The project by the duo Antoni Cieminski and Kornel Mierzejewski of Poznan University of Technology received an honorable mention in the Detroit Waterfront District competition organized by Young Architects Competitions. The organizers appreciated, among other things, the idea of green terraces opening towards the river.
The task of the international competition aimed at young architects was to design a new Detroit waterfront that would complement the western part of the city's silhouette observed from the Canadian side. The idea behind the project was primarily to create a vibrant public space. The competition requirements dictated a large volume of facilities on a relatively small plot of land.
Students created a green public space on the roof of the designed building
© Antoni Ciemiński, Kornel Mierzejewski
green terraces and tract
Antoni Cieminski and Kornel Mierzejewski, in response to the competition guidelines, decided to create a public space on the roof of the building, which is a common part of the entire waterforont complex.
The most important aspect of the project was that this space should be easily accessible and that it should be communicatively connected to the boulevards along the river. And so the idea of terraces open towards the river was born, access to which would be provided by successively higher and higher leading green ramps. We extended the whole concept so that it would be connected urbanistically to Detroit," say the authors of the awarded project.
A tract leads from downtown Detroit, over a bridge over a busy road to the proposed building
© Antoni Cieminski, Kornel Mierzejewski
Students at the Poznan University of Technology created a tract leading from downtown Detroit, over a bridge over a busy road to the projected building. The ramps created by the architects are part of the proposed tract and will lead walkers towards the river. The authors were keen to design as functionally diverse a recreational space as possible. On the terraces they designated, among other things, space for gastronomy, a sports field, gyms, a swimming pool, a climbing wall and relaxation areas.
The upper part of the apartment building was sloped toward the river, creating rows of terraces
© Antoni Cieminski, Kornel Mierzejewski
sculptural form
The high-rise buildings themselves were designed to provide optimal lighting and viewing conditions. Semi-private recreational spaces have been separated in the body of the apartment building, and its upper part has been sloped toward the river, creating rows of terraces overlooking the highest apartments. Connected by a footbridge, the blocks of the hotel and office building are aesthetically coherent and create a sculptural form, bonding and creating a distinctive premise.
The green space has been opened towards the river
© Antoni Cieminski, Kornel Mierzejewski
Read also about the Spectrum project by a team from Gdansk University of Technology, which made it to the finals of the Detroit Waterfront District competition.
