Sports + recreation design-build · Detroit, Michigan
Built for the neighborhood. Ready for championships.
We have built for five major-league franchises and for neighborhood rec centers. The discipline is the same either way: settle what the building has to do, then deliver it on a fixed price and a fixed date.
What the work aligns
Performance begins with clear priorities.
- Programs the community actually uses
- Athlete and spectator experience
- Operations and maintenance you can afford
- A clear scope, budget, and date
One building, many definitions of success.
Daily recreation, competition, training, staffing, maintenance, safety, and revenue all have to fit together. We settle those priorities early, then carry them into design and construction.
You work with the principals.
No layers between you and the people making decisions. Senior leaders who know sports and public-serving buildings stay on your project from the first meeting.
Detroit roots. Great Lakes understanding.
Tight urban sites, hard winters, public process, and community identity all shape the building. That context matters when a facility has to earn trust and last decades.
Relevant work
Proof in the portfolio.
Service area
Where we work.
We are based in downtown Detroit. Our sports and recreation work includes Detroit PAL in southwest Detroit and the Greater Flint YMCA. Beyond Michigan, it includes an aquatic center outside Chicago and a recreation center concept in Washington, DC.
Useful answers
Questions owners ask early.
What does a sports and recreation architect do?
They pull programming, site planning, athlete and spectator needs, operations, accessibility, building systems, budget, and schedule into one coordinated design. We go further and build the facility too, under one contract.
When should an owner involve a design and construction team?
Before scope and budget are fixed. Early planning tests what you need, what the site allows, and what you can fund. Bringing cost expertise in early is how a project avoids being redesigned to fit a number later.
Does Framework E work on renovations as well as new facilities?
Yes. New construction, renovation, adaptive reuse, additions, and early planning for sports, recreation, education, civic, and community owners.
How much does a sports or recreation facility cost?
It depends on the program, the site, and whether you build new or renovate. A cost per square foot means little until those are settled. A Design Framework Report gives you a real number with contingency applied.
What a recreation center costs ↗︎How do owners pay for a sports facility?
Rarely from one source. Grants, millages, partnerships, and phasing usually work together. A defined scope, cost, and schedule is what makes any of them possible.
Funding a facility without a bond ↗︎Can one building serve the neighborhood and serious competition?
Yes, if it is planned that way from the start. Scheduling, access, seating, and storage let practice, events, and community programs share one building.
Sports architecture at every level ↗︎Start before the scope hardens