Austin’s newest entertainment and hospitality complex has been made from repurposed shipping containers

A new entertainment and hospitality complex in Austin, The Pitch, has been made out of repurposed shipping containers.

Designed by the Austin-based firm Mark Odom Studio, The Pitch consists of 23 shipping containers that serve as food and beverage outlets, as well as co-working spaces and viewing areas that look onto live entertainment and volleyball and pickleball courts. The Pitch is part of a large sports venue and entertainment complex for Austin FC soccer fans and the community.

“The developer, Karlin Real Estate, was interested in using shipping containers; they had not worked with a container concept before and really wanted to lean into the idea,” Mark Odom, founding principal, Mark Odom Studio, said in a statement. “We have previously studied the use of containers for commercial, retail, and multi-family designs, all of which were un-built. We feel that The Pitch is the first project of its kind in Austin and the region.”

The containers come in two standard modular sizes: 8 by 20 feet and 8 by 40 feet. The containers are stacked to create two stories, then grouped into five separate building pods of varying square footages. The ground-level containers serve as food and beverage outlets for local vendors. The second-level containers serve multiple functions: viewing decks, interior conditioned gathering spaces, private office space, private party rooms, and Austin FC game-watching parties.

In addition, three 40-foot-tall containers, placed on their ends, function as wayfinders from afar. They also include restroom facilities and electrical rooms on the ground level.

On the Building Team:
Developer: Karlin Real Estate
Architect: Mark Odom Studio
Landscape architect: TBG Partners
Builder: Austin Commercial and Citadel Development Services
Fabricator: Makehaus Design and Fabrication Studio
MEP engineer: Bay & Associates, Inc.
Structural engineer: Leap!Structures
Civil engineer: LandDev Consulting
Container consultant: Falcon Structures

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Photo courtesy New Millennium Building Systems

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