The Book Depository at Michigan Central and The Exchange – both located in Detroit – were recognized among ENR Midwest’s Best Projects for 2023 at an awards ceremony on November 28. Ghafari is honored to have supported both of these transformative projects!
The Book Depository at Michigan Central
The Book Depository at Michigan Central – named ENR Midwest’s Best Project in the renovation / restoration category – involved the adaptive reuse of a historic structure that originally dates back to the 1930s and formerly functioned as a Detroit Public Schools Book Depository.
The reimagined building, which serves as the Detroit headquarters for Newlab, houses machinery shops, labs, mobility studios, exhibition and event spaces, and a café available for use by innovative businesses working at the intersection of mobility and society. With a robotics lab, prototyping spaces, and metal and woodworking shops, along with studio, office and collaborative workspaces, the creative, fluid space is designed to flex for future needs supporting entrepreneurs, emerging technology companies, designers, and technologists.
Ghafari was the interior architect and engineer of record for this project, working with Civilian (interior designer) and Gensler (exterior architect of record).
The Exchange
The Exchange – which received an Award of Merit in the residential / hospitality category – is a mixed-use, 16-story building in Detroit’s Greektown neighborhood that is noteworthy for its use of the LIFTbuild technology. LIFTbuild’s revolutionary process allows individual floors to be built on the ground and then lifted into place, ultimately accelerating a given construction schedule by up to 30%.
Ghafari provided architectural, interior design, and engineering services for the high-rise building, which contains 78 studio, 50 one-bedroom, and five two-bedroom apartments, in addition to condominiums and office space. This private development plays a significant role in the rebirth of the city while also paving the way for LIFTbuild to construct more high-rise buildings that employ its innovative technology.
