A tale of a stair (x5)

Within each of the upper units of the Bagley Ten resides a stair, elegantly floating between the living and sleeping levels. Seemingly simple, yet anything but. Design again intersects with the craft of metal fabrication, custom millwork, installation logistics (and weight) toward the challenges of finishing. As Architects first, it is always so invigorating and humbling to be working with such amazingly passionate people crafting beautiful objects, made in Detroit. Our sincerest and heartfelt thanks for allowing us to embed ourselves in your process @ferroouswolffab.

The Bagley 10 is a newly constructed residential condominium project located on Bagley Street in Detroit’s historic Corktown neighborhood. Three (3) units remain for sale. @oconnordetroit represents the development. Sales and contact information can be found by visiting www.oconnordetroit.com and www.bagley10.com.

Always invigorating when the laptop gets to get it’s hands dirty

The fun stuff…working out details between a sharpie, sheet of plywood, and fabricating prototypes on the fly!

@FerrousWofFAb knows what a shopping cart really wants to be!

Only one way to hold a couple of ton staircase in place….GIANT CUSTOM BRACKETS!

Stringers up….stitching the treads together with 1” threaded rods (30), GIANT recessed and torqued bolts, and alot of LocTite.

Notice the brackets at the top of the landing.

Diagonal guardrails fastened, face of the stringer awaiting its skin.

Public-Way as Design Intent 'Spine'

Walkable, approachable, matching the existing scale of both the human form and proportions of the surrounding vernacular, the Bagley 10 is a fitting neighbor of our current time and culture within the rich historic Corktown fabric.

The building design is inspired by a walk-up/walk-down rowhouse typology of typical of older and denser east coast cities. Each elevated ‘stoop’ encourages street level interaction between inhabitants and the pedestrian traffic of the neighborhood, fostering what we hope to be a richer neighborly connection among new and existing Bagley Street residents through the years.

Publicly, the sidewalk is the organizing spine to the development. It is from this public right-of-way that the building is organized and where our design narrative begins…Traversing down a short stairway to an open-air private garden level patio will deliver a visitor directly to a lower dwelling unit’s custom designed and fabricated mahogany front door. While inside this lower unit, two-story glass gazes back out to the courtyard, up to street level and beyond to the distant skyline perspective. Inversely, an ascension up a few steps to an elevated ‘stoop’ will deliver a visitor to an Upper Unit. Floor-to-ceiling glass awaits through the front door and up a flight of stairs within the Living Space, with views across both the downtown skylines and the Ambassador Bridge. Both arrangements were purposeful in their design intent of directly interacting with the public way. The street façade is further activated from within by the movements and light patterns of inhabitants. The large expanses of southern facing glass along the façade serve yet another important purpose of filling each unit type with ever-present ambient light, even on the darkest of January days in Detroit.

The Bagley 10 is a newly constructed residential condominium project located on Bagley Street in Detroit’s historic Corktown neighborhood. Three (3) units remain for sale. @oconnordetroit represents the development. Sales and contact information can be found by visiting www.oconnordetroit.com and www.bagley10.com.

design + fabrication

Custom designed and fabricated millwork was the only avenue toward achieving the level of perfection required of our Bagley 10’s executed precision.

Architects and custom craft makers, a tandem relationship of working together to create beautiful things, is as old as time. Working with our partners at JM Brady Co., we were able to execute upon on minimal aesthetic with exacting detail, even when adjacent to formed-in-place exposed concrete walls. Meticulously crafted to achieve consistent and minimal sightlines, borne out of mock-ups, trial and error, with laptops humming atop of buzzing tables saws, we let the ‘gapping’ delineate the form of the enclosed function, hiding its construction. Looking forward to crafting more beautifully wonderful installed works of art on many, many more projects to come.

The Bagley 10 is a newly constructed residential condominium project located on Bagley Street in Detroit’s historic Corktown neighborhood. Three (3) units remain for sale. @oconnordetroit represents the development. Sales and contact information can be found by visiting www.oconnordetroit.com and www.bagley10.com.

The marvels of design and trade coordination

Living Room of a Bagley 10 Upper Unit

Living Room of a Bagley 10 Upper Unit while under construction.

