CLIENT: Urge Development Group
LOCATION: Detroit, MI
YEAR: 2022-Ongoing
Located on the site of the historic 48,000 sf Higginbotham School, the 60 unit garden apartments add more density to the stable 8-Mile/Wyoming neighborhood. The garden apartments are grouped into two buildings: one sited along Indiana St aligned with the front façade of the school and the second located along the east side of the school, creating a muse-like interior street.
The design concept of the Higgenbotham Apartments is three-fold with site the buildings in a contextual manner that allows the school to be the focal point, create interesting exterior spaces that can be enjoyed by residents, and to provide quality living space to residents who don’t always have access to a housing development of this level.
The developer utilized funding sources from the Michigan State Housing and Development Authority (MSHDA) which as numerous design guidelines that must be followed in order to receive funding. These constraints were implemented by the design team from the very beginning of the project to avoid any issues in later phases. In order to avoid flat, box-like forms, MPA carefully manipulated the floor plans and facades to create depth and accommodate balconies.
As a low-income housing project, the apartment unit layouts need to be hyper-efficient. MPA worked closely with its consultants to create very efficient unit plans with maximum living space but minimal circulation. The units were also designed to vertically stack to align MEP systems. To avoid buried spaces with limited natural light, MPA located living and bedroom areas along the windows wherever possible for optimal daylighting.
