Neighborhoods, Commercial and Economic Development, Public Realm and the Environment, and Streetscapes and Mobility.
#communityengagement #urbanplanning #planning #urbandesign #design
@jimastudio@izzieglobal@studioincognita@bjhadvisors@detroit_pdd
We led the community engagement process for the Farwell Park Master Plan, a 90-acre park within the City of Detroit’s regional park system. In collaboration with @izzieglobal and @jimastudio , the engagement was conducted as part of a commissioned master planning process for the City of Detroit. The approach centered community members as experts, recognizing their lived experience as critical to shaping the park’s long-term future. Engagement activities were designed to build local agency and reflect Farwell Park’s role as an active neighborhood anchor with established patterns of use and care.
The process combined public workshops, focus groups, one-on-one conversations, and an online survey, engaging residents, City staff, and elected officials across a range of ages and relationships to the park. Activities were intentionally accessible and flexible, supporting both structured feedback and informal exchange.
The engagement process translated community knowledge into a clear organizational framework for the park, guiding the location of amenities, circulation, and programmed spaces. The resulting master plan establishes a phased strategy for investment that strengthens existing uses while supporting long-term adaptability. The master plan design, led by JIMA Studio and Izzie Global, was published with the City of Detroit in June 2025.
@jimastudio@izzieglobal@detroitparksrec@detroitgsd #communityengagement #masterplanning #detroit #farwellparkmasterplan
We led the community engagement process for the Farwell Park Master Plan, a 90-acre park within the City of Detroit’s regional park system. The engagement was conducted as part of a commissioned master planning process for the City of Detroit. The approach centered community members as experts, recognizing their lived experience as critical to shaping the park’s long-term future. Engagement activities were designed to build local agency and reflect Farwell Park’s role as an active neighborhood anchor with established patterns of use and care.
The process combined public workshops, focus groups, one-on-one conversations, and an online survey, engaging residents, City staff, and elected officials across a range of ages and relationships to the park. Activities were intentionally accessible and flexible, supporting both structured feedback and informal exchange.
The engagement process translated community knowledge into a clear organizational framework for the park, guiding the location of amenities, circulation, and programmed spaces. The resulting master plan establishes a phased strategy for investment that strengthens existing uses while supporting long-term adaptability. The master plan, designed in collaboration with JIMA Studio and Izzie Global, was published with the City of Detroit in June 2025.
@jimastudio@izzieglobal@detroitparksrec@detroitgsd #communityengagement #masterplanning #detroit
We led the community engagement process for the Farwell Park Master Plan, a 90-acre park within the City of Detroit’s regional park system. The engagement was conducted as part of a commissioned master planning process for the City of Detroit. The approach centered community members as experts, recognizing their lived experience as critical to shaping the park’s long-term future. Engagement activities were designed to build local agency and reflect Farwell Park’s role as an active neighborhood anchor with established patterns of use and care.
The process combined public workshops, focus groups, one-on-one conversations, and an online survey, engaging residents, City staff, and elected officials across a range of ages and relationships to the park. Activities were intentionally accessible and flexible, supporting both structured feedback and informal exchange.
The engagement process translated community knowledge into a clear organizational framework for the park, guiding the location of amenities, circulation, and programmed spaces. The resulting master plan establishes a phased strategy for investment that strengthens existing uses while supporting long-term adaptability. The master plan, designed in collaboration with JIMA Studio and Izzie Global, was published with the City of Detroit in June 2025.
@jimastudio@izzieglobal@detroitparksrec@detroitgsd #communityengagement #masterplanning #detroit
Sound on! For a sonic choreography from sounds recorded at our SHOUT stage.
WHISPER and SHOUT, Sidewalk Festival
Eliza Howell Park is a place to reflect and discover the creative needs and potentials of individuals and communities. WHISPER and SHOUT amplify these qualities as a cathartic, sonic cleanse. Many public spaces suppress certain kinds of sound, particularly those deemed too emotional, too disruptive, too “other.” This installation reclaims the right to vocalize fully, from rage to vulnerability, in a society that silences marginal expressions. This act reclaims power by shifting how space is occupied and shared.
WHISPER relies on the intimacy to share intentions, desires, fears, and dreams. Organic cotton pillows tie dyed with natural dyes provide a soft, colorful place to sit. Folks write their whispers on upcycled pages from books sourced from John King Books.
SHOUT is a pilgrimage through an individual, cathartic, release of what holds you back. The traveling, nomadic quality of SHOUT means it needs to be discovered and provide anonymity. A stage set of camouflage umbrellas, a decibel reader, bullhorns, and a book stand.
feel it out, do a mic check, and ease into experimenting with raising your voice
All sounds in the video were recorded at the SHOUT stage. Some of the photos are credited to LivinforMedia.
#sidewalkfestival #publicart #videoart #interactiveart #participatory #elizahowellpark
@sidewalkdetroit
This Friday!! 7pm!! We are hosting a one-day exhibit that features three performances that explore and interpret slang by manipulating architectural ornamentation through dance and music. The exhibition features art, dance, music, and so much more!
Performances will be at 7:30pm, 8pm, and 8:30pm in our gallery space :: 3303 Wesson St, Detroit, MI 48210
@um_artsengine@bamdavis__@martin_like_the_tvshow@umich.taubmancollege
