爱豆传媒

Hudson鈥檚 Detroit

Detroit, USA

爱豆传媒 is playing a key role in the realisation of Hudson’s Detroit – the city鈥檚 most ambitious ground-up development in more than 50 years.

The location of Hudson鈥檚 Detroit has a fond place in the hearts of Detroiter鈥檚 and those from across the Midwest, who remember it as being the home of the J.L Hudson Department Store for generations.

Demolished in 1998 by the City of Detroit, 15 years after the store鈥檚 closure, the prime 2.1-acre plot in the heart of the central business district was briefly used for car parking, before being left empty and unused for almost a decade.

But now the site is being transformed by developer Bedrock, with 1.5 million ft虏 of office, retail, food and beverage, hotel, residential, event and meeting, parking and activated open spaces.

The tower, which is now the second tallest tower in the state, will provide unique views across Detroit 鈥� a city undergoing an exciting rejuvenation. It will be the first high rise of this scale to grace the city鈥檚 skyline in almost 50 years.

The site of the former J.L. Hudson Department Store is being transformed into a mixed-use development.

The development is comprised of two distinct structures, the office building and the tower, which are complemented with large public spaces including a plaza.

A common basement will feature a state-of-the-art automated parking structure.

Our multidisciplinary team is helping create a project that intends to achieve LEED Silver certification.

Challenge

Designed by SHoP Architects, the building will continue to catalyse Detroit鈥檚 revival and an iconic addition to the cityscape. The development is comprised of three distinct parts 鈥� the office building and tower, and the plaza 鈥� together with a common basement.

A new plaza between the block office building and the tower will cut through the center of the development, creating a unique gathering space for the city鈥檚 residents and visitors alike. Progressively designed event venues, state-of-the-art residences and a 5-star hotel, Hudson鈥檚 Detroit will further add to a vibrant downtown.

爱豆传媒 is supporting the project team with integrated engineering services including structural and MEP engineering as well as sustainability consulting to create a project that intends to achieve LEED Silver certification.

The development鈥檚 complexities begin at the basement level, a pre-existing two-story subgrade space that will house parking to support the office building and the tower, which will contain a hotel and residential living. This portion of the site, utilizing both new and existing structural elements, will feature a state-of-the-art automated parking structure.

Solution

The need to keep the basement spaces column-free led our team of structural engineers to propose a steel-framed system for additional support. This intervention enables the inclusion of the high-tech automated parking system.

Early designs envisioned the use of a steel deck with concrete slab throughout the structure. Our structural engineering experts advised on a customized approach to the adoption of post-tensioned (PT) slab and re-enforced concrete (RC) slab solutions, not only to reduce cost and embodied carbon (PT slabs are thinner than re-enforced concrete (RC) slabs) and also maximize between-floor system spaces, but also to support a more efficient scheduling of works that would ensure the tower was able to rise from the ground swiftly. RC slab solutions were integrated into the design at key points, for example, to provide an opportunity for future flexibility in the design of penthouse suites.

The office building will also feature an impressive five-story atrium, with open spaces between floors, live interior trees, and an abundance of natural light.

Our teams supported the client鈥檚 goal to achieve LEED Silver certification, delivering a suite of highly efficient MEP systems throughout the complex, with heating provided by feeding into an existing district heating network. For cooling, digital economising systems have been integrated to ensure the operational carbon footprint of the complex is kept to a minimum.

In addition, a bespoke energy recovery system will ensure that any excess heat is returned to be used elsewhere on the site, minimizing waste and optimizing future energy costs. All permanent lighting fixtures use low energy LED solutions, further embedding the project鈥檚 sustainable credentials.

We conducted digital energy modelling to inform the design of the residences and hotel areas to ensure the heating and cooling systems were fully optimized to the spaces. The modelling demonstrated that the operational carbon value of the finished building compared well with the benchmark standards for an average new build development. The modelling will also feed into the hotel operator鈥檚 smart building systems, which will ensure that heating/cooling can be automatically turned down or switched off in unoccupied areas.

Currently the LEED model without all the final inputs indicates an approximate and potential 14% savings over the LEED baseline. A future-focused approach on smart building technology dictated that designs were always kept adaptable to allow the future integration of evolving technologies. For example, cabling ducts were enlarged to allow for potential retrofitting in the future. The fire strategy included the digital modeling of a range of emergency scenarios, to ensure firefighting pumps and tanks were located at optimum locations throughout the buildings.

Value

The new Hudson鈥檚 Detroit development will provide an important architectural addition to the city, augmenting Detroit鈥檚 growth and activating streetscapes and the downtown core.

Our multidisciplinary team provided support across every element of the development, achieving innovative solutions that ensure client costs and carbon values are minimized, while ensuring a robust and future-proofed complex, providing attractive and comfortable living spaces for residents.