The generative powers of demolition

Abstract

When examining the factory within the urban fabric, especially those cases that are abandoned and considered obsolete, it may be possible to see the first generative act as one of un-building. Considering demolition as an activity of design, this thesis explores the potential of the often-overlooked violence needed to make architecture. A selective type of demolition called raizing would provide careful and responsible ways of removing a building or parts of a building while accounting for its historical, sociological and constructive significance. The process would prepare the site through various scales of time, material and landscape for a new use. The project uses as a case study the McGraw Glass plant, a 1936 Albert Kahn design. The plant was closed at the end of 2003 leaving a 40-acre site in Southwestern Detroit open to various futures. As a site and a building, it requires attention both to constructive details but also to the larger urban, social and ecological landscapes that surround it. Employing razing as the first step in the transformation of the site, The thesis proposes a phased series of interventions to promote remediation not only as an ecological solution but also as structured means of changing the perceptions and experiences of a place. The equally important goal is to make the process visible and valuable to stakeholders whether they are neighbors, former employees, tourists or the public at large.