Overview
The Palmer Drive Development at the University of Michigan consists of a complex of buildings at the southwest corner of Washtenaw Avenue and Huron Street. Existing buildings that will be incorporated into the project are the Central Power Plant and the Fletcher Street parking structure. The North University Building has been demolished. The new buildings included in this development are:
- Life Sciences Institute Building
- Palmer Drive Parking Structure
- Commons Building
- Undergraduate Science Building
The Life Sciences Institute Building will consist of six floors and a mechanical penthouse to provide “wet” research laboratory and support spaces, core laboratory areas, principal investigators offices, interaction spaces, administrative offices for the Life Sciences Institute, a combination gallery/lobby space, and a small library. The 235,000 gross square feet building will house 325 to 375 people.
The Palmer Drive Parking Structure is expected to accommodate approximately 1,000 parking spaces.
The Commons Building will provide conference space and dining facilities along with retail space. A Department of Public Safety neighborhood office will be located here, as well as Plant Operations department offices. The building will be 99,000 gross square feet.
The Undergraduate Science Building will be located on top of the Palmer Drive Parking Structure. The four-story building will house instructional space for students and space for a variety of science programs.
All of these buildings will be tied together with a new walkway system. This will begin from the sidewalk on the North University Avenue next to the Dental School. Then it passes between the Life Sciences Institute and Undergraduate Science Building on top of the Palmer Parking Structure. It will continue across a bridge over Palmer Drive and along the east side of the Commons Building. A new pedestrian bridge will continue this path over Washtenaw Avenue, finally sloping down to meet grade near Couzens Hall. This will provide a safe, direct circulation path between Central Campus and the Medical Campus.