Outgrown

The Genesee Towers in Flint, Michigan lies abandoned and unwanted. After the economic downturn of the Michigan automotive industy nearly half of Flint’s population is gone. The Genesee Towers is a surviver of these hard times, and now stands as the tallest building in down town Flint, resiliant and full of promise. Now in limbo it awates its fate, for it is too costly to demolish and too run-down for immediate occupation.

The city of Flint caters to the car, with more parking lots down town than anything else. Once a true motor city, now it must reinvent itself to restore its economy. Outgrown will  change the face of Flint by integrating the car and plants in an effort to go green. 

The immediate hazard of The Genesee Towers is the failing brackets which hold up the exterior concrete panels. Outgrown proposes a solution to this problem which allows the interior to be habitated once more and giving Flint a vertical garden. By installing scaffolding to support the failing brackets, the concrete panels become stable once more. Additionally, a system of potting vessels may be constructed, with stairways constructed between the scaffolding providing access for these vessels to be tended. With so many cars exhausting fumes the inhabitants of Flint will benefit from the vertical garden with a less polluted atmosphere.

The vertical garden shall begin with the city potting plants that improve air quality and the atmosphere of down town. Inhabitants may take over a vessel by themselves or share with others to grow whatever they wish. The long term aspirations of Outgrown is to create a self-maintaining garden. This garden provides an opportunity for community outreach, and an opportunity for Genesee Towers to prove that it still remains an integal part of Flint, Michigan.

Unrolled Elevation of the East to North Facades     16':1"

 Section Perspective

Atmospheric Section Perspective

Diagram Development of Scaffolding and Gardens

Where To Go From Here

Eight weeks until the final studio review of my undergraduate career. I have completed a proposal for the reuse of Genesee Towers in Flint, Michigan during the first half of this semester. Now the goal is to use what I learned from my first project towards a second project in Detroit, Michigan. The choice of the site, program and execution of my next project is mine to make. I have all of the tools available to develop this project as I wish, and yet making the decisions for my next project are proving difficult to make. My hope is that this blog will allow me to track my progress and help me develop a way of discussing my projects.


As I am carrying over some aspects from my first project into the second, I shall take this as an opportunity to reflect upon my project for Genesee Towers and gather my thoughts for moving into the next project.