Clean, unobstructed, clear vision required significant and grueling dedication to the design thesis to accommodate all of the things….structure, mechanical / electrical / plumbing systems, fire suppression systems, automated window shades, drainage of the roof terrace above, cantilever over the lower patio below, etc. etc. etc. After years of pre-construction planning and much too long of a construction process, it was all worth it and then some! This work of coordination art can only be rivaled by the art that we hope is one day hung on its beautiful walls so brilliantly lit by ever-present ambient light.

The Bagley 10 is a newly constructed residential condominium project located on Bagley Street in Detroit’s historic Corktown neighborhood. Three (3) units remain for sale. @oconnordetroit represents the development. Sales and contact information can be found by visiting www.oconnordetroit.com and www.bagley10.com.

Bagley 10 in the shadow of the FUTURE OF MOBILITY!

Excited to be just blocks away from the Future of Mobility!

Our Bagley 10 project is located just a few blocks east of the massive new campus Ford is building, centered around the redevelopment of the Michigan Central Train Station. The 30-acre campus will inevitably include 1.2 Million square feet and anticipates welcoming 5,000 new employees. Joining Ford as a founding member of MichiganCentral, Google will bring additional employees to the campus to train and educate the next generation of Detroiters for the ever evolving Tech jobs of the future.

The Bagley 10 is a newly constructed residential condominium project located on Bagley Street in Detroit’s historic Corktown neighborhood. Three (3) units remain for sale. Oconnor Detroit represents the development.

Sales and contact information can be found by visiting www.oconnordetroit.com and www.bagley10.com.

Bagley 10 Complete!

Finished and onto more in the spring!

www.bagley10.com

Bagley 10 Breaks Ground in Corktown

The site has been excavated and foundations are being poured at Bagley and 8th Streets in Corktown for our Bagley 10 condominiums. We discovered that the site previously held a beautiful Victorian duplex that was destroyed by fire in the 1970s. More construction photos to come as we work towards a Spring 2020 completion of this modern addition to Detroit’s oldest neighborhood.

North End Infill Housing Rises

Our multi-building project in Detroit’s North End neighborhood is moving along at a steady pace. The five single-family houses and three 3-unit triplexes will be complete very soon. Develop Detroit has spearheaded this neighborhood transformation, branding the development Revolution Homes. We are happy to see the new buildings are integrating well with the existing early 20th Century traditional architecture of the neighborhood.

Single-Family Homes Grow in North Corktown

We’ve been working over the past three years with individual homes owners along with the Detroit Land Bank Authority to construct modern custom homes in Detroit’s North Corktown. Our sister company, Christian Hurttienne Construction is administering the construction process and homeower coordination with the General Contractor, Stroyko Construction. We’re coming out of the Michigan Winter nearing completion on three beautiful new homes for the neighborhood.

Cox House

The Cox House features a 1.5-story tower that leads to an expansive roof deck with sweeping views of downtown Detroit and Michigan Central Station.

Ash House

The exterior of this home features a deep charred wood cedar shiplap siding from Northern Michigan, and a fiber cement mural wall that will bookend an adjacent urban pocket park.

Davies House

This streamlined design will be clad in a unique composition of large format fiber cement panels and corrugated metal cladding.

GROUND BREAKS FOR NEW HOMES IN THE NORTH END

Today marks the groundbreaking for new single family homes and a multi-family building we've designed over the last several months for the North End neighborhood of Detroit. The homes will be part of a larger development led by Develop Detroit that will include 52 new homes and 18 rehabbed homes in Detroit's North End and Grandmont Rosedale neighborhoods.

Crain's Detroit
Curbed Detroit

Detroit Office Opening

We have moved our office into the iconic Palms Building in downtown Detroit! We are inviting you to our Open House on Friday, November 17 from 4 to 9PM to share our growth, projects, and enthusiasm with you. The event will coincide with the Detroit Tree Lighting Ceremony in Campus Martius Park. Drinks and hors d'oeuvres will be provided. Feel free to come before, during, or after the ceremony. Family and friends are welcome!

