Designing a Dynamic Office? Take Cues From This Nonprofit Tech Hub in Detroit

Usually, exemplary Class A towers in New York City or San Francisco set the standard for office design. But with adaptability and functionality paramount in 2021, it's a “not-so-perfect” and intentionally informal nonprofit coworking hub in a cash-strapped Detroit neighborhood that resonates most with the workplace's evolving demands.

Nonprofit accelerator Co.act wanted its new space to be an inclusive, welcoming resource center for the numerous startups and community groups in the area that could use such a place, according to the joint venture’s backers TechTown Detroit, the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and developers Midtown Detroit, Inc.

To make a 6,000-square-foot space feel as comfortable as a neighbor’s kitchen while hosting anything from a board meeting to a fundraising party to a nascent entrepreneur’s private discussion with a lawyer, Co.act enlisted a design partner to transform a difficult shell of a space into an environment that’s inviting and accessible to all.

The renovation of the first floor of the building, which had been originally constructed in the 19^th century, confronted architecture firm McIntosh Poris Associates with significant structural design challenges.

But Principal Michael Poris told LoopNet that the older building created “opportunities” to intentionally make the space a bit rough around the edges — fueling a sense of inclusivity in a world in which perfection can sometimes damper possibilities.

Making use of the real estate Midtown Detroit had at hand, Co.act decided to build out the vacant ground-floor retail units directly below the Foundation’s office space. Though it was a bear of a renovation, Poris’ firm even managed “to have some fun with it.”

The space “had been pretty much empty and unoccupied for years,” Poris explained. “There were various odd columns and pieces of walls that were structural throughout the space that I know had no order to them; they weren't on any sort of grid. They weren't the same size, and they were different thicknesses. And the floor, because the space had at one time been multiple storefronts, wasn’t necessarily level from one part to the other.”

The historic structure had been built in 1896 and tinkered with at various stages over the course of the last century. Working with older buildings is great, Poris said, as long as you accept their imperfections and don’t try to make them new.

“In some places there had been structural walls that had been opened up and supported by beams,” he continued. “There was just a lot of variation in the floor and in the ceilings. But we figured, let's take advantage of that, since we don't want this place to be perfect or corporate-feeling.”

With the broad goal of creating room for inclusivity and adaptability, Poris said his team took cues from the space itself. “It's like, ‘oh, great, we can figure out where these columns are and sort of map out what kind of spaces we can create,’ using those odd columns, floor changes and ceiling variations as sort of spatial markers.”

The open center lent itself to a wide conference room and kitchen, anchored by a massive live-edge walnut library table as a centerpiece, complete with USB and electrical outlets, for board meetings and individual or collaborative work. There could be a dozen people or groups of people sitting there at a time, Poris said. “Not only does it strike a chord because it’s beautiful, but it's a great place to start up a conversation.”

It’s in the center that the floors were the most uneven, sloping down from the main conference area. But Poris’ team used that as a natural topographical division. On one side is the common area that can be effortlessly split off by a drape for visible and acoustic delineation from the other portion: a staged podium space for lectures with group seating and communal workspaces.

Poris’ team arranged more enclosed meeting rooms and private offices around the perimeter, with some open areas right in the storefront, creating a fluid and welcoming interplay between the space and the street. “There were some old window displays with raised up window boxes and we said, ‘well, let's put some steps up to them and add furniture there and we can actually make those spaces to lounge, read, meet with people, or to view speakers during an event.”

The team took cues from the ceiling as well. “Rather than just one continuous drop ceiling, variations in ductwork and other mechanical fixtures helped us to sort of create some different spaces as well,” he said. “It really got us to take advantage of the pros and cons of the space.”

Office designers often lump all prospective users into one archetypal socioeconomic grouping of privileged, college-educated individuals, Poris continued. The wide-ranging array of active community groups and influential individuals trying to rebuild Detroit’s dynamism extend far beyond that narrow subset, however, and the Co.act space needed to empower all possible users and visitors that might come through its doors at the corner of Woodward & Grand.

Bike storage rooms, showers for sweaty commuters and nursing rooms for mothers took precedence early on in planning, Poris told LoopNet. “A big part of brainstorming early on about the design program involved asking, ‘how do we create a space that’s going to make everyone feel comfortable?'

“We came up with the idea of ‘not-so-perfect,’” he continued. “We didn't want it to feel corporate. We didn't want it to feel polished. We wanted it to feel like you're going to someone's kitchen for a meeting.”

In keeping with this design approach, the furniture doesn't necessarily all match, he continued. “It is designed to be intentionally informal.”

Those kinds of contrasting design touches came in the form of a type of particle wood called oriented strand board, as well as metal mesh, sliding barn doors, exposed brick, and wood and terrazzo flooring. The use of these diverse design elements was dictated not just by a desire to create an “imperfect aesthetic,” but by budget considerations as well.

“All of these strategies we're talking about are very budget-friendly because you're not necessarily ripping out all the mechanical and replacing it. You're working around a lot of things that are there and trying to work with inexpensive materials,” he said. “But that’s really just how we work.”