Innovative Real Estate with Three Squared, Inc.
As specialists in efficient residential and commercial prefabricated design, Leslie Horn, Breck Crandell, and Jill Ramirez of Three Squared, Inc. share their greatest insights, tips, and case studies from their years of experience in the industry. They'll be giving you their best advice through, trainings, guest features, and Q&A segments so you can turn your innovative vision to a reality.
Innovative Real Estate with Three Squared, Inc.
Detroit's Legacy as a UNESCO City of Design
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We step back this week to celebrate Detroit’s world-renowned legacy of innovation, collaboration, and pride. From being globally recognized as the "Motor City" to leading the nation in creative design culture, Detroit continues to push boundaries across housing, manufacturing, equity, and urban development.
We break down what it truly means to be a UNESCO Creative City, the incredible mission of Design Core Detroit, and how Three Squared Inc. is carrying that standard forward through sustainable building practices aligned with UN Development Goals. Plus, we share a sneak peek into our upcoming 2026 Detroit Month of Design event: "Detroit’s Evolving Neighborhoods: Innovation within Mixed-Use Developments."
Episode Highlights:
- How Detroit’s culture of grit and collaboration fuels ongoing urban innovation.
- Detroit as the only US City of Design and how its 8 cultural pillars drive housing, equity, and manufacturing.
- How Design Core Detroit empowers creative entrepreneurs.
- United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals
- TSI’s Detroit Month of Design event!
Resources:
- View the full Show Notes.
- View the Sustainable UN development goals.
- RSVP to Three Squared’s Detroit Month of Design 2026 session!
- Address: Three Squared, Inc., 2541 Trumbull, Detroit, MI
Ready to move forward with your project? Contact us here and we will put you in contact with the right member of our team.
Make sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay up to date on new project releases, trainings, and more.
Let's face the facts. We don't manufacture shit in America anymore.
SPEAKER_00That gets me to kind of thinking about how we get a seat at the table against all of these other cities that feel like they're much more historic than Detroit.
SPEAKER_01It's not about just housing, it's really about life and quality.
SPEAKER_02And welcome back to the latest installment of Innovative Real Estate. We are your host, 3Squared Inc. Today we've got Brett Leslie and Jill. And today we are talking about. Oh, we've got an exciting announcement for everybody. Are you ready? Detroit is the only UNESCO site in the United States of America. Woo!
SPEAKER_00Woo! City of Design, to be clear.
SPEAKER_02I have a question. Yeah. What does that mean? I have no idea. I have no idea what a UNESCO World Heritage Site is. And I don't think I've ever met anybody else who knows the answer to that question.
SPEAKER_01Oh my God. I I know it. And as a matter of fact, in all of our travels, when Audrey and I travel across the world, we always seek out heritage sites, UNESCO Heritage Sites. It's it's because of the designation, the history, all of the exciting, um, you know, back like they're all designated for very specific reasons. And it's because it really gives a flow and it gives really detailed, you know, the the heritage of what a city is all about, and it's celebrated. And to have okay, so let's start back from from the very beginning of UNESCO.
SPEAKER_02Because what apparently UNESCO means it's for people who are uh who are have more class and are have seen more of the world than I have. Because uh all right, all right. So it's for people who this is a thing, it exists elsewhere, but like okay, Detroit's the only UNESCO city, and Jill said city of design. All right, let's let's unpack that. Okay, so let's to start. We have this designation. Uh it happened a few years ago, and we'll we'll get into a little bit of the history on it, but um, we have this designation as a city of design, and we've started celebrating that by basically all of the arts and architecture world collaborate and come to life for the entire month of September and throw parties and host events and showcase exhibits and put art on the wall and on the street, and it's really something to behold. Um, and uh, and so we're gonna talk today a little bit more about like our involvement, how we got roped into all this, how we've uh you know, kind of established ourselves as a part of everything happening in Detroit for the month of design, and then talking a little bit more about what a UNESCO city of design actually means. Now, with that, Leslie, my ignorance out of the way, we can start to unpack UNESCO, maybe by starting with the acknowledgement that this is an acronym. And this acronym stands for what, Leslie?
