Detroit College of the Building Arts
Academic Proposal
Inspired by the American College of the Building Arts in Charleston which was founded in response to the local need to rebuild after hurricane damage, this thesis proposal applies a similar concept to Corktown, the oldest neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan. A revival of craft is the solution for urban renewal, and to achieve this our cities must become the classrooms of the next generation of artisans. This campus is intended to grow incrementally and teach students timber framing, carpentry, mason work, iron and glass work, and plaster work through both theory and practice within the academic classroom and in the field, the classroom of the city.
Modeled on monastic typology - the ideal city microcosm and the origin of the academic campus - this college is organized around a primary courtyard which unites the five craft disciplines and their respective workshops with a common space that encourages collaboration and learning across specialities. Branching off from the main building is a large, multi-use classroom and an auditorium that would also host public lectures for local residents seeking to learn how to maintain and improve their homes in the Detroit area.
