For a then-vacant lot in Downtown Royal Oak, I designed a 4-story mixed-use building. The ground floor contains a cafe and small grocery store. A separate entrance leads upstairs to artists’ studios and classrooms.
The main objectives for the project were to articulate the many functions of the building while delivering a cohesive design, as well as to make a bold visual statement within the context of a dense urban site. The sharply angled corner showcases the double-height cafe, while the more opaque elements anchor the two sides of the building, and tie it into the context of the neighboring buildings.
