Big Roof

Big Roof
© Laura Marie Peterson, De Peter Yi

BIG ROOF

1+1+ Architects

ARCHITECTS
1+1+ Architects

ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
Laura Marie Peterson, 1+1+ Architects

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Hd Structural

MANUFACTURERS
Simpson Strong Tie, Suntuf

CLIENT
Coriander Kitchen & Farm

PHOTOGRAPHS
Laura Marie Peterson, De Peter Yi

AREA
800 ft²

YEAR
2022

LOCATION
Detroit, United States

CATEGORY
Restaurants & Bars, Other Structures

English description provided by the architects.

Big Roof
© Laura Marie Peterson, De Peter Yi
Big Roof
© Laura Marie Peterson, De Peter Yi

Big Roof is an oversized garden pergola designed by 1+1+ Architects and HD Structural that hosts dining and events for Coriander Kitchen & Farm, a farm-to-table restaurant located along a canal in the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan.

Extending Coriander Kitchen & Farm's dining space into the outdoors, the structure inspires an open relationship with environmental conditions at its waterside site.

Big Roof
© Laura Marie Peterson, De Peter Yi
Big Roof
© Laura Marie Peterson, De Peter Yi

A supersized garden pergola nicknamed after its most prominent feature, Big Roof collects rainwater for a rain garden onsite.

The corrugated, planar-roof form echoes those of the marina, and sits as lightly as possible on six steel columns, maximizing the flexibility of happenings below.

Big Roof
© Laura Marie Peterson, De Peter Yi
Big Roof
© Laura Marie Peterson, De Peter Yi

Nine custom-designed triangular trusses, built of nominal lumber and standard Simpson Strong-tie connections, become the framework for a clear, polycarbonate roof that opens up views to the constantly changing skies above.

Through grounding the project in its environment, Big Roof creates a multi-seasonal, sensorial experience for all to enjoy: during the winter, the structure glows like lantern, illuminating the surrounding landscape.

Big Roof
© Laura Marie Peterson, De Peter Yi
Big Roof
© Laura Marie Peterson, De Peter Yi

In the spring, the plastic facade is removed and dining activities spill out onto the canal side, and the birds and bees are welcomed under Big Roof.

Blurring the boundary between the indoors and outdoors and vice versa, the project reaches out to embrace its unique surroundings with a continuous gravel ground that extends beyond building envelope.

Big Roof
© Laura Marie Peterson, De Peter Yi
Big Roof
© Laura Marie Peterson, De Peter Yi

Pilotis and a removable façade create an open floor plan that explores architecture's relationship with site as a literal extension of architecture.


Big Roof
© Laura Marie Peterson, De Peter Yi
Big Roof
© Laura Marie Peterson, De Peter Yi
Big Roof
© Laura Marie Peterson, De Peter Yi


Big Roof
© Laura Marie Peterson, De Peter Yi
Big Roof
© Laura Marie Peterson, De Peter Yi


Big Roof
Plan
Big Roof
Axonometric


Big Roof
Section 1
Big Roof
Section 2


Big Roof
Details