SPEAKER_01Yep, it stands for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.
SPEAKER_02Really rolls off the tongue.
SPEAKER_01I know, right? This is why it's called UNESCO, but it began in 1946 and a specialized agency. It's dedicated to strengthening all of our international cooperation in those topics of education, science, culture, and information. And UNESCO engages with governments to establish international standards and to respond to all of our global changes. Um for example, it's helping protect the biodiversity, responding to AI, artificial intelligence, advancing quality, education, safeguarding heritage, and also ensuring access to reliable information. It's all fact-based. So the purpose of our Detroit Month of Design Festival, so we became the first city in 2015. Um, and in 2015, uh uh there's a there's an organization, I think Jill's gonna talk about this later, but um Detroit's status as the first and only city in the entire United States designated as the UNESCO City of Design. And so we're gonna do a lot more about the month of design here in a second. But Breck, um, can you tell us what an UNESCO creative city is?
SPEAKER_02Well, I can try. I'm learning about this in real time based on the show notes prepared for us by our our wonderful Nora. And uh and I'm just realizing, yeah, there's like a whole network of this. So because of these designations, then this whole network started saying, all right, there's like clusters of these in areas, we're gonna start looking at the cities that actually have recognition. So back in 2004, earlier, uh, the the UNESCO CCN, so that's the Creative Cities Network, appeared. And they're trying to promote, along with the cities that identified um creative networking is like a strategic factor of sustainable urban development. Um, that if if we target these cities, then maybe we can establish like more of a network. Um, and then that turned into like an actual project beyond the cities. They started like the actual UNESCO creative city. Um, and then that was a designation that they really bestowed upon like special places uh where like creativity and cultural industries were the heart of the development, and that's starting to ring some bells with like we don't often think of America as an old place because it's not. If you go to the rest of the world, they have history, they have buildings that have lasted more than a hundred years or 200 years, they actually have government that has existed more than 250 years. We're still trying to figure that out because we're one of the world's babyest societies, which means we don't really have infrastructure and cities and buildings um worth it, I guess, yet. Like we're still trying to figure that out. I mean that in the best possible way, but like I'm excited for what Chicago, New York, LA look like in like a thousand years from now, if I'm being honest, right? Like, let's be fair to ourselves. There will be a new New York built on top because that's how cities develop over time. In the meanwhile, we've been kind of left out of this creative cities network, and we didn't have a creative city. Um, but we we fought we fought hard for that designation, and we kind of rose uh out of the rest of the story here. So I'm gonna back off and let Jill fill in some more of the gaps because she reads more up on history and certainly travels the world more than I do.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so I just have like a couple of stats that I think it's important for us to dive into because there's 408 of these creative cities around the world. And uh like, I mean, Leslie and I, we do travel a lot. So if you think about all of these different cities like Montreal, Kiretro, Berlin, uh Prague, Budapest, there's all of these other places that it's like Detroit isn't necessarily top of the mind when you think about UNESCO City of Design, but they're all based onto eight specific categories, um, which that includes architecture, crafts and folk art, design, film, gastronomy, literature, media arts, and music. That list totally applies to Detroit. Like our food scene is incredible. When people ask us where they should go to eat, we can list off so many places. Like, there's no way you gotta spend more than a month in Detroit to enjoy all these places. So we're doing pretty well there. Um, we've got some pretty cool buildings in Detroit. We've got some new ones. The Hudson is super exciting. That's actually an event um to tour the Hudson building as part of the Detroit month of design. We've got Eastern Market after dark, we've got all of these things here, huge music scene. So it makes me really proud that we're actually part of it. And so that gets me to kind of thinking about how we get a seat at the table against all of these other cities that feel like they're much more historic than Detroit, especially because America is the babiest. So if we have a seat with all of these other design capitals, what does that mean for us? So I think a key factor in Detroit, I mean, we're the automotive city. Everyone has a car here. So there's like a lot of layers behind that. But that also means that we're a huge headquarters for industrial manufacturing. So furniture, buildings, products, music, and graphics, all of these things that really bring a lot of artists here and that speak to the the culture here in Detroit, which I'm super proud of. So, since we are the first UNESCO city of design in the United States, what I wanted to kind of dive into that I think could be like a loaded conversation here, is how that design culture is starting to influence the housing and development industry that Three Squared is so focused on. So then how does that translate into equitable housing, manufacturing of housing, and influence on neighborhoods in the future for Detroit? Um, so Breck, I think that you could shed some light because you've always done um housing studies throughout your entire career.
