Manufacturing and Mutation: Pre-fab Design: MUTANT DETROIT

Below are collages of my reactions to Detroit. The combination/contrast of decay with ordinary life, and the unexpected transformations of areas of the city were the most influential to me. The idea that different areas of the city are in varying states of decay and states of growth which change within short periods of time is intriguing. The experience of Detroit is tied to the exact time of the visit - I believe it would have felt different a year before and will be a noticeably different experience a year later. This amount of change within the urban structure - mainly due to decay - creates the impression that the city is alive and changing constantly.

The amount of change which is occurring within the city lends the idea that the city itself is mutating as it reacts to its economic conditions. The next step in its mutation can be designed - as a combination of urban decay and cared-for homes with urban farming and live/work housing communities interjected into the existing structure. This step should react to the changes which have already happened within Detroit, and intersect the current infrastructure with a respect for its past transformations.

http://camilojosevergara.com/Detroit/Former-Ransom-Gillis-Mansion/1/
A compilation of photos by Camilo Jose Vergara showing the changes in the Ransom Gillis Mansion in Detroit between 1993 and 2012.