T+E+A+M brings practical rethinking to Ann Arbor and beyond
The American Midwest has been shaking up the world of architecture. Profiled as part of our Next Generation 2022 project, T+E+A+M, from Ann Arbor, Michigan, is among emerging practices pioneering change
The four co-founders behind Ann Arbor-based practice T+E+A+M met as faculty staff more than a decade ago at the University of Michigan (UoM), where they all have tenure today. ‘We’re primarily design studio instructors, but also teach courses on representation, digital culture, fabrication, and practice,’ says co-principal Ellie Abrons.
The foursome (Abrons and Adam Fure are a couple, as are Thom Moran and Meredith Miller) began to collaborate informally soon after meeting at UoM in 2009, officially founding T+E+A+M in 2015 when they were selected to participate in the 2016 exhibition for the US Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. T+E+A+M has never looked back, ramping up client-driven work in recent years. New projects include 4 Over 4, a Detroit-based research initiative focused on housing using affordable building techniques and typological variety.
Common threads in T+E+A+M’s work include material reuse, digital and physical hybrids, and practical building technologies. ‘In our early work we frequently explored how digital and physical worlds can coexist. We see the boundaries between these worlds to be incredibly blurry, and this is a space we play in as designers,’ says Abrons, who is also commissioner on the Planning Commission for the City of Ann Arbor.
‘We also have a commitment to the physical world as found, which often leads to reusing materials – from building components to post-consumer plastics – for new structures.’ Examples include a speculative proposal for a reassembly plant in Detroit (2016) and full-scale prototypes of sculptural columns made from salvaged construction debris.
The co-founders say their focus on adapting used materials is influenced by their geography. ‘Detroit, like many post-industrial American cities, has a wealth of wonderful old buildings that have fallen into disrepair. It’s common for these buildings to be renovated, but we feel like there are other approaches to consider when working with existing building stock.’
This thought process inspired Building in a Building, a new structure made from off-the-shelf modular components inserted into a neglected, existing brick shell. The space between the old and new structures serves as a community events venue.
‘We’ve been thinking a lot lately about how to combine recent building technologies to build simpler, faster, and more efficiently,’ says Abrons, referring to Northwood ADU – a self-initiated Ann Arbor project for an ‘additional dwelling unit’: an affordable and increasingly popular solution to housing shortages in cities. ‘While ADUs won’t solve the housing-shortage problem alone, they are an important part of diversifying the housing options available.’
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
T+E+A+M used a prefab insulated foundation system – common in Scandinavia but less so in the Midwest – which allows the unit to be built directly onto the ground rather than excavating, which adds cost, along with insulated prefab panels that fit together like a puzzle. The result is a highly efficient, air-tight envelope that substantially lowers energy needs. ‘These are not always the most glamorous things to consider,’ says Abrons, ‘but with building costs as high as they are right now, architects need to be innovating to make building more possible for more people.’
The team also believe the industry is in need of a radical rethink to address the wider housing crisis across the US: ‘It will require the construction industry and real estate market to be more open to unconventional aesthetics,’ they say, paying credit to Detroit’s Philip Kafka and 2021 Pritzker Prize winner Lacaton & Vassal.
INFORMATION
Tilly is a British writer, editor and digital consultant based in New York, covering luxury fashion, jewellery, design, culture, art, travel, wellness and more. An alumna of Central Saint Martins, she is Contributing Editor for Wallpaper* and has interviewed a cross section of design legends including Sir David Adjaye, Samuel Ross, Pamela Shamshiri and Piet Oudolf for the magazine.
-
The 2024 Ivor Novello nominations for songwriting have been revealed
77 British and Irish songwriters and composers make up this year's nominees, announced tonight at London's Groucho Club
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Why Bollinger’s La Grande Année 2015 champagne is worth celebrating
Champagne Bollinger unveils La Grande Année 2015 and La Grande Année Rosé 2015, two outstanding cuvées from an exceptional year in wine-making
By Melina Keays Published
-
Lexus installation explores time at Milan Design Week 2024
Lexus brought designer Hideki Yoshimoto’s ‘Beyond the Horizon’ to Milan’s Art Point, part of its ongoing series of collaborations with Fuorisalone
By Nargess Shahmanesh Banks Published
-
Shigeru Ban’s mini Paper Log House welcomed at The Glass House
'Shigeru Ban: The Paper Log House' is shown at The Glass House in New Canaan, USA as the house museum of American architect Philip Johnson plays host to the Japanese architect’s model temporary home concept
By Adrian Madlener Published
-
Ray Phoenix to rise in Arizona
Ray Phoenix housing project launches, designed by Johnston Marklee, who worked with Lamar Johnson Collaborative, for property experts Ray and Vela
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A low-energy farmhouse provides a rural escape in North Carolina
This low-energy farmhouse is a net zero architectural re-set for a Californian client, an East Coast relocation for a more engaged and low-key lifestyle
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A Petra Island house rises from Frank Lloyd Wright's original drawings
Based on Frank Lloyd Wright drawings, the cantilevering Petra Island Massaro House, located in New York’s Hudson Valley, is now open to visitors
By Craig Kellogg Published
-
An Upper West Side apartment by General Assembly nods to its history
An Upper West Side apartment in New York, born out of the reimagining of two neighbouring units, is refreshed by General Assembly for a young family
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
New York's Leica store echoes the brand's blend of heritage and innovation
Leica store throws open its doors in New York's Meatpacking District, courtesy of Brooklyn based Format Architecture Office
By Adrian Madlener Published
-
Hudson Valley Residence is a low-lying retreat that seamlessly blends into the horizon
Designed by HGX Design, Hudson Valley Residence is a scenic home offering unobstructed views across the Catskill Mountains in Upstate New York
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Boise Passive House’s bold gestures support an environmentally friendly design
Boise Passive House by Haas Architecture combines sleek, contemporary design and environmental efficiency
By Ellie Stathaki Published