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
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
James O. Malley wins 2010 AISC T.R. Higgins Award
James 'Jim' O. Malley, S.E., senior principal of Degenkolb Engineers in San Francisco, is the 2010 recipient of the prestigious AISC T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award. Malley is being honored for his paper on "The 2005 AISC Seismic Provisions for Structural Steel Buildings," published in the First Quarter 2007 AISC Engineering Journal.
| Aug 11, 2010
Construction employment shrinks in 325 of nation’s 337 largest metro areas
All but 12 communities nationwide saw declines in construction employment between September 2008 and 2009 according to a new analysis of metropolitan area employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. That analysis found more construction jobs were lost in Phoenix (35,100) than in any other city in America.
| Aug 11, 2010
Architecture Billings Index flat in May, according to AIA
After a slight decline in April, the Architecture Billings Index was up a tenth of a point to 42.9 in May. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. Any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings.
| Aug 11, 2010
Free-span solar energy system installed at REM Eyewear headquarters
The first cable-suspended free-span solar energy system was completed today over the REM Eyewear headquarters parking lot in Sun Valley, Calif. The patented, cable-supported photovoltaic system created by P4P Energy is expected to generate 40,877 kilowatt-hours of renewable electricity per year, enough to power five to six single family homes and to prevent 1.5 million pounds of carbon from being released into the atmosphere.
| Aug 11, 2010
Architecture Billings Index drops to lowest level since June
Another stall in the recovery for the construction industry as the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) dropped to its lowest level since June. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the August ABI rating was 41.7, down slightly from 43.1 in July. This score indicates a decline in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings).
| Aug 11, 2010
Construction employment declined in 333 of 352 metro areas in June
Construction employment declined in all but 19 communities nationwide this June as compared to June-2008, according to a new analysis of metropolitan-area employment data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. The analysis shows that few places in America have been spared the widespread downturn in construction employment over the past year.
| Aug 11, 2010
RTKL names Lance Josal president and CEO
Lance K. Josal FAIA has been named President and CEO of RTKL Associates Inc., the international planning, design and engineering firm. Josal succeeds RTKL’s current President and CEO, David C. Hudson AIA, who is retiring from the firm. The changes will take effect on 1 September 2009.
| Aug 11, 2010
Jacobs, Hensel Phelps among the nation's 50 largest design-build contractors
A ranking of the Top 50 Design-Build Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
