UNDER ONE ROOF



Cultural Project: Community Kitchen + Classroom
Islandview, Detroit
Client: Peace Tree Parks
Size: 1,960 SF


Under One Roof is a community kitchen and outdoor classroom pavilion that compliments Peace Tree Park's existing growdome and expands the programming at their Islandview urban farm.


Inspired by Peace Tree Park’s mission to increase access to organic produce, the project supports the nonprofit’s aim to teach, prepare and provide cooked meals for residents. Two 20’ x 8’ shipping containers are arranged in an L-shape, forming an informal outdoor classroom shaded by a pavilion roof above. One container is adapted into a kitchen, while the other provides storage space. The outdoor classroom is designed to comfortably accommodate a 200 person class or dinner, and the geodesic dome extends the growing season, providing fresh produce to local businesses and residents.



Together, these structures provide space for food storage, preparation, dining, education and agriculture. This kit of parts is a nod to the materiality, infrastructure and form of Detroit's existing urban gardening structures and culture, and is envisioned as a blueprint for future agricultural projects in the city.




The project grounds and connects to its environment by celebrating its rainwater reuse as a resource for community engagement and education. On display, the direction of water collection and reuse is celebrated through each building part. The interlocking, cedar wood pavilion structure supports a parallelogram, polycarbonate roof that collects rainwater through an oversized planted gutter. Gravity pulls the rain droplets down a vertical, cylindrical gutter and into a large rain barrel that connects to a hose for water reuse onsite. Through collecting enough rainwater to minimize the use of city water, the building as a regenerative infrastructural system works towards a no-cost + no-waste system.

Alongside the raw materials of the kit of parts, the quiet transparency of the checkerboard, polycarbonate roof projects soft blue and green hues across the gravel. A pleasant glow illuminates an atmosphere to share, learn, and grow collectively. Under one Roof is an architecture of therapy, community, functionality, and recyclability — reflecting the collective growth of Detroit’s communities.


Featured In:
Metropolis: 8 Women Designing for Belonging in Detroit

Project Team:
Architect: 1+1+ Architects (Dua Duran, Laura Marie Peterson)
Structural Engineer: Redesify SE
Construction: Eric Andrews
Photography: Dua Duran, Laura Marie Peterson