![True North / EC3 - Windows](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5a60/0542/f197/cc2b/ba00/0342/newsletter/IMG_1333.jpg?1516242230)
-
Architects: EC3
- Area: 7530 ft²
- Year: 2017
-
Photographs:Chris Miele, Jason Keen
-
Manufacturers: SteelMaster
-
Lead Architects: EC3 - Edwin Chan, Design Architect / Studio Detroit - Architect of Record
-
Architect of Record: Studio Detroit
![True North / EC3 - Facade, Arch](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5a60/0639/f197/cc2b/ba00/0349/newsletter/True_North_5_exterior_%C2%A9Chris_Miele.jpg?1516242479)
Text description provided by the architects. True North is a development comprised of nine rental units and shared community gardens, located two-and-a-half miles from Downtown Detroit.
![True North / EC3 - Cityscape](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5a60/0573/f197/cc2b/ba00/0344/newsletter/True_North_aerial_construction_%C2%A9Jason_Keen.jpg?1516242279)
It has received international attention for pioneering creative affordable design attuned to both its context and community, as well as for catalyzing the redevelopment of a long-neglected area.
![True North / EC3 - Windows, Facade, Arch, Beam](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5a60/0561/f197/cc2b/ba00/0343/newsletter/True_North_3_interior_%C2%A9Jason_Keen.jpg?1516242263)
For aesthetic and economic reasons, the client challenged EC3 to utilize Quonset Huts, a prefabricated lightweight structure consisting of corrugated galvanized steel and having a semicircular cross section.
![True North / EC3 - Beam, Arch, Arcade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5a60/04a2/f197/cc2b/ba00/033c/newsletter/EC3_true_north_construction-132.jpg?1516242071)
![](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5a60/0453/f197/cc2b/ba00/0338/newsletter/Hut_2_section.jpg?1516241994)
![True North / EC3 - Image 12 of 32](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5a60/05b5/f197/cc8f/5200/0990/newsletter/True_North_under_construction_%C2%A9_Chris_Miele.jpg?1516242346)
Edwin Chan, founder of the Los Angeles-based studio EC3 and former design partner at Gehry Partners, commented: “We tried to capture the beauty of Detroit’s toughness with the raw aesthetic in its design, while creating an inviting place for the neighborhood.”
![True North / EC3 - Cityscape, Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5a60/04c8/f197/cc2b/ba00/033d/medium_jpg/True_North_1_%C2%A9Jason_Keen.jpg?1516242103)
Open to the neighborhood and without fencing, the strategic placement of the huts is driven by a need for openness and security, views and privacy, socializing and solitude, leaving the community accessible from the street via three pathways.
![True North / EC3 - Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5a60/05a4/f197/cc8f/5200/098f/newsletter/True_North_1_exterior_%C2%A9Chris_Miele.jpg?1516242329)
![](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5a60/0511/f197/cc2b/ba00/0340/newsletter/True_North_Zone_Diagram.jpg?1516242184)
![True North / EC3 - Countertop, Sink, Beam, Windows](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5a60/04e7/f197/cc2b/ba00/033e/newsletter/True_North_2_interior_%C2%A9Jason_Keen.jpg?1516242141)
Once inside the community, the pathways connect visitors to the eight huts (nine units total), communal gardens, thirty trees, and eight parking spots alongside the back alley.
![True North / EC3 - Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5a60/05d5/f197/cc8f/5200/0991/newsletter/True_North_2_exterior_%C2%A9Chris_Miele.jpg?1516242378)
Each structure is assembled on top of a four-inch concrete slab with in-floor radiant heat, which is also the units finished floor. The end walls feature custom steel framing around polycarbonate panels that provide a higher level of security, natural light and high thermal value.
![True North / EC3 - Windows, Handrail](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5a60/0629/f197/cc2b/ba00/0348/newsletter/True_North_4_interior_%C2%A9Chris_Miele.jpg?1516242463)
For the interiors EC3 worked with the client and collaborators to develop a variety of layouts for the units – sizes ranging from 475 to 1,600 square feet – to inspire different creative lifestyles. Most of the units also feature an interior polycarbonate “island” containing a kitchen, a bathroom, and a mechanical/storage closet. Above the island, a mezzanine platform provides occupants with a flex for any use, possibly a bedroom, workspace or storage.
![True North / EC3 - Garden](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5a60/05fb/f197/cc2b/ba00/0347/medium_jpg/True_North_3_exterior_%C2%A9Chris_Miele.jpg?1516242410)
True North recently won The Architect’s Newspaper’s 2017 Best of Design Award in the Multi-Unit Residential Category and won an honorable mention from Architect Magazine in the 2017 Progressive Architecture P/A Awards.