SPEAKER_01Well, let me interrupt because you guys, Detroit is a city of many firsts, right? In in so many things. The first freeway, the first road, the first typewriter, the first area code in the United States. So you'd have got Michigan Avenue. I mean, they've got all these major firsts. So it doesn't surprise me that we are included as one of 53 cities in the entire world. In the entire world as a city of design. And so I like how we're correlating this to real estate and how we're bringing it just down to grassroots with our mission of how with with all with all the city infill and all the city real estate. So yeah, I just wanted to interrupt with one item and that was it. Thank you.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, that's a that's a really, really finite way of saying like why why would Detroit be a UNESCO World Heritage Site? Uh, because we gave you cars and music and mid-century modernism to start. I mean, like, yeah, we there's a lot of great things about Detroit. Detroit is like, I I did travel early and now I'm a homebody, but like Leslie and Jill are still, you know, traveling the world round. But you know, when I was out and about, uh, if people asked me where I was from, and I would say uh Michigan, and they'd be like, what? The United States, Michigan, hand, hand, and be like, no. You'd say Detroit, and they'd be like, Motor City. Everybody knows Detroit, everybody knows that automobiles came from Detroit. Everybody knows of Henry Ford and the invention of the assembly line. Like, that was our claim to fame. That was the big game changer, and then factories. Well, what that meant is that that like spurred huge changes in in architecture as well. Like, we're also the home of Albert Conn, who invented like modern factories and what we now know as sawtooth roofs and skylights, which are like prolific across the whole world of built architecture. Let's start here. Let's start here in Detroit. Like big, big columns that like blossom up at the top. Um, all of these things, like, there, there's a lot of structure and technology that was birthed here in Detroit because of our background in manufacturing and and all that history. So when we look at our designation now and we say, all right, that's cool, we're celebrating all these things, but I've I love where this question's going. What does that mean for the future? What does UNESCO World Heritage Site mean for architects who are practicing here? Well, Leslie's alluding to maybe it's a nod back to our roots in manufacturing. Let's face the facts. We don't manufacture shit in America anymore. We just don't. It's like the manufacturing is gone. Look at every metric any economist will tell you it's liquidated since the 20s. Like, we don't manufacture here anymore. We sent those jobs overseas. Okay, well, there is manufacturing of sorts that's coming back, and it's very involved with technology. And we have long dabbled with the conversation on this podcast and just in our industry in general of mass producing houses. Oh, oh, it makes so much sense. It makes so why would we not produce on a large scale components that make housing the same way that we mass produce every other thing in our lives, like everything else came off an assembly line, except for the room I'm sitting in? I think that's fascinating. And I think that there are a number of very, very creative outlets, all kind of rustling around here in Detroit. And September happens to be the one, some one time of year where everybody's just like encouraged to come out with their weirdness, and we all mingle. And so we meet the pad and we meet the design think tank and we collaborate with home design technology and we talk to Genosco, who's mass manufacturing components of housing. All these things are happening in Detroit. Um, they're they're just happening in pockets, and when we start to collaborate during these magical uh moments of collaboration, where it doesn't feel like we're in competition with each other, it feels like we're all actually here to share where we're at in our journey. And it seems like at a lot of these cross-pollination events, we are really open to that feedback. Challenge us, like poke holes in where we're at here, and let's start to work together. So it's not a bunch of architecture firms fighting. It's like, hey, you do this, we do this, they do that. We should all start talking more. And I end up with a stack of business cards that turn into contacts on my phone. So if you ask me what UNESCO World Heritage means to me, uh, it means good thumbs up for the history of what Detroit is, but it also puts uh a big weight on our shoulders on three squared to develop what that means for the future of Detroit. Like what what is what is a World Heritage site being the only one in America mean for developing new housing? Well, I think that's a pretty interesting question. Leslie, if if you're gonna go back to this conversation of where Detroit started and where it's going right now, um can can you tell can you tell us more? Can you tell us more about what your thoughts are on this?
