Designing Detroit


Book Description

Shines a light on Detroit architect Wirt Rowland who, until now, has largely slipped into obscurity. In the early 1900s, Detroit was leading the nation in architectural innovation and designer Wirt Rowland was at the forefront of this advancement, yet few are even aware of his substantial contribution to the evolution of architectural style. It is widely believed that celebrated local architect Albert Kahn designed many of Detroit's structures, such as the General Motors and First National Bank buildings. In fact, while Kahn's efforts were focused on running his highly successful firm, it was Rowland, his chief designer, who was responsible for the appearance and layout of these buildings—an important point in appreciating the contributions of both Kahn and Rowland. During the early twentieth century, Rowland devised a wholly new or "modern" design for buildings, one not reliant on decorative elements copied from architecture of the past. As buildings became more specialized for their intended use, Rowland met the challenge with entirely new design methodologies and a number of improved technologies and materials that subsequently became commonplace. Designing Detroit: Wirt Rowland and the Rise of Modern American Architecture begins with a brief overview of Rowland's early life and career. Author Michael G. Smith goes on to analyze Rowland's achievements in building design and as a leader of Detroit's architectural community throughout both World Wars and the Great Depression. The interdependence of architecture with the city's fluctuating economic prosperity and population growth is explored, illuminating the conditions for good architecture and the arts in general. The author identifies the influence of Jay Hambidge's "dynamic symmetry" in Rowland's work and how it allowed him to employ color as a modern replacement for traditional ornamentation, leading to the revolutionary design of the Union Trust (Guardian) Building, for which he receives nearly unanimous praise in national media. This book is concerned primarily with Rowland's influence on Detroit architecture, but spans beyond his work in Michigan to include the designer's broad reach from New York to Miami. A comprehensive appendix includes extensive lists of Rowland's publications, locations he had designed, and jobs taken on by his firm during his tenure. This book represents new research and insights not previously discussed in either scholarly or general audience texts and will be of interest to casual readers of Detroit history, as well as architecture historians.




Smith, Hinchman and Grylls


Book Description

The story of Smith, Hinchman & Grylls Associates, Inc., is also the story of the building of Detroit and Michigan. This long-established and respected national firm has designed more of downtown Detroit's buildings than any other company, while it has made a significant mark on architecture throughout the state. The firm has been based in Detroit since 1855, but Thomas J. Holleman and James P. Gallagher trace its history to Sheldon Smith's early practice of architecture in Sandusky, Ohio, in 1853, making it the oldest, continuously operating architectural and engineering practice in the United States. More than 230 photographs of buildings, renderings, floor plans, and documents in this volume illustrate the many remarkable achievements of Smith, Hinchman & Grylls over its 125 years. The authors trace the history of three generations of Smith architects: they describe the firm's incorporation, the wide range of its engineering and architectural achievements, and its expansion into a whole family of companies located in Ann Arbor, Louisville, Chicago, Phoenix, Washington, Toronto, Atlanta, and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The practice grew from the days when its major commissions were fine residences, small hotels, and commercial blocks, to the era of skyscrapers and manufacturing plants, and finally to the era of multi-building complexes, space laboratories, and solar collectors here and abroad. Throughout its prestigious history, the firm has demonstrated its readiness to meet any engineering and architectural challenge. Its commissions are now located throughout the United States and in such distant locations as Scotland, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam.




Biennial Report


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Modern Masonry


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The Michigan Technic


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Dream City


Book Description

Tracing two centuries of rise, fall, and rebirth in the heart of downtown Detroit. Downtown Detroit is in the midst of an astonishing rebirth. Its sidewalks have become a dreamland for an aspiring creative class, filled with shoppers, office workers, and restaurant-goers. Cranes dot the skyline, replacing the wrecking balls seen there only a few years ago. But venture a few blocks in any direction and this liveliness gives way to urban blight, a nightmare cityscape of crumbling concrete, barbed wire, and debris. In Dream City, urban designer Conrad Kickert examines the paradoxes of Detroit's landscape of extremes, arguing that the current reinvention of downtown is the expression of two centuries of Detroiters' conflicting hopes and dreams. Kickert demonstrates the materialization of these dreams with a series of detailed original morphological maps that trace downtown's rise, fall, and rebirth. Kickert writes that downtown Detroit has always been different from other neighborhoods; it grew faster than other parts of the city, and it declined differently, forced to reinvent itself again and again. Downtown has been in constant battle with its own offspring—the automobile and the suburbs the automobile enabled—and modernized itself though parking attrition and land consolidation. Dream City is populated by a varied cast of downtown power players, from a 1920s parking lot baron to the pizza tycoon family and mortgage billionaire who control downtown's fate today. Even the most renowned planners and designers have consistently yielded to those with power, land, and finances to shape downtown. Kickert thus finds rhyme and rhythm in downtown's contemporary cacophony. Kickert argues that Detroit's case is extreme but not unique; many other American cities have seen a similar decline—and many others may see a similar revitalization.







Facilities @ Management


Book Description

Facilities @ Management Reference work describing the evolution of Facilities Management from a global perspective as experienced by the leaders in the field With valuable insights from over fifty diverse contributors from all around the world, Facilities @ Management: Concept, Realization, Vision - A Global Perspective describes the evolution of the Facilities Management (FM) internationally, discussing the past, present, and future of a profession that has grown significantly over the last forty years. The contributors are made up of industry professionals, many of whom are the founders of the profession, and members from academia teaching future FM leaders. This edited work is a Facilities Management anthology, with a focus on reviewing the origin of the industry through best practices and lessons learned from some of the sharpest minds in the field. Facilities @ Management: Concept, Realization, Vision - A Global Perspective includes information on: Handling legal compliance, strategic policies, and overall best practices to ensure a successful career in the field Understanding practical guidance for the role of Facilities Management in the world’s biggest challenges, including sustainability and climate change Building systems and equipment through strong technical knowledge, project management, and communication and interpersonal skills Managing a diverse range of stakeholders and contractors and adapting to changing technologies, regulatory requirements, and socio-political and ecological challenges With unique firsthand insight, including case studies, from thought leaders in FM from 16 countries around the world, this book is ideal for practicing FM professionals as well as students and researchers involved in the field.







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