It's nice to see that the students getting real design-build experience, that thlearning how to work with materials and to fabricate installations. In all honesty this is one of TCAUP's great strengths. It has some of the greatest resources and opportunities of any school in the world.
On the other hand, I doubt the conversations in studio are advancing much in the way of their understanding of Detroit as anything more than a rusting relic that provides a sublime background to a new and beautiful object (assuming not much has changed since I was there).
I, for one, would like to see TCAUP advance something more ambitious - Instead of using the city as raw material or a post-modern gallery or a topic for existential conversations about "terrain vague."
A few years ago a small group of students and I had dreams of starting something akin to Samuel Mockbee's Rural Studio - but in Detroit. In fact, this is still a dream of mine.
We never had the time or expertise or wisdom of Mockbee to pull it off as graduate students. We did, however, manage to partner with a Youth Build program lead by the late Rowland Watkins. I think my peers would agree with me that it was one of the most important and rewarding experiences of our time at Michigan.
Over the course of about 2 years we were able to build a strong relationship with Rowland and the organization. We tutored on occasion and helped to design an addition to an existing house (which the organization managed to purchase for about $400). We also designed a new home (Pictured below), which unfortunately never materialized.
I'll include more on our experience with the Young Detroit Builders on a separate page when I get the chance. For now let me just say that despite not knowing exactly what we were doing (as architects or as idealists) we learned a great deal. I only hope that the Young Detroit Builders benefited as much from us as we did from them
In any case. We hoped, or at least I hoped, that TCAUP might take something like this up as a regular studio - like, for example, the Yale Building Project. Stanley Tigerman's Archeworks in Chicago is another inspiring precedent
Perhaps we'll have the opportunity to start or participate in something like this again. Perhaps a new student or faculty member at TCAUP will feel the same way about Detroit that we did - that it is as equally fascinating and inspiring as a real place with real people as it is a romantic image of decay.
I agree with your sentiments regarding the Young Detroit Builders. Thank you for taking the lead and organizing the experience. It was so valuable on many levels. With the right resources, support, and time the relationship with YDB could have been a pretty awesome, sustained program. I think we tried to do too much on our own…in hindsight.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I feel a bit guilty for the romantic lens through which I viewed Detroit’s decay and I find that to be a problematic thread that runs through a lot of imported designs for Detroit (and like cities). I am still attracted to the decay and all of the mortality symbolism attached to it. I think I am more aware of the realities and impact of Detroit as an actual community place more than a 4D representation of a case study.
My shift in perspective is in large part due to our experience. When we were working with YDB’s students I began to reform my idea of Architecture as a change agent. Thinking about design process from the inside-out rather than from the top-down is a way I am interested in exploring community strengthening.
Just some thought ☺
Cheers!