Union @ A2 | Ann Arbor, MI

Project was designed by Renato Gilberti during his time as Senior Design Leader for the Chicago Office of  BKV Group.

Client      The Annex Group

Type        Affordable Housing (Student Centric)

Size         6 Stories, 250 Units

The Concept      Located at 150 Commerce Drive, in Ann Arbor, MI, the Union at A2 Apartments consists of 250 affordable housing residential units catering to students and professors at the University of Michigan.  It is entered through a drop-off court in the middle of the site where a Lobby/Clubroom space welcomes residents and visually connects them to the internal courtyard.  The building consists of a concrete parking structure, partially wrapped by Type V frame construction on 3 sides.  

The façades are clad primarily in a two-toned vertical metal reveal panel sitting on a masonry base.  The vertical panels are broken at the floor lines with an projected horizontal trim giving the project a modern Scandinavian aesthetic.  The vertical panel color changes from a white/pewter combination to a cedar look in the recessed niches of the building which together with a number of massing shifts help divide the design into smaller components.  These shifts, when combined with the recessed balconies of the larger units, add significant visual interest to the design.

The Site      The site posed some significant challenges, given the 40 foot change in topography from the northwest to the southeast.  Given the desire to maintain a Type V construction, the building had to be subdivided through firewalls into 4 sections, allowing for compliance with maximum area requirement and height limitations.

Status      Under Construction