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Home » About » Community Programs » Detroit Studio
The mission of The Detroit Studio is educational: to provide students with an enriched educational experience through community-based architectural, urban design and community development projects; and to offer accessible and useful programs and information to the public, the design profession, municipal officials and the business community.
The Detroit Studio is an off-campus studio facility founded in 1999 by the college of Architecture & Design at Lawrence Technological University and housed at the Detroit Center for Design and Technology in midtown Detroit. Its location in central Detroit creates a unique educational setting for students, and its long-term commitment to working with Detroit neighborhoods distinguishes it from the program of other local universities. The Detroit Studio is committed to serving communities in Detroit, Wayne County and Southeastern Michigan as part of the mission of a local university through Service Learning projects that utilize interdisciplinary collaboration and teamwork to address real needs, problems and potentials.
The Detroit Studio was founded to fill an important niche in architectural education at the College of Architecture and Design. There is a long tradition of community-based projects at the College of Architecture and Design and a recognition that students that participate in Service Learning projects often subsequently bring a valuable perspective to the program as a whole. Projects conducted at The Detroit Studio area often shared with the entire student body through exhibitions, lectures, field trips and publications. Additionally, the educational programs at the student provide a significant bridge to the profession in a way that is complimentary, not competitive.
Initial support for The Detroit Studio was provided by the General Motors Corporation and The New Center Council. Additionally, individual projects are funded by community organizations.
Organizations interested in working with students and faculty at The Detroit Studio should submit a letter if interest that describes the project and the sponsoring organization(s).
The project selection criteria is as follows:
The project should fit the educational standards and mission of The Detroit Studio
The sponsoring organization should be a non-profit and tax-exempt under the IRS designation
There should be evidence of civic and community support for the proposed project.
The project should clearly establish the financial need for service. Projects which benefit distressed and economically disadvantaged communities are preferred and may include: planning and urban design, housing, business and economic development, parks and natural habitats, and historic preservation
There should be the desire and ability to work collaboratively in a process that invites community participation
For funded projects, the budget should be clearly established and funding in place before the beginning of the project
Projects budgets fund materials, publication costs, a contribution to The Detroit Studio fun, and honoraria for guest critics and project director
The project needs to fit into The Detroit Studio’s academic schedule.
The Detroit Studio Fund is used to fund educational activities and initiatives associated with The Detroit Studio. These may include publications, lectures, outreach and scholarships.
The Detroit Studio is run by a Coordinator who is a full-time faculty member and reports to the Dean and Chair of the college of Architecture and Design. The Detroit Studio is guided by an Advisory Committee comprised of representatives from the city, county, profession and academia and by the College’s Advisory Council to Architecture.
The Detroit Studio provides facilities for 34 Junior, Senior and Graduate students. The studio is fully equipped with dedicated workstations, two in-studio computer labs, meeting and classroom spaces, an exhibition area, and a darkroom. Six full and part-time faculty are based in the studio. Courses offered at The Detroit Studio include: Integrated Design Studios 3&4 (a Junior year, team -taught studio comprising architectural design, urban planning, and landscape architecture); the collaborative Design Studio (a Senior-Graduate urban design studio); and photography. Courses completed there satisfy requirements for the Area of Concentration in Collaborative Urban Design, and thesis students may also utilize the facilities.
