DesignLAB Takes Detroit Architecture To New Heights

By Edward Cardenas

DETROIT (CBSDetroit.com) - DesginLAB Detroit is taking its latest conference out of the lecture hall and making it mobile with the People Mover Architecture Event in Detroit.

A limited number of donation tickets remain for the event Friday on the People Mover, where architects, designers and community leaders will give presentations in the cars as they travel along the elevated 2.9 mile track through Detroit's central business district.

"Events like these demonstrate AIA (American Institute of Architects) Detroit's commitment to building collaborative relationships for the public good – engaging and educating the community about  the positive impacts that architecture and design professionals have on our city," said Robert Piatek, AIA Detroit president.

The event, organized by DesignLab Detroit, is a another unique way to bring people together to "raise public awareness of architecture" in the city, said Rich Rice, director of DesingnLAB Detroit.

Participants will board the People Mover and listen to presentations, view PowerPoint presentation projected on the windows of the cars and discuss "old Detroit, current development and future possibility," added Rice.

Speakers scheduled to participate include:

- Justin Mast, founder and program manager at Practice Space,

- Victoria Byrd Olivier, Detroit revitalization fellow at Detroit Future City,

- Brian Hurttienne, executive director at The Villages CDC,

- Frank Arvan, principal at FX Architecture,

- Amy Swift, principal at Building Hugger L3C,

- Shel Kimen, chief executive officer at Collision Works.

Following the tour, attendees will head to Urban Bean to discuss the presentations and view posts from Twitter and Instagram that will be projected onto large screens set up at the coffee house.