Project Details

Client : Bedrock
Location : Detroit, MI
Project Type : Architecture, Interior, Landscape
Program : Retail, Office, Hotel, Residential
Building Area : 487,780 square feet
Status : Completed in 2023

**Project completed during tenure at ODA

Designed by Louis Kemper in 1916, the Book Tower is one of the most recognized buildings in Detroit’s skyline. The 486,760 square-foot structure, which was originally an office tower in an Italian Renaissance style, was acquired by Bedrock in 2015, Detroit’s premier full-service real estate company.

An extensive exterior restoration included the replacement of 2,483 historically-accurate windows and full restoration of the ornamental cornice complete with caryatid statues. A historic art glass skylight will be brought back to its original splendor as part of the restoration work.

The role is to update and expand on Book Tower’s programing and existing structures, creating nearly 500,000 square feet of downtown residential, hospitality, retail and office space. The restoration of this 38-story landmark is one of the most ambitious and high-profile adaptive reuse projects in the heart of Downtown Detroit and will provide an opportunity to create a cohesive civic vision for Washington Boulevard; bringing people, place, and events together. The building’s residents and guests will share amenity spaces throughout the different levels as well as awe-inspiring entertaining spaces on the roof of the Book Building portion of the property.

The objective is to add a forward-looking mixed-use program to Detroit’s growing downtown that will meet the needs of businesses, visitors and residents alike.

The plans include a blend of public and private space, including a variety of public amenities in the form of retail, galleries, restaurants and cafe – many with open sight lines to Washington Boulevard and Grand River Avenue – adding to the city’s pedestrian experience. Accessible from multiple sides, the building will serve as a point of engagement in the city center, unlocking its potential as a link between Grand Circus Park, all the way to the Cobo Center.

Project Details

Client : Miraein, SSG Properties LLC
Location : Seoul, Korea
Project Type : Architecture, Interior, Landscape
Program : Retail, Office, Hotel, Residential
Building Area : 370,000 square feet
Status : In Schematic Design

**Project completed during tenure at ODA

The winning entry of the Creative Innovation Architecture Design Pilot Project competition, this visionary mixed-use tower in Seoul, South Korea, redefines urban living through a groundbreaking integration of nature and public space. The high-rise features an open, welcoming podium and a striking sky garden that functions as a vibrant communal hub. More than a bold architectural statement, the design strengthens the connection between the building, its residents, and the surrounding city—creating a landmark that invites interaction, fosters community, and enhances the urban experience.

A Return to the Clear Water Valley

Today, Cheongdam-dong is considered one of the most vibrant urban environments in the world, featuring luxury fashion flagship stores, art galleries, upscale restaurants, and parks. Nevertheless, the area maintains a close connection to nature due to its proximity to the Han River and Hangang Park. Until the early 1960s, people crossed the Han River from the Ttukseom ferry dock to reach Cheongdam. The original name of Cheongdam, ‘Cheongsutgol,’ means ‘clear water valley,’ and was named after a clear pond that existed during the Joseon Dynasty. The river in this area is also known to be ‘as clear and calm as a pond.’

Now, the location where the pond used to be is developed into apartment complexes.

Project Details

Client : MRR
Location : Manhattan
Project Type : Architecture, Interior, Landscape
Program : Retail, Residential
Building Area : 207,480 square feet
Status : In Construction, to be completed late 2025

**Project completed during tenure at ODA

126 East 57th Street spans the width of a full city block, extending from 56th to 57th Street, and is envisioned as a 175,000-square-foot residential tower. Nearly every unit will include a private outdoor terrace, animating the cast-in-place concrete façade with a sculptural composition of projections and recesses. The primary entrance on 57th Street invites residents through a copper-mirrored gateway into a dramatic six-story atrium, offering views into a lushly landscaped courtyard. A gallery leads from the atrium to the main lobby, which provides access to the 28-story tower above. A secondary entrance, located along 56th Street, features a discreet porte-cochère for convenient vehicular drop-off.

The building’s distinctive footprint and varied layouts allow for a rich sequence of amenity experiences—an array of interconnected, intimate spaces thoughtfully woven throughout the building. These moments, located just steps from each residence, provide places to relax, gather, or explore. Together, they create an ecosystem that fosters a sense of community and enhances the overall residential experience.

Project Details

Client : One World Trade Center
Location : Manhattan, New York
Project Type : Architecture
Program : Retail, Office
Site Area: 74,328 square feet
Building Height: 1,776 feet
Number of Stories: 104
Building Area: 3,500,000 square feet
Status : Construction Complete (2014)

**Project completed during tenure at SOM

Completed in 2014, One World Trade Center recaptures the New York skyline, reasserts downtown Manhattan’s preeminence as a business center, and establishes a new civic icon for the country. It is a memorable architectural landmark for the city and the nation — a building whose simplicity and clarity of form will remain fresh and timeless. Extending the long tradition of American ingenuity in high-rise construction, the design solution is an innovative mix of architecture, structure, urban design, safety, and sustainability.

One World Trade Center is a bold icon in the sky that acknowledges the adjacent memorial. While the memorial, carved out of the earth, speaks of the past and of remembrance, One World Trade Center speaks about the future and hope as it rises upward in a faceted form filled with, and reflecting, light. This tower evokes the slender, tapering triangular forms of great New York City icons such as the Chrysler Building and Empire State Building and replaces almost one quarter of the office space lost on September 11, 2001.

As the tower rises from a cubic base, its edges are chamfered back, resulting in a faceted form composed of eight elongated isosceles triangles. At its middle, the tower forms a perfect octagon in plan and then culminates in a glass parapet whose plan is a 150-foot-by-150-foot square, rotated 45 degrees from the base. Its overall effect is that of a crystalline form that captures an ever-evolving display of refracted light. As the sun moves through the sky or we move around the tower, the surfaces appear like a kaleidoscope, and will change throughout the day as light and weather conditions change.