Ishtiaq Rafiuddin founded his architectural design studio Undecorated in 2017 in New York, before moving to Detroit a year later. Now five people strong, the studio is thriving and he’s fallen in love with the Midwestern city, where he has chosen to concentrate his efforts for now, following four years with REX in New York. ‘I am inspired to work in Detroit, a truly American city with incredible history which now requires questionsing and creative problem-solving to spark investment and inspire communities,’ he says.
Conducting thorough research and investigation around each of his commissions sits at the core of Rafiuddin’s approach. ‘[It] is based on the idea that we do not know what we do not know,’ he says. ‘It’s a process where we have to critically analyse the core of the design problem in order to offer a solution. It can be very messy. We have to embrace the process by asking fundamental questions, letting go of preconceived ideas and aesthetics, and [we have to] look for as well as accept the order that emerges from the chaos. At least that's the ambition.’ This means that for him, architecture becomes primarily a thinking exercise, rather than an aesthetic one. ‘A bit like lab work,’ he says.
Ishtiaq Rafiuddin and Undecorated: reimagining architecture in Detroit
Ishtiaq Rafiuddin of Undecorated.
This attitude can lead to innovative solutions, as displayed in one of his latest works, a Detroit housing project called The Caterpillar, in the Core City neighbourhood. The challenge to deliver ample volume and light for a residential development was met by making the most of the humble Quonset hut typology (a lightweight prefabricated, semi-cylindrical, corrugated galvanised steel structure).
Rafiuddin used prefab elements by Virginia manufacturer SteelMaster to produce a single ‘hut’ containing eight units – a mix of residential and live/work spaces. Reimagining this modest, commercial-grade shell, the architect achieved a series of bright, spacious interiors that feel homely, yet dramatic, with their tall arched ceilings and skylights. The scheme, for local developer Prince Concepts, is surrounded by an urban forest by award-winning landscape architect Julie Bargmann. The result is cost- and time-efficient, yet generous in spatial qualities.
The Caterpillar housing in Detroit.
‘Architecture had the responsibility of improving the quality of life for everyone, and architects pursued grand visions to prove it. We have lost that spirit over the decades,’ Rafiuddin reflects. Which is why he is often inspired by modernist architecture, which he feels represented well that spirit of rebuilding and questioning.
Yet, our era brings its own challenges, including a distinction in attitudes towards architecture, at least in the realm of the US. ‘In general, architecture is not celebrated as widely in the US as it is in Europe,’ he says. ‘Architecture and architects are missing in the middle class. The middle class constitutes most of the built environment and therefore offers the most opportunity. I am continually asking myself why and how I/we can change this and evolve.’ With Rafiuddin’s lateral thinking, anything is possible.
5k mixed use scheme in Detroit
Helipad in Mexico City
Magnet Restaurant in Detroit
INFORMATION
-
Artists reflect on Kate Bush lyrics for a War Child auctionPeter Diog and Maggi Hambling are among artists interpreting Kate Bush’s 1985 track ‘Running Up That Hill’ for War Child’s online auction
-
Explore Tom Kundig’s unusual houses, from studios on wheels to cabins slotted into bouldersThe American architect’s entire residential portfolio is the subject of a comprehensive new book, ‘Tom Kundig: Complete Houses’
-
Inside yacht maker Azimut’s horizon-expanding HQ, by Michele De Lucchi’s AMDL CircleThe design of Azimut’s headquarters in Piedmont, Italy, is open, adaptable, and befitting ‘a place of creativity’
-
Explore Tom Kundig’s unusual houses, from studios on wheels to cabins slotted into boulders
The American architect’s entire residential portfolio is the subject of a comprehensive new book, ‘Tom Kundig: Complete Houses’
-
Ballman Khaplova creates a light-filled artist’s studio in upstate New YorkThis modest artist’s studio provides a creative with an atelier and office in the grounds of an old farmhouse, embedding her practice in the surrounding landscape
-
The most important works of modernist landscape architecture in the USModernist landscapes quite literally grew alongside the modern architecture movement. Field specialist and advocate Charles A. Birnbaum takes us on a tour of some of the finest examples
-
Jeanne Gang’s single malt whisky decanter offers a balance ‘between utility and beauty’The architect’s whisky decanter, 'Artistry in Oak', brings a sculptural dimension to Gordon & MacPhail's single malt
-
An idyllic slice of midcentury design, the 1954 Norton House has gone on the marketNorton House in Pasadena, carefully crafted around its sloping site by Buff, Straub & Hensman, embodies the Californian ideal of the suburban modern house embedded within a private landscape
-
Herzog & de Meuron and Piet Oudolf unveil Calder Gardens in PhiladelphiaThe new cultural landmark presents Alexander Calder’s work in dialogue with nature and architecture, alongside the release of Jacques Herzog’s 'Sketches & Notes'. Ellie Stathaki interviews Herzog about the project.
-
Meet Studio Zewde, the Harlem practice that's creating landscapes 'rooted in cultural narratives, ecology and memory'Ahead of a string of prestigious project openings, we check in with firm founder Sara Zewde
-
The best of California desert architecture, from midcentury gems to mirrored dwellingsWhile architecture has long employed strategies to cool buildings in arid environments, California desert architecture developed its own distinct identity –giving rise, notably, to a wave of iconic midcentury designs