Project Publications
Detroit Repertory Theatre Project
Parkside Project ( cover only ) PDF
Quinn AME Church Project
Southfield City Center Study
Troy Maple Road Corridor Study ( cover only ) PDF
Peer Review Publications
Open House International UK PDF
Service Learning Book Chapter AAHE PDF
Urban Design as a Catalyst for Design Justice: North End Case Study
Post-Pandemic Urbanism: Detroit 48217 Community Study
Planning Support Systems for Rising CDOs
The New Local: Schoolcraft Community Planning
Vitality Signs: Community Wellness Hub & Master Plan
Future City for 20-Something & Islandview Community Framework Plan
Youth-driven Community Design & Springwells Community Study
Multi-purpose Youth Sport Center & Community Rebuilding Study
Barton-McFarland and Aviation Sub Community Study
Cody Rouge Community Study
Allen Park Downtown Urban Design Study
Oakland Avenue Framework Study
Mapping + Humanities Project
Gamma Phi Delta Sorority Bike Park Project
Mapping Cart
West End Tapestry Project
Island View Community Study
Clark Park and Community Framework Plan Study
North End and West End Communities Placemaking Project
Farmington Hills Orchard Lake/Ten Mile Road Area Study
Eastern Market Entrepreneurial Opportunities Study
Eastern Market District Enhancement Study
Recovery Park Community Design Guidelines
Recovery Park Community Master Plan Study
North End Community Study
West Grand Boulevard Collaborative Focus Areas Study
Detroit Parkside Healthy Community Study
Warrendale Neighborhood Center Project
Oxford Downtown Study
Woodward Avenue Study
Rochester Sustainable Zone Creative Zone
North End Master Plan Study
Brightmoor Productive Landscape Creative Landscape
East Grand Boulevard Community Kitchen Project
West Grand Boulevard Community Study Phase 2
West Grand Boulevard Community Study Phase 1
Balduck Park Master Plan Study
Balduck Park Community Center and Recreation Complex Project
East Forest Hope District Master Plan Study
Inkster Tax Increment Finance Authority (TIFA) District Master Plan Study
East Forest Museum of HIP Design Project
Kids’ Farm: Children Creating Sustainable Urban Agriculture-based Community
Detroit Cluster 4 Master Plan Study
Urban Agriculture, Health, Fitness, Lifestyle Community
Kid’s Cams: Children designing their neighborhood through their own lenses
Lewiston Downtown Study Project
Troy Maple Road Corridor Study Project
Southfield City Center Project
Brightmoor Community Revitalization Project
East Warren Neighborhood Revitalization Project
Detroit Parkside Community Revitalization Project
Professional, Community-based Theatre and Cultural Village in Detroit
Southwest Detroit Neighborhood Master Plan and Urban Design Project
Quinn AME Church Design and Neighborhood Revitalization Project
How to Design an Ideal Community: Summer Program
The Linwood/Lodge Community Design Study
Highland Park Residential Neighborhood & Affordable Housing Design Study
The Youth Village Urban Design Project
The Orchard Lake Community Project
Knight Foundation Arets Challenge Grant Award |
Michigan Humanities Council Grant Award |
Kellogg Foundation Grant Award |
Erb Foundation Grant Award |
National Endowment for the Arts – Art Works Grant Award (Design category) |
AIA Detroit Charles A. Blessing Award |
National Environmental Education Foundation Grant |
Tribute Award – West Grand Boulevard Collaborative, Detroit, Michigan |
AIA Michigan President’s Award |
NCARB (National Council of Architectural Registration Boards) National Grant Award for the Integration of Practice and Education in the Academy |
Award of Appreciation – Oxford Downtown Redevelopment Authority, Oxford, Michigan |
The inaugural Michael Brill Grant Award in Urban Communication and Environmental Design Urban Communication Foundation and the Environmental Design Research Association |
National and Community Service Learn and Serve America Grant Award |
Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan Sustainable and Economic Development Grant Award |
Award Certificates of Appreciation City of Detroit Council, Mayor’s Office & Wayne County Executive Director’s Office |
ACSA Annual Collaborative Practice Award Citation Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) |
BSA Annual Research Grants Award Boston Society of Architects(BSA) |
Accent on Architecture Community Grants Award American Architectural Foundation, Washington D.C. |
12 Architectural Education Award American Architectural Foundation, Washington D.C. |
FIRST Prize – International Architectural Education Competition Open House International, UK |
Recognition/Appreciation Award City of Detroit Housing Commission |
Social Justice in Architecture Award Adaptive Environment Center and the National Endowment for the Arts |
ACSA Annual New Faculty Teaching Award Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) |
ACSA Robert Taylor Faculty Development Grants Award Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) |
Community In Schools Grants Award |
Joongsub Kim, Ph.D., RA, AIA, AICP
Professor Emeritus of Architecture and Urban Design
Master of Urban Design Program Director
Detroit Studio/Community-based Program Director
College of Architecture and Design
Lawrence Technological University
Southfield/Detroit, Michigan, USA
jkim@ltu.edu
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