SPEAKER_01It excites me because it's a city of again, I go back to the city of firsts, right? And I find that in the city of Detroit, there is not a single person that is not they're proud. I mean, I have never seen a group of citizens in the entire city who will fight for their city um ride or die because of its creativity, because it allows people to to collaborate and to really uh have the opportunity of creativity on all fronts. In 2011, I think it was, that's when this organization that designed uh design corps Detroit, it's formally called um formally called the Detroit Creative Corridor Center. And as an organization, they changed their names and then they just their mission, um, I'm gonna read their mission. It says to connect local creatives with business opportunities, advocate for the value of design across industries, and provide resources that empower designers, businesses, and organizations to thrive in Detroit. And so when I take a look at why Detroit, because I'll tell you, in my travels, even coming to and from Detroit, people ask what I do. Hey, uh, I work in Detroit, and they're like, Oh, aren't you afraid? Aren't you? And I'm like, oh my God, like, are we still on that, right? No, we are not on that. And so the city, uh, it is again one of the most thriving cities, and it's because of its citizens, it's because of the collective collaboration that is encouraged. Uh, we've had some amazing mayors, we've gone through struggles, but at the end of the day, they always come back united, and as um having the ability to and encouragement to be the first of its kind, I'll bring it back into just our company in Three Squared, having the courage to build the first container house in the state of Michigan. Number one, number two, Breck having um an AI-driven, have a generative design for his house and also built out of foam and steel panels. Like we take we're encouraged and feel excited to have a first in what we know. And mass timber, we're bringing those items to the forefront in our practice. What is innovative? Because we are tired of how things have always been done and the antiquated effects that it has on our current ability to have a house longer than its mortgage. I mean, it's just like let's bring it down to the nuts, nuts and bolts here. So I'm excited about this because then, you know, Design Core as an entity gets to bring a variety of panels and events and networking items and mixers and just the whole, the whole gamut of why we connect to each other. We connect designers to resources and we connect resources to each other, including the entire month of September. It's very exciting. So, Jill, can you tell me of the impact of UNESCO in Detroit today and what this whole September is about?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so this started in September of 2018, and every year, the entire month of September is dedicated to Detroit Month of Design as a celebration of Detroit being a UNESCO city of design. So Three Squared is participating this year as we did last year, and I think a huge factor in this is just really diving into our global impact. So in our in our show notes, we're gonna drop the link because there's some sustainable development goals through the UN that you have to kind of propose an event that meets some of these. So I just kind of want to highlight because Three Squared's goal, not only as a UNESCO city of design, but also just our goal as an architectural firm, is to provide sustainable cities and communities. So our own development, Cochrane Commons, that's going to be right in our backyard behind our shipping container building, it's going to be a hybrid mass timber constructed building. And so we're doing a presentation on that development to kind of dive into all of our thought process behind it. So part of our submission process that Nora and I collaborated on was just kind of like diving into how do we meet the criteria to sustain these UN development goals. So we looked into affordable and clean energy and these kinds of things that make these types of events more accessible and getting a public knowledge out there about what we're doing. Um, a huge part of being in Detroit as well is that accessibility to these kinds of events. I'm excited that a lot of these events are actually free to the public. So it can really get the word out there. A lot of firms and buildings you wouldn't normally be able to see just open their doors to the public, which I think is kind of rare. So it's like a really good opportunity for people to just participate and feel like they're part of something bigger, which is pretty cool in my opinion, because this whole UNESCO City of Design is a huge opportunity for Detroit to collaborate with international cities. And I think that that's a really big component to expanding what we can do because I think that there's a million things that we can learn from other cities like Berlin and Cape Town and how different they function than Detroit. But there's also a million things they can learn from us. Like we're we're on the uptick, so it's pretty cool to be able to share that knowledge. Um, another part of this is just recognizing ourselves as a competitor in the economic, cultural, and then urban development assets. So it's not just about like what our buildings look like or what Detroit looks like. It's more about how the system itself works and who can access it. So