• Print Edition

    Great Lakes By Design: Architectonics

    Design Spotlight Inverted bowl the patent-pending concept poised to revolutionize the stadium and arena design industry Thread in transit the award-winning, integrated CTA Washington/Wabash Elevated Train Station serving as a gateway in the heart of downtown Chicago Moment of flight the award-winning pavilion capturing the drama of flight at Gerald R. Ford International Airport Design Corner Garofalo Screen the custom, French-inspired fire…

  • Travel

    Reinvigorated essence

    Text: R. Collins For many northern Michigan businesses and organizations, the serenity of the area’s natural environment—composed by sandy bluffs, fresh water, dense deciduous forests, and awe-inspiring seasonal changes—often inspires the design of retail and gathering spaces. When it came time for Spa Grand Traverse, a full-service spa within the Grand Traverse Resort in Acme, Michigan, to receive an upgrade…

  • Design

    Valued stone

    Text: R. Collins  As timeless components of many interior spaces, stone products have grown in quantity and quality as a result of development in fabrication techniques and becoming increasingly customizable for individuals and businesses.  Great Lakes Granite Works in Comstock Park, Michigan, is a designer, retailer, and fabricator of fine stone products, pursuing customer satisfaction and a diverse range of…

  • Architecture,  Form,  Residential

    Timeless timber

    Warm timber accents and a cool color palette compose the interior and exterior personality of a lakeside home in Rapid City, Michigan. Finished in the spring of 2018 and designed by architecture, engineering, and design firm Edgewater Design Group, the home captures the best of classic northern Michigan craftsman styles while functioning as an almost full-year residence overlooking Torch Lake.…

  • Architecture,  Form,  Residential

    The woven coastal cottage landscape

    With its angled, architectural lines and sweeping mirrored wings, this nearly 6,000-square-foot lakefront home embraces its location. The canted floorplan acknowledges and leverages its pie-shaped, elevated site overlooking the crystal blue waters of Glen Lake below, and there is an intention paid to its natural landscape as the homeowners and design team behind the project sought to blend the home…

  • Design Spotlight

    Commerce Design: Detroit

    The inaugural competition announces 10 winning projects in a celebration of design and highlight of innovation in business across the city’s neighborhoods. Text: R.J. Weick   Design Core Detroit, a non-profit organization championing design-driven businesses, and AIA Detroit officially announced the 10 winning projects of the inaugural Commerce Design: Detroit competition during a special ceremony held Oct. 25, 2018 at…

  • Creative Endeavors

    Mediterranean air

    Text: R. Collins  When designing the interior for a new Byron Center, Michigan home—which would be featured in the Home Builders Association of Greater West Michigan’s annual parade—Julie Wynalda, founder of True Vine Creations in Hudsonville, Michigan, looked no further than the Mediterranean aesthetics of the homeowner’s childhood living spaces in Israel and her design firm’s own principles.  “My style…

  • Design Spotlight

    Iron and ivory

    “There was something consistent no matter where I studied and that was the principles of Vitruvius, who was an architectural philosopher in the Roman Empire. He really stressed good design is focused around three main components, which is feasibility, beauty, and durability; so essentially function, beauty, and strength,” said Kayla Pongrac, principal, designer, and co-founding partner of Iron and Ivory…

  • Creative Endeavors

    Tactile language

    In the 1990s, Founder and Artistic Director Iris Wang noticed sunlight through a cascade of maple leaves outside of her kitchen window, which doubled as her studio at the time for the humble warehouse operations of Brentano Inc. It would serve as the catalyst for the small company as Wang then blended a painted Japanese-inspired maple leaf with a series…