Location: Detroit, MI
Size: Bus storage - 125,000 SF | Operations building - 17,000 SF Status: Completed in 2026
Team: InToto Studio - Design Architect
DLZ Group - Architect of Record Client: Detroit Building Authority, DDOT

The Detroit Department of Transportation’s new bus maintenance facility will consolidate and improve overall bus operations within the city and surrounding communities. Three separate buildings are placed on the site with interdependent programs: Indoor Bus Storage with a capacity of 144 buses, Fleet Maintenance, and Operations.

As the lead design architect, InToto developed a unified exterior design strategy to create a functional and cost-sensitive solution for the overall facility. Exterior insulated precast concrete wall panels – used structurally on the Bus Storage and Fleet Maintenance buildings, and as a cladding panel on the Operations building - are durable with enhanced thermal performance and maintain aesthetic quality under heavy use. Complementing the regular repetition of garage bay doors, precast concrete is treated in sensitive ways through texture, pattern, and proportions, creating cohesion between the three buildings. InToto is the design lead working with the lead A/E joint venture of DZL/HDR. Responsibilities include architectural design and documentation of the exterior envelope of all buildings on the campus, assisting with site concepts, programming, and specifically, the architectural design and plan layouts for the Operations building.