Credit: Lemons Bucket.
As construction ramps up, the University released new renderings of the KPF-designed building in Detroit and announced a spring 2027 opening.
KPF Principal Hana Kassem shares how the project “proudly bears the University of Michigan spirit focusing on progress and inclusivity which is embodied in its dynamic forward-leaning form and the portal that cuts through it, inviting access to all. Its transparent façade at street level engages the passerby, showcasing innovation, by putting making and research on display.” The new renderings showcase the project’s interiors, highlighting the public spaces in the building’s first two floors, which house a café as well as shared office space for the UM Detroit Center, Admissions Office, and School of Environment and Sustainability Clinic. The upper four levels are dedicated to multidisciplinary graduate programs.
“UMCI will bring together the best of the University of Michigan to catalyze economic development in the city of Detroit,” said U-M Provost Laurie McCauley. “It will house a robust portfolio of academic programs, including new interdisciplinary graduate degrees and certificate programs aligned to the skills of the future needed to attract startups as well as major employers to the region.”
The University of Michigan Center for Innovation (UMCI) is designed to enhance economic development in Detroit, supporting the university while also hosting community engagement activities. “The UMCI is a catalyst for positive change and, as such, presents itself along Grand River Avenue as a ‘gateway for innovation,’” Hana said, as the project is the first of three buildings to be constructed on the site.
Read the full announcement from the University of Michigan here.