The Cultural Center Planning Initiative is an 18 month planning process that aims to re-imagine a more vibrant and connective cultural district for the city of Detroit. The guiding plan brings together 12 distinct institutions in a common space of synthesis and inclusion to build a bold, collective vision of a unified landscape in the public realm.

 

Starting with careful and thorough examination of existing systems and the identification of needs on the level of individual institutions, CCPI has coalesced in a vision of a shared urban arcade of inviting spaces, water-management landscaping, and revitalized amenities that serve all participating institutions better. By extension, these transformations enable institutions to meet the needs and capture the imaginations of old and new constituents. Common ground, in this effort, is not a place of compromise at a loss; it is the place for abundant collective gain.

 

Sharing assets and amenities presents a number of opportunities for the district. Environmentally, the plan innovates in climate remediation and water management strategies. Economically, it offers the benefits of shared and efficient infrastructure between institutions. Culturally, CCPI introduces strategies to blur the boundaries between institutional interiors and the public landscape, creating a more welcoming civic space for all. And of course, the plan utilizes inviting and thoughtful aesthetics that will attract engagement on the local, regional, national, and international level, visually unify the district, and make it into an identifiable destination and recreation point. The cohesion of the cultural landscape, flanked by Detroit’s venerable institutions, give meaning to this radically adaptive design, indicating its intention for daily use and high art utility.

 

Visit: ccpi.online for a full project overview.

CULTURAL CENTER PLANNING INITIATIVE

Detroit, Michigan, 2019-present

 

Agence Ter - Akoaki

 

Principals:

Jean Louis Farges

Olivier Philippe

Anya Sirota

 

Team DETROIT:

Sarah Carter (project manager)

Ian Donaldson

Liz Feltz

Abirami Nachammai Manivannan

Valeria de Jongh

Ibiayi Briggs

Jonathan Craig

 

Team PARIS:

Marina Daviu

Kevin Marand

Marie Saalburg

 

Team BARCELONA:

Pilar Llop

 

 

Consultants:

 

Dr. Harley Etienne, University of Michigan

Oliver Popadich

8’-18” Lumière

Drummond Carpenter & Associates

Arcadis Engineering

Rich & Associates

Kristine Kidorf Historical Preservation

Ishan Pal