ABOUT
1+1+ Architects ( 1 + 1 + you ) is a Detroit-based design and research firm committed to creating happy and healthy relationships between people, places and the planet. Reorienting the practice of architecture towards lasting, regenerative projects that bring communities together, we design projects for today with an eye towards the future. Finding form in grassroots organizing, material systems, arts & culture and natural ecosystems, we celebrate the interconnectedness of life and earth in the buildings and landscapes we design.
We ground every project in the specific needs, resources, and contexts of the communities and clients we partner with. Our collaborative and research-grounded design process focuses on material and technical innovation, creative investigation and deep engagement with clients, stakeholders, experts and the communities we serve. Working together, we aim to unite people, places and the environment through architecture, foster a sense of belonging, and inspire more equitable and sustainable cities.
- Enrich public, residential, and cultural spaces
- Uplift local communities, cultures and histories
- Celebrate local craft and talent
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Create buildings for knowledge, play and belonging
- Foster relationships of care over extraction
- Reuse before demolish
- Forge a more sustainable and equitable future
- Design adaptable, resilient buildings + landscapes
- Restore the well-being of our shared environment
- Create a third space in every project
- Educate through design
PROJECTS
We design thought-provoking and uplifting cultural spaces, housing projects and storefronts that engage the urgent challenges shaping our built environment today — housing, land use, and climate change. Current and recently completed projects include Dreamtroit, the adaptive reuse of the original Lincoln Motor Plant into collective artist residences, Under One Roof, an off-the-grid community kitchen and geodesic grow dome, Moving Friends for the new Urban Technology program at the University of Michigan, a flexible pavilion called Big Roof for a farm to table restaurant, a public house + pocket park called House+ for Library Collective, and the adaptive reuse of the church into a community theater in Southwest, Detroit.
1+1+ Architects work has been exhibited and published worldwide, including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Detroit Free Press, Metropolis, Hour Magazine, The Architect’s Newspaper, Archdaily, A+U. 1+1+ received an honorary award for their contribution to Low Rise: Housing Ideas for Los Angeles, curated the Detroit Month of Design exhibition 9 Lots, and wrote an essay called Stewardship as Ownership that documents how Detroit residents are using land across the city.
PEOPLE
Principal Architect + Founder
Laura Marie Peterson founded 1+1+ Architects to support Detroit cultural, residential, small business and non-profit sectors through architecture, and to reorient the practice of architecture towards regenerative projects that bring communities together. Prior to 1+1+ Architects, Peterson worked on large-scale, mixed-use and cultural projects across the globe.
Peterson has taught at Columbia University, University of Michigan and Rhode Island School of Design, and believes education and institutional spaces are seeds for cultural and environmental change. Peterson holds a B.S. Arch from the University of Michigan and a M. Arch from Columbia University.
CONTACT
1+1+ ( 1 + 1 + you ) is an open-ended equation inviting opportunities big and small.
Let’s design a better future together!
Shoot us an email or fill out this form!
hello@oneplusone.plus
Give us a ring!
(313) 398-4231
Follow our work!
@oneplusoneplusoneplusoneplus
Visit the Office!
1331 Holden Street #231
Detroit, Michigan 48202, USA