The Gallery on Fulton
Grand Rapids, Michigan

The Gallery on Fulton is a LEED certified mixed-use development providing downtown Grand Rapids with residential condominiums, several retail spaces, public parking and a new home for the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts (UICA).The UICA is a non-profit art institution that serves as Michigan’s largest contemporary art center and multidisciplinary laboratory for all forms of modern art including dance, performance art, film, literature, and the visual arts. The new spaces will include galleries, theaters for dance and film, and studios for all disciplines.

As part of the Historic Heartside community, the project is located at the confluence of three city planning districts, the Contemporary, the Arts, and the Avant Garde. Through form and material selections, the design is a balanced reflection of each of these districts as well as the city of Grand Rapids as a whole. In an effort to activate Fulton Street, the street level is defined by retail and gallery spaces with large glass storefronts. The UICA portion of the base of the building will be clad in Rheinzinc panels, a material which has been used for hundreds of years on historic buildings throughout the world. Though the material has been used throughout history, the forms which it defines are an indication of the contemporary nature of the facility. The public parking structure is screened with a vegetative screen wall which reflects Grand Rapids belief in the importance of sustainable living. The residential tower is clad in metal panels and glass, two materials that are integral part of the Grand Rapids skyline.

When completed, the project will be one of the nation’s first LEED-certified facilities uniting nonprofit, government, retail and residential components.

Defined by a clean, modern material pallette, the units at the Gallery use the urban context as a springboard for material selection. Bringing aesthetic elements of the exterior into the interior, the units juxtapose the grittiness of exposed concrete columns and ceilings with the sophisticated finish of stone countertops and stainless steel fixtures.

Two unit schemes are created through the use of a “blonde” and an “ebony” millwork scheme, each paired with an accent color used on significant walls. The result is a contextually relevant space with a wholly contemporary attitude.