having these free events, I think, is pretty critical. So that you're not necessarily tacking a cost on and eliminating a certain population from artwork and the just kind of these exploratory events that really get the city to come together and feel more like a community, especially when we're the motor city. I think that sometimes that feeling does get a little bit lost. So, in my opinion, the month of design is a really special time where you just get to network with a lot of people you normally wouldn't, because you get in the same room and you get to have really productive conversations. So, part of our goal at Three Squared is to always loop this back to what we do towards infill housing, particularly in the city of Detroit. So we're always looking into how we can improve a neighborhood, looping us back into Cochrane Commons, a huge goal. Of ours was to provide amenities specific to the North Corktown neighborhood because those residents are so unique. So we did a lot of effort into figuring out what matters to them and we incorporated that into our building. So I'm really excited to design our or to dive into that when we do our event. We'll get more into the details of those events. But Leslie, I want to hand it back to you now to talk about these sustainability goals of the United Nations that I had kind of touched on at the beginning of my whole spiel.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you know, I read the sustainability goals. And I mean it's not about just housing, it's really about life and quality, you know, no poverty, zero hunger. And uh Nora's gonna drop these sustainability um uh goals inside the um inside our show notes um so that we can read. But like clean water, sanitation, gender equality, I mean, it goes on and on, 17 of them. And uh it speaks our language as a firm. I mean, just you know, to be a good steward, I think, really can encapture this. But UNESCO, what's exciting about this is that their endeavor uh as a as an organization is to really execute all of these initiatives through uh through their mission and through their passion and designations. So we're gonna go ahead and put that in there, but our three goals as we kind of come back and land and tie it into three squared is you know, sustainable cities and communities, affordable and clean energy, and then industry, uh, innovation and infrastructure. And when I take a look at like all those three buttons right there, we you've heard it in our show before. We think during the design process, we believe we design with intention so that the cost of the house is not just the initial cost of the house, we have to think further than that as an industry. What is the cost of heating and cooling and replacing your windows? What good is it if you build and design with cheap stuff? We see it all over. But if we can go ahead and bridge that gap as a firm and create affordable and not just again the cost of construction, but the lifeline, the lifelong uh history of that home. I mean, we love creating new history in in 3 squared, and I I it's it's exciting for us. And I believe that with having our innovation inside our infrastructure of the team, I think that's where we really get to shine. And, you know, sustainability, using prefabricated materials, energy efficient and cost effective, these are all words that we use every day in our mission as an architectural and design firm and in our consulting, quite honestly. Um people come to us with projects before they're even, you know, with with land, but they're just they're still not ready. But we talk about it from the base and foundation of planning. And so uh Brett, I'm gonna have you kind of close this out with us because I I know I can go on and on. Um, but I think everybody on this listening to this call, look at the source of the 17 sustainable uh sustainability goals that the United Nations has. I think it's such a great uh list to endeavor and to embrace.
SPEAKER_02Well, it's also just good to remind ourselves of the human in all these conversations, Leslie. Like you're bringing it back to why we do these things. Like, okay, so so let's let's just review very quickly what is UNESCO World Heritage City of Design. Um well, all right. If somebody asks you that question, here's what I would say. First of all, it's an honor to be recognized. That's where it started, right? Um, that honor is a win worth celebrating. And you know what? Damn it, we need more reasons to celebrate. It's kind of getting weird out there. I don't need to explain that to y'all. Like, it's it's a little rough. Everybody feels it. The air is thick. Um, it's been a theme around our office as of late. Like, let's celebrate those wins, give ourselves a reason to party. So it's a month-long party. UNESCO World Heritage Site means September we party, and that means, as Leslie so clearly pointed out, like it's a vibe. It's a vibe, it's the people, it's the shirts that say Detroit versus everybody. It's the event where we're you know meeting and exchanging ideas. Uh it's it's a Detroit's really, really a magical place to be at this particular moment in time, right? Because because history, history kind of like it's it's what it was is gone, right? And what it is rebuilding is a mixture of people who've stayed here, people who are coming back to here, uh, and and and new people coming in for a new opportunity. And I'll be honest, like the the industry