Mankouche awarded Kresge Foundation Innovation Project Grant for Afterhouse
The Kresge Foundation awarded University of Michigan Associate Professor of Architecture, Steven Mankouche, and his partner Abigail Murray, with one of the foundation’s innovation project grants for his architecture research project, Afterhouse.
Afterhouse emerged as a project from Mankouche and Murray’s Ann Arbor-based collaborative ARCHOLAB, and received the Kresge Innovation Project grant for its innovative vision— inspiring Detroit communities to transform blighted homes into productive spaces for growing food during the winter.
Kresge’s grant of $135,000 will aid in Afterhouse’s transformation of homes irreparably damaged by disuse and fire into semi-subterranean greenhouses. The project’s eco-friendly component employs only solar-energy to grow crops like mangoes and olives strictly in the sunlight.
ARCHOLAB’s architectural collaborative interdisciplinary practice is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Pittsburgh, PA. The ARCHOLAB team for Afterhouse includes: Lecturer in Architecture Jono Sturt (B.SS.’07, M.Arch.’11), Matthew Schulte (M.Arch.’08), Joshua Bard (M.Arch.’07), with Kate Daughdrill, Andrew Malone, Jamin Townsley, Travis Williams (B.S.’15), Edward Sachs (B.S.’15), Joseph Danelko (B.S.’15), Daniel Sebaldt (M.Arch.’15), Chance Heath (M.Arch.’15), , Andrew Thompson and countless volunteers.
Kresge awards are part of a three-year, $5-million initiative to fund neighborhood efforts of Detroit-based nonprofits. Through the program, the foundation “seeks to advance the Detroit Future City strategic framework and support the vision and creativity of the city’s residents.”
To learn more about Afterhouse visit the Afterhouse Facebook page and website. Read the Detroit Free Press news article for more about Kresge Innovation Projects.
