Emma Ockerman

Detroit Free Press

Philip Kafka’s Detroit home — a sloped, steel Quonset hut — certainly stands out.

That’s all right, says the 30-year-old, who splits his time between Detroit and New York. It’s supposed to.

Kafka said this breed of alternative housing is what Detroiters want, and could draw more outsiders to live in the city.

The simple exterior design is drawn from military residences used during World War I and World War II, but proves to be airy and eccentric when coupled with translucent polycarbonate panels on each end, allowing natural light to seep inside the lofty live-and-work space.

Outside interest in Kafka’s space has led him to throw his creative weight into True North, a community of eight Quonset huts on Grand River Avenue near 16th Street across from his own that are divided into nine rental units and will be ready for move-in this spring.

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The units are chiefly being designed by architect Edwin Chan and are under construction, although Kafka’s hut is completed, as is another next door that has been leased already.

“I advertised the project in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Brooklyn and have received a lot of interest from these markets,” Kafka said. “This is the romantic vision they have Detroit. You can live and work in a bunker and be a little bit off the grid, but still be totally connected to the city. It’s the best of both words.”

Kafka is relatively new in town, too.

The founder of a successful billboard business in New York City — which he later sold — said he turned his attention toward downtown Detroit once he had enough capital to invest in real estate and determined the area was ripe with potential.

That attention grew into the real estate company Prince Concepts, and, eventually, a partnership in developing the buzzy auto repair garage-turned-Thai joint in Corktown called KATOI.

Now that Kafka knows the area well, he believes he has a sense of what it’s craving: more artistic, alternative space.

Kafka’s hut, for example, is lined with curved plywood sheets that contrast its more industrial structure with an earthy vibe.

More translucent panels line his bathroom and laundry area, enhancing the space’s free-range feel — and it is almost entirely open. His bedroom area is lofted above his living space, while his office is lodged behind a light-weight wall that supports the second floor. The steel-gray tones are contrasted with pops of robin's-egg blue and tangerine orange. His front, curved door handle is an energetic lime green.

He expects that each future tenant (five of the huts are already preleased) will make their own space unique. A jewelry maker and an event planner are among those currently planning to move into True North, and a few of the huts are fitted with commercial-grade kitchens to suit more ambitious events.

Each hut is a bit different in its size and structure as well. The largest unit is 1,600 square feet and three stories high, while the smallest units are 600 square feet. All huts but the largest unit have two stories.

Though the huts give off an industrial, cold appearance, they are insulated with thick spray foam or radiant in-floor heating.

“The three-story hut I’m really excited about,” Chan said. “It’s like a cathedral. By going up three levels, you’re able to have views of downtown Detroit, which the other huts don’t have.”

The huts are also designed with a shared community space in mind. A common area will exist near the huts for a vegetable garden, spartan exercise equipment, barbecues and movie-watching. Essentially, a spot for sharing an evening among neighbors, said Tomas Reyna, construction manager for the project.

“It’s been really fun to work on this project, because it’s challenging,” Reyna said. “When we started working in this area, it was really quiet. Now people are driving by and getting excited.”

Meanwhile, the interior of the huts are meant to be flexible in layout and design, Kafka said. He resides in a SoHo-based loft in New York when not staying in Detroit, and says the wide-open space allows him to redesign often and keep things fresh.

“Detroit quietly kind of makes a promise to you that it’s a place where creative and alternative living can happen,” Kafka said. “True North delivers on that promise on an alternative way to live in Detroit.”