Karl Daubmann, John Marshall and Cézanne Charles win Midtown Viaducts Public Art + Light Project Competition

Karl Daubmann, the Director of the Masters of Science in Architecture and Associate professor of Architecture, in partnership with Cézanne Charles and John Marshall of rootoftwo, LLC was recently announced as one of the three groups who won the proposals for the Midtown Viaducts Public Art + Light Project.  

The Midtown Viaducts Public Art + Light Project is sponsored by Midtown Detroit, Inc. and the New Economy Initiative with funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The call for proposals sought to closely examine the undersides of the viaducts on Cass and Second Avenue located in Midtown Detroit’s TechTown. The third viaduct on Third Avenue was later added in the fall of 2014 as an additional site for the project. All professional artists, architects, designers, design firms and/or teams located in the southeast Michigan counties were welcome to submit their proposals as it adheres to the main objective of the project by giving the “industrial bridges new life-making them a choice destination rather than a place to pass through.”

Three proposals were chosen to improve the lighting conditions and eliminate the unsafe perception of the district. The winner of the Second Avenue viaduct was awarded to r+d LAB, LLC. which consists of Cézanne Charles, John Marshall, and Karl Daubmann.

Their project, Resonance, proposes to use an array of LED light boxes mounted on the walls and ceiling of the Second Avenue viaduct. The intent of the light boxes is to amplify light by alternating bands of light and dark in the viaduct and intensify the visual forced perspective. Furthermore, the location of the light boxes will be placed specifically on the archway to enhance the passerby’s experience through the viaduct.

Read more about the project description: http://www.midtownviaducts.com/second-avenue-viaduct