The Bureau of Emergent Urbanity was an experiment in practice premised on the idea that architecture can function as a platform for collaboration rather than a finished product. Located in a former neighborhood barber shop, the Bureau operated less as a design office than as a public workspace, open to architects, artists, builders, and residents.
The project reconceived community engagement as an extended, embedded process rather than a discrete phase of design. The space was minimally renovated using basic materials, retaining the original barber chairs and mirrors. For eighteen months, the storefront remained open to the neighborhood, hosting discussions, exhibitions, pop-up shops, and informal experiments. Offered freely for community use, the Bureau became a site where design emerged through sustained presence, dialogue, and shared authorship—blurring the boundaries between architectural practice and everyday civic life.
2014-2015
North End Detroit
Scale:
800 SF
Community Partners:
Oakland Avenue Artists Coalition
Support:
ArtPlace America
Principals:
Anya Sirota, Jean Louis Farges
Design Team:
Matthew Story, Annelise Heeringa
Production Team:
Eric Howard, Karen Harris, Eiji Jimbo, Rachel Mulder, Missy Ablin, Allen Gillers