08/10/2026
We are grateful to have played a part in the creation of UBS’s (a Swiss-based investment banking and financial services firm) newly renovated offices in downtown Birmingham, Michigan.
Located is at the corner of N. Old Woodward Avenue and Willits Street, the new UBS space underwent a complete transformation. As part of the project, Workshop Detroit was commissioned to fabricate two substantial community tables crafted from reclaimed lumber and steel, each measuring more than 13 feet in length.
The tables were designed by the architects at Verderame Cale in New York City and handcrafted by our team in Detroit at our fabrication shop on St. Antoine Street.
For the waterfall-style tops, we used lumber carefully reclaimed from a house located at 2996 Lehman Street in Hamtramck, Michigan. Originally built in 1919, the house contained beautiful old-growth lumber that, more than a century later, was reclaimed and given a new life in these wonderful tables.
The table bases were fabricated from 1 3/4-inch hand-welded square tube steel and 1/4-inch plate steel. The reclaimed wood tops were finished with a rich ebony stain, while the steel components were blackened to create a refined, understated contrast between the two materials.
The delivery and installation presented its own unique challenge. Because the building does not have a typical freight elevator, each 13-foot table had to be fabricated in sections for transport into the space. Once the sections were brought to and positioned on site, our team welded these together to create the finished tables. With their substantial 1/4-inch steel plate construction, each completed table weighs more than 600 pounds.
We also greatly appreciated the opportunity to work alongside Turner Construction and Sobiana, Inc. in bringing the project to completion.
Projects like this are especially meaningful to us at Workshop. Combining thoughtful design, Detroit craftsmanship and reclaimed materials with a history all their own.
