Danish firm Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects has unveiled plans for its first U.S. project: a sleek mixed-use development that will combine a high-rise office tower with a 480-unit residential tower to bring the first newly built high-rises to downtown Detroit in a generation.
Dubbed Monroe Blocks, the project will connect several of the city’s key historic public spaces—including Cadillac Square, Campus Martius, Library Square, and Woodward—with new public plazas and green spaces that aim to revitalize the already popular urban corridor.
The 35-story office tower and 26-story residential block will be accompanied by three mid-rise buildings, ranging between six and 15 floors, that will contain additional apartments. The combined residences will offer a mix of rentals and condos.
“Our Scandinavian heritage has a strong influence on the way we approach city building on this scale. We always try to think urbanism, city space, and the built environment, in that order,” said Kristian Ahlmark, senior partner at Schmidt Hammer Lassen, in a release. “In Detroit, we found many existing spaces that held a great amount of urban qualities but lay undefined due to the vast amount of open space. Our project is very much about stitching together and re-establishing some of the indisputable qualities of the original master plan.”
The architects, who practice internationally with offices in Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Shanghai, worked in collaboration with developer Bedrock Detroit, engineering firm Buro Happold, landscape architects SLA, and local architects Neumann Smith.
"What we're doing from a public space standpoint within the development is going to be special," said Dan Mullen, president of Bedrock Detroit's real estate arm, in a release. "It's not just a big, tall building; it's a big, tall building that interacts with street-level and public spaces throughout. There's going to be different pods and nods of great spaces to hang out and for people to get together."
Construction is expected to break ground in spring 2018 and is estimated to reach completion in early 2022. The city’s oldest remaining theater, the National Theater, designed by renowned Detroit architect Albert Kahn, stands on the site. Its role in the development is yet to be determined.
“We are honored that our first U.S. project is happening in this great city. From our earliest visits, we experienced the unique optimism, energy, and entrepreneurial spirit that defines Detroit,” said Ahlmark. “This project is very much a part of that movement. The challenge has been to create a new way of defining central business districts as a diverse and multifunctional area for the benefit of the wider community.”
