NEWS        OFFICE        PROJECTS       PUBLICATIONS       CONTACT       JOBS

The Saxer and Saxer Annex Apt.


The Saxer and Saxer Annex Apt. are four story twin buildings, built in 1924 in Detroit’s New Center neighborhood. The building with 56 micro apartments was in the process of being rehabilitated after a long uninhabited period.

Originally, each apartment occupied the space between two light wells, which generated small studio apartments with several partitions for bed and bathrooms and limited level of privacy.  The adjacent apartments offered their only view into each other, compromising privacy.

The deterioration of the existing building allowed a total demolition of all non-structural partitions and opened the possibility to reorganize the units. Without changing the size and number of the units, we found a solution where each apartment wraps around one light well, and consequently increase the level of privacy. The spit of the unit created one-bedroom units, rather than studios, with a clearly defined kitchen and living area on the one side and a bedroom with bathroom on the other, connected by a closet lined corridor with windows into the light well.

The efficient arrangement of the kitchen, closet and bathroom components along the corridor eliminated any additional partitions in the unit and generated more flexible and generous living conditions within the same area.

Building Type: Residential, Micro Units
Location:
Detroit, Michigan, USA
Client:
Lewand Development, Birmingham
Service: Interior Design
GSF: 55,600 sqft
Year:
2020

Team:
Lars Gräbner, Christina Hansen, Xinjin Li, José Arturo Joglar-Cadilla