Location: Detroit, MI

As the lead design architect on the project to rebuild the Coolidge Maintenance Facility that closed after a fire in 2011, InToto lead the initial conceptual design to explore innovative ways to provide a state-of-the-art facility to accommodate 250 buses.  The facilities’ programmatic functions include Bus Operations, Bus Storage, Bus Maintenance, Bus Service, and Rehabilitation.  

The proposed facility is aligned with Schaefer Highway on the western boundary of the site addressing the major public frontage for the project establishing its public face.  The concept design sites the building to address this condition by positioning the Fleet Maintenance program directly along this frontage offering the opportunity to put the inner workings of the facility on display, and to create a public image based on transparency and a regard for the integrity and importance of the work which will be performed here.  This massing holds the street edge, creating a strong presence along a frontage where many buildings are set back behind surface parking lots. The concept for the new facility would also encompass complementary mass transit connections, to energize surrounding neighborhoods and establish a new landmark.