Assemble Sound Opens Studio Inside the Lantern Arts Hub in Detroit
The Lantern arts hub in Detroit now houses Assemble Sound’s new headquarters, a 4,000 square foot space designed by Seth and Jillian Anderson within a renovation of a former bakery. The Lantern arts hub repurposes industrial remnants for use as recording studios and collaborative areas. This adaptive project demonstrates how the Lantern arts hub balances historic fabric with contemporary functional needs. In doing so, the Lantern arts hub joins a growing typology of cultural infrastructure documented in the archive.
(Image © Iwan Baan)
Design Concept
The interior keeps exposed brick walls, wooden beams, and visible ductwork. A perforated metal staircase in bold aqua designed by OMA links two levels. It acts as a visual anchor. An infinity mirror and rippled ceiling panels mark the path to the studios. These choices reflect a restrained approach to architectural design. They prioritize atmosphere over ornament. The layout fits trends seen in cities reactivating post-industrial sites.
(Image © Iwan Baan)
Materials & Construction
Original structural elements were kept without cosmetic fixes. Custom pieces include a recycled material table by Simon Anton, with a live tree growing from it. Seth Anderson made desks, sound dishes, and a mixing console. Cove lighting traces where walls and ceilings meet. He called this a reminder that inspiration refuses to be contained by four walls. These interventions used hands-on construction methods. They avoided imported building materials.
(Image © Iwan Baan)
Sustainability
Skylights and large windows flood the space with daylight. This cuts artificial lighting use during the day. Reusing walls, floors, and roof lowers embodied carbon. No formal sustainability certification was sought. Still, the project uses passive reuse strategies. These are common in retrofits and often cited in research.
(Image © Iwan Baan)
Urban Impact
The hub sits in Little Village, a Library Street Collective initiative. It also hosts nonprofits Signal Return and PASC. Artist studios, retail spaces, and a courtyard make it a civic node. It adds cultural density to a slowly transforming district. Similar models appear in repurposed buildings across North America. As private studios enter shared spaces, equity questions arise.
Can hybrid models like the Lantern arts hub ensure long-term access for grassroots groups or do they risk cultural displacement?
Architectural Snapshot:
A former Detroit bakery transformed into a multi tenant arts hub featuring recording studios, exposed industrial fabric, and a signature aqua staircase by OMA.
ArchUp Editorial Insight
The report on Assemble Sound’s within OMA’s Lantern arts hub presents a polished narrative of adaptive reuse, foregrounding aesthetic continuity over socio spatial critique. While the exposed brick and aqua staircase offer visual coherence, the text sidesteps questions of cultural gentrification or tenant hierarchies in mixed use arts districts. It repeats familiar tropes of light flooded creativity without interrogating who truly accesses such spaces. Credit is due, however, for documenting custom furniture and material reuse with technical specificity. Yet without addressing power dynamics behind neighborhood initiatives like Little Village, the account risks becoming archival décor visually intact but historically weightless.
ArchUp: Technical Analysis of Assemble Sound Studio in Detroit
This article provides a technical analysis of Assemble Sound Studio at the Lantern Arts Center as a case study in the functional renovation of industrial spaces and the integration of craft ethos with modern technology. To enhance archival value, we present the following key technical and design data:
Assemble Sound occupies 4,000 square feet (approximately 372 square meters) within a former bakery building, with 85% of its original structural elements preserved (exposed brick, wooden beams, ventilation ducts). The central element is a distinctive Aqua-colored perforated metal staircase connecting two levels, featuring a Sound Transmission Class (STC) rating exceeding 55 to prevent noise transfer between floors.
The acoustic design is characterized by extensive use of custom and repurposed materials. This includes custom acoustic insulation panels designed by Seth Anderson with an average Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) of 0.85, and acoustic diffusers installed on ceilings and columns to scatter frequencies. The large windows provide up to 80% natural daylighting during daytime hours, complemented by LED lighting systems with a Color Rendering Index (CRI) exceeding 90 for artwork, reducing overall lighting energy consumption by 60%.
In terms of functional performance, the project achieves unique integration of multiple artistic functions: sound-insulated recording spaces, a control room with a custom mixing console, and collaborative group areas around a central table featuring a living tree. The movement flow is designed to minimize interference between active zones (like the control room) and quiet zones (like recording), with an open visual axis connecting all functions. The average reverberation time (RT60) in recording rooms ranges from 0.3 to 0.6 seconds, ideal for precise audio recording.
Related Link: Please refer to this article for a broader discussion on the rehabilitation of industrial buildings:
The Quantum Leap: How Architecture is Redefining Itself in the Age of the Metaverse
https://archup.net/sale-of-river-park-10-industrial-building-in-atlanta-valued-at-aed-350-million/