American Architecture Studio Gensler Interior design studio Civilian has renovated the historic Book Depository building in Detroit And Transformation At the headquarters of the technology company Newlab.
Gensler And civil He transformed an Art Deco building usable by technology companies, adding purpose-built prototyping labs, open-plan co-working spaces and outdoor green spaces.
The 270,000-square-foot (25,083-square-meter) building will be used as a hub for startups, entrepreneurs, engineers and scientists working in the field of mobility technology.
Originally built in 1936, the Book Depository Building was designed by the American architect Albert was as a post office and mail sorting facility. It was later used as a place to store books by the Detroit Public Schools, from which it gets its name.
The building now includes exhibition space, event space, a robotics and prototyping facility, and two open studio spaces with offices, lounge areas, classrooms, and meeting rooms.
The interior has an industrial look with concrete floors and exposed services.
Lounge chairs, circular tables, and planters fill the central foyer space, which provides a collaborative workspace illuminated by the skylight.
“The building has been repositioned to meet the requirements of the city’s top innovators, including ample access to daylight, an open interior connection and destinations for exchange, and an attractive ground floor as a connecting intersection within the overall development, to serve as a boulevard for the community, industry partners, and neighborhood,” he said. Gensler.
He added, “Embracing the building’s rich history, along with design elements, industrial strength and structure associated with the work of Albert Kanz, Gensler reimagined the building with an emphasis on connection and collaboration.” neolab.
Newlab has an extension Current headquarters in Brooklyn, New Yorkand hopes that converting the Book Depository building into the company’s Detroit headquarters will attract business opportunities to the area.
“Building on its success in Brooklyn, Newlab is expanding its applied innovation model to create the conditions for a sustainable high-tech startup ecosystem in the region,” the company said.
“Expected to attract thousands of new jobs to Michigan Central, the campus will offer highly designed innovation and collaborative workspace, and dozens of acres of green and open space for the community,” Newlab continued.
architecture studio Ghafari Gensler and Civilian assisted with the project’s interior design and landscape design studio myk Created a landscaping scheme.
The building is located on Michigan Central Campus, a neighborhood dedicated to mobility innovation that also includes the Ford restoration and transformation of Michigan Central Station.
Other large projects to be built in Detroit include: A tilting glass building designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox for the Detroit Innovation Center campus And OMA designed to transform an abandoned bakery into a mixed-use arts and education facility.
Exterior photography by Jason Kane. Interior photography by Brian Ferry.