EC3

True North

True North
© Chris Miele

TRUE NORTH

EC3

ARCHITECTS
EC3

CATEGORY
Residential

LOCATION
Detroit, united states

UNDERGROUND WORK
Brown Derby Boys

AREA
7530 ft²

CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION
Reyna Construction

PROJECT REPRESENTATIVE
Above the fold

CITY
Detroit

COUNTRY
United States

PLUMBING
Expert Master Plumbers

CIVIL ENGINEER
Nowak and Fraus

ELECTRIC
Willie Marshall and Sons

YEAR
2017

MANUFACTURERS
SteelMaster

LEAD ARCHITECTS
EC3 - Edwin Chan, Design Architect / Studio Detroit - Architect of Record

ARCHITECT OF RECORD
Studio Detroit

Text description provided by architect.

True North is a development comprised of nine rental units and shared community gardens, located two-and-a-half miles from Downtown Detroit.

True North
© Jason Keen
True North
© Chris Miele

It has received international attention for pioneering creative affordable design attuned to both its context and community, as well as for catalyzing the redevelopment of a long-neglected area.

For aesthetic and economic reasons, the client challenged EC3 to utilize Quonset Huts, a prefabricated lightweight structure consisting of corrugated galvanized steel and having a semicircular cross section.

True North
© Chris Miele
True North
© Chris Miele

Edwin Chan, founder of the Los Angeles-based studio EC3 and former design partner at Gehry Partners, commented:

“We tried to capture the beauty of Detroit’s toughness with the raw aesthetic in its design, while creating an inviting place for the neighborhood.”

True North
© Chris Miele
True North
© Chris Miele

Open to the neighborhood and without fencing, the strategic placement of the huts is driven by a need for openness and security, views and privacy, socializing and solitude, leaving the community accessible from the street via three pathways.

Once inside the community, the pathways connect visitors to the eight huts (nine units total), communal gardens, thirty trees, and eight parking spots alongside the back alley.

True North
© Chris Miele
True North
© Jason Keen

Each structure is assembled on top of a four-inch concrete slab with in-floor radiant heat, which is also the units finished floor.

The end walls feature custom steel framing around polycarbonate panels that provide a higher level of security, natural light and high thermal value.

True North
© Chris Miele
True North
© Chris Miele

For the interiors EC3 worked with the client and collaborators to develop a variety of layouts for the units – sizes ranging from 475 to 1,600 square feet – to inspire different creative lifestyles.

Most of the units also feature an interior polycarbonate “island” containing a kitchen, a bathroom, and a mechanical/storage closet. Above the island, a mezzanine platform provides occupants with a flex for any use, possibly a bedroom, workspace or storage.

True North
© Jason Keen
True North
© Chris Miele

True North recently won The Architect’s Newspaper’s 2017 Best of Design Award in the Multi-Unit Residential Category and won an honorable mention from Architect Magazine in the 2017 Progressive Architecture P/A Awards.


True North
Courtesy of EC3
True North
© Chris Miele
True North
© Chris Miele
True North
© Chris Miele
True North
© Chris Miele
True North
© Chris Miele
True North
© Chris Miele
True North
© Chris Miele
True North
© Chris Miele
True North
© Chris Miele
True North
© Chris Miele


True North


True North
Courtesy of EC3
True North
Courtesy of EC3


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EC3
T +1 310 3018085
EC3
4300 W Jefferson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016, United States