Public parking is available on Montcalm Street in the Fox Theater parking deck, or across the street to the West of Comerica Park. Upon arrival, enter the lobby through the doors under the Palms Building sign, just south of the Fillmore theater entrance. Take the stairway or elevator to the second floor, we are located on the Northeast corner, behind the Fillmore marquee.

The Coe at West Village Mixed-Use Development Nears Completion

The Coe in West Village will officially be open and occupied next week, with all units leased! The Coe represents a milestone for the City of Detroit as the first major construction project completed in a Detroit neighborhood, as well as a major milestone for Christian Hurttienne Architects. Follow the links to read more:

Crain's Detroit
Curbed Detroit

Bagley 10 Development Featured In Detroit Design Exhibit →

Throughout the month of September, our Bagley 10 condominium project will be featured in the first annual Detroit Design 139 exhibit in the ground floor lobby of 1001 Woodward Ave. in downtown Detroit. The exhibit will showcase projects that are currently being built or are planned too be built within the city limits. The Bagley 10 was chosen as an example of progressive urban design for its integration and interaction with the surrounding neighborhood, and will be among twenty other project that exemplify similar aspirations. The exhibit is free and open to the public, and will be on view until the end of September.

Detroit Design 139

Downtown Detroit Office Progress

Our new office in downtown Detroit is nearing completion! After a three month build-out, all that remains to be done is fabricating millwork while we wait for furniture and fixtures to arrive. We will be moving into our new space on the second floor of the Palms Building at 2111 Woodward Ave. in mid-August.

CHA is moving to Detroit

We are thrilled to (finally!) announce our new Detroit location. Starting in July, our main office will be on the second floor of the Palms Building, above the Fillmore Theater marquee. We will be periodically updating this blog and our social media outlets with progress photos while we design and build-out the space.

Ransom Gillis Renovation Wins AIA Michigan Award

We're proud to announce that the Ransom Gillis House Restoration we completed last year has been chosen to receive a 2017 AIA Michigan Building Award. We provided full architectural services for the once derelict mansion in Brush Park. The jury's comments included "Clearly executed with great care and commitment, this restoration fits nicely within the story of Detroit's rebirth."

2017 AIA Michigan Building Award

Under Construction: The Coe at West Village →

Construction is underway at The Coe, our mixed-use project in West Village. The footings and foundations have been poured, and rough framing is beginning to take shape. In the coming weeks, the form of the buildings will become clear and start to redefine the corner of Van Dyke and Coe St. The development is scheduled be complete in the Fall of 2017, with units leasing in October.

Leasing Info

Model D names N. Corktown Houses among most exciting new developments →

Detroit's online news resource, Model D, recently named CHA's North Corktown Housing Development among the most exciting development to come in 2017. CHA has designed, and will be constructing five new modern houses in North Corktown. The development represents the first construction of new owner-occupied homes using traditional bank financing for Detroit in many years. Follow the link below to read more:

Model D: 7 of the Most Exciting Developments for 2017

CHA Chosen for Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative →

Christian Hurttienne Architects has been selected alongside several other local and national design firms for a new city initiative investing $1.6 million into revitalizing four Detroit neighborhoods, CHA will focus on the Islandview/Greater Villages area. The overall planning and design efforts will work towards Mayor Duggan's "20 minute neighborhoods" strategy with the development of affordable housing, improved landscapes and storm water management, infrastructure upgrades, and increased focus on economic development. The project is set to kick off in January 2017.

City of Detroit Press Release

CHA Chosen for Pink Zoning Detroit Initiative →

The City of Detroit's Planning Department has selected three design form partners to help create a vision for revitalizing its vacant commercial strips, and reducing the bureaucratic hurdles that can stand in the way of redevelopment. CHA, SmithGroup JJR, and LAAVU / Farr Associates / PlaceMakers were selected from among 38 high-quality submissions received from across the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Pink Zoning Detroit is a research project that targets three commercial corridors in the city, for which the selected firms will create a vision for redevelopment. Then, those ideas will be tested against the City's existing approval processes to identify how City codes or regulations may be changed to make redevelopment simpler. Upon completion, the project's findings will be forwarded to the City Planning Commission and to City Council for their consideration.

Detroit Pink Zoning

Center for New Urbanism Press Release