Author(s): Lee Su Huang, Lizabeth Wardzinski & Katie Goldberg
In Summer 2025, Lawrence Technological University College of Architecture and Design’s (LTU CoAD) Summer Design Build Studio partnered with the Bailey Park Neighborhood Development Corporation (BPNDC) to design and construct a stage for Detroit’s McDougall-Hunt neighborhood. Building on the foundation of a prior research seminar conducted in collaboration with neighborhood constituents, the project was conceived as a flexible, mobile, and adaptable structure capable of supporting performances, public gatherings, and a wide range of community programming. The stage design was shaped by three defining features of the neighborhood: the triangle, the tree, and color. The triangular geometry draws from the sharp intersections of local streets, translating the site’s urban grain into a legible architectural form. A branching column system evokes the trees that once filled the site, reintroducing shade and a renewed sense of canopy. Interchangeable colored roof panels add a playful and expressive dimension, linking the project to the neighborhood’s artistic identity and culture of making.
Volume Editors
Reed Kroloff & Francisco J. RodrÃguez-Suárez
ISBN
978-1-944214-52-4