might push back sometimes. The city, the officials, the code books, the rules might push back some of the times. But Detroit's still like as close as you're gonna get to the to the wild west right now, honestly. Like, we get to do some weird stuff here. Let me get let me give you an example. Our firm, Three Squared Inc., three of us that are here representing our our larger team of right now nine folk, like that team is simultaneously working with containers as like just a just a building material that we use on all sorts of projects, like houses and offices and restaurants. I'm also working on a high-rise mass timber project with this team in our very own backyard, a hundred units of mass timber in Detroit, and we're always working on panelized infill homes all over Detroit in the Midwest. Find me another architecture firm that can confidently say they're working on all three of those project types, and then tell me it's only nine people, and I'll tell you you're out of your mind, and I have no idea how you're pulling that off. Well, it's because Detroit's a little weird, and you know what that means? It means when we go to the city and they say no because our rules say so, we stopped getting frustrated and we started going, why? Why is this not allowed? And that started opening up doors where we started working with the city to start figuring out what is it that you want. You say you want development and you say you need it, but then you have these roadblocks in the way. Like, why are we shooting ourselves in the foot? It's a really interesting time, I'll say again, to be in Detroit. Now, I will also add this caveat. If you know an architect, if you know a general contractor, give them a hug, please. It's rough out there. You're getting beat up on all fronts. Like, you think you're unhappy hearing prices are up? Like, yo, I have to deliver that news. Jill has to make that phone call to that contractor who's like sweating bullets because they gotta make that phone call. And Leslie's the one sending and receiving those checks constantly. Like, yeah, we feel it. We feel it out there. But there is a lot of exciting things happening in Detroit. There is a future where we have to build housing. There's no other future for this country, for the nation of the United States of America. We have to have more housing. Point blank. Or the whole thing tanks, right? So we're gonna be a part of that conversation. And it's gonna be a mixture of working with weird stuff like containers and working with new technologies that's really solidifying itself like mass timber and doing the stuff that we have become comfortable thought leaders in, which is panelized infill housing. Like all of these things coming together. Uh, we're we're gonna be here. And if you want to be a part of that, you want to be a part of our team, show up at the month of design. Jill's about to tell you where to find us, how to reach out, take us home, Jill.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so I'm really excited to share that we've solidified our three squared oriented month of design event is on September 16th. It'll be at our three-squared office. We'll drop our address in the notes, but it's in 2541 Trumbull off of Pine and Trumbull Street in North Corktown. So from five to seven, we'll be chatting about our Cochrane Commons development. So our event is titled Detroit's Evolving Neighborhoods Innovation Innovating Innovation within mixed use developments. Yeah. So it's a mouthful. I can't even say it right. So we hope that each and every single one of you come to this event.
SPEAKER_01We've had busloads before, and this is what the Detroit Month of Design is all about our busloads of people traveling around, and we are part of that. I'm so excited.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, Leslie, thank you for sharing that because something I wanted to touch on is just how excited we are to be something, be part of something bigger than ourselves. So Leslie and I are gonna keep traveling the world. Breck, we're eventually gonna get you to Japan. We're gonna push you out of here, go get some travel in, see some more UNESCO cities of design, and then bring that knowledge back to Detroit and continue to just be good stewards of this city and spreading the knowledge and getting these thought leaders in this in the same room because that's such a unique time. So we're excited, we're here for it, we're definitely participating. Say hi to us if you see us at other events. Um, we'll we'll drop loads of notes in here to get you guys out to these kinds of things. So, last but not least, we hope that you like, subscribe, and save and share our podcast. You can listen to us anywhere that you can on Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Amazon. You can follow us on socials. Our Instagram handle is at three squaredinc. You can also watch us on YouTube if you're a fan of that. And we hope to see you guys around. Come say hi to us.
SPEAKER_02I also hope you guys appreciate that we just never do second takes here, and that's like the true like human in it. Like, you know, AI isn't involved in these podcast episodes because like we're just blowing it and laughing our way through. So if you hear Leslie's laugh, and you will come find us, and we'll see you next time. Innovative real estate three squared ink. Thanks, guys.
SPEAKER_01Thanks, guys. Thanks, guys. Bye, bye.