In the enclave where Steve Yzerman Dr., which is aligned with the Detroit Riverwalk, meets the Wayne County Community College District of the city of Detroit, we propose to develop a new Communications Center.

An irregular geometry of the site begins the process of placing the new center, and our prudent formalization of the new volume.

The new building resolves its relationship, order and causality with the site, serving its community and relating the singularity of its new existence.

A long flexible line winding diagonally along the site follows the contour of the building, creating an effect of continuity and resolving the rigid constraints.

The porticos of the wide-span structure are formed by wall beams. The primary material is concrete with a siliconized and iron oxide post-hardening treatment. All the structural beams as well as the conduits, pipes and other systems run horizontally along the suspended ceiling, integrating the mechanical systems into the architectural composition of the building as a whole.

The main circulation hall is the backbone that articulates the more specific areas and is arranged from the entrances to the building.

The interior corridor is an axis that shapes and prioritizes the various functions according to the program requirements of the centre.

The clear and diffuse natural lighting, filtered through the various offices, conference rooms, and administrative departments is made possible by the help of vertical elements composed of skylights that open through the roof. These skylights rest on the reinforced concrete beams that make up the upper vertical cores.

The glass used in the exterior cladding of the façade, unitized glass curtain, is a double-skin of fritted glass and an Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene membrane, and the interiors are Contraflam, anti-reflective and Cool-Lite.

The window openings, heating units, light fixtures, air ducts, network connections and corridor doors have been designed following the modular system used in the floor plan and the window lattices act as a complete and versatile system protecting the building from excessive light, since they are adjustable and allow control of the sunlight.

a.ruete architects collaborating associated