Description
Studio Libeskind, in collaboration with Detroit firm Mcintosh Poris Associates, has designed a new $55 million residential complex. Midtown West will bring a unique 175-unit building to the former Wigle Recreation Center site.
Developed by Procida Companies, the Midtown West project aims to invigorate the brownfield location in the heart of the city by creating much-needed housing with twenty percent allocated for affordable housing, a retail corridor, and parking. The units will be a mix of studio, one, two, and three-bedroom apartments.
The building’s form follows a sinuous curve that delineates the site, creating an expansive interior courtyard and common outdoor greenspace for the residents. The massing and color palate respect the context of the neighborhood, while also suggesting a new direction for development in the city. The base of the building features 7,000 square feet dedicated to retail spaces and is wrapped in landscaped sidewalks.
The four floors above house the residences, all with views of the city or the verdant courtyard. The community courtyard includes a cloistered lawn and garden oasis, as well as offering a patio with city views in a break in the building’s façade. The residential floors’ fenestration carries through the theme of movement and vitality with windows sporadically distributed to create a rhythmic pattern across the façade in homage to Detroit’s Motown sound.