The winners of the Construction Shed Design Competition have been announced. The contest was held by the New York Building Congress to create innovative and attractive alternatives to the drab sidewalk sheds, the temporary corridors erected during construction that shield pedestrians from debris. An estimated 200 miles of sidewalk sheds cover the five boroughs.
Of the 33 entrants, four winners were named: Side+Ways+Shed by Francis Cauffman; SCAFFOLDWING by Gannett Fleming Engineers and Architects; G-Shed by Gensler; and UrbanArbor by PBDW Architects and Anastos Engineering Associates.
Winning entries are simple to build, use readily-available materials, create a more efficient pedestrian walk flow, and are designed to be light and open. The sheds also meet New York City Department of Buildings requirements and can be used for construction in central business districts, residential, and commercial projects, as well as masonry repair work.
The sheds “best exemplified the goals of the competition of offering practical, cost-effective, off-the-shelf designs that are far more attractive than standard sheds,” said Frank J. Sciame, competition committee chairman and CEO of Sciame Construction, in a statement.
The four winners will share $10,000 awarded by the New York Building Foundation.
Side+Ways+Shed by Francis Cauffman. The structure has LED lights powered by PV panels. Structural columns are wrapped in fabric. Rendering: Francis Cauffman
SCAFFOLDWING by Gannett Fleming Engineers and Architects. The scaffold’s wing stretches out across the sidewalk, which directs sunlight to the street level and drains rainwater. The roof is made of translucent polycarbonate panels, which are light and airy. Rendering: Gannett Fleming Engineers and Architects
G-Shed by Gensler. The design has modular posts and reduced obstructions. Lighting can be integrated and retail signs can be affixed to it. Rendering: Gensler
UrbanArbor by PBDW Architects and Anastos Engineering Associates. The Y-shaped vertical posts and diagonal braces look like trees. LED lights and solar panels are also installed. Rendering: PBDW Architects and Anastos Engineering Associates
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
USGBC’s Greenbuild 2009 brings global ideas to local main streets
Save the planet with indigenous knowledge. Make permanent water part of your life. Dive deep water for clues to environmental success. Connect site selection to successful creative concepting. Explore the unknown with Discovery Channel’s best known guide. These are but a few of the big ideas participants can connect to at USGBC’s Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, taking place on November 11-13, 2009 in Phoenix, Ariz.
| Aug 11, 2010
Goettsch Partners wins design competition for Soochow Securities HQ in China
Goettsch Partners (GP) has been selected as the winning firm in the competition to design the Soochow Securities Headquarters, the new office and stock exchange building for Soochow Securities Co. Ltd. The 21-story, 441,300-square-foot project includes 344,400 square feet of office space, an 86,100-square-foot stock exchange, meeting rooms, classrooms, a cafeteria, and underground parking for 400 cars and 800 bicycles.
| Aug 11, 2010
RMJM unveils design details for $1B green development in Turkey
International architecture company RMJM today announced details of the $1 billion Varyap Meridian development it is designing in Istanbul’s new residential and business district, which will be one of the "greenest" projects in Turkey. The luxury 372,000-square-meter development on a site totalling 107,000 square meters will be located in the Atasehir district of Istanbul, which the Turkish government intends to transform into the country’s new financial district and business center.
| Aug 11, 2010
Urban Land Institute honors five 'outstanding' developments in Europe, Middle East, and Africa
Five outstanding developments have been selected as winners of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) 2009 Awards for Excellence: Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) competition. This year, the competition also included the announcement of two special award winners. The Awards for Excellence competition is widely regarded as the land use industry’s most prestigious recognition program.
| Aug 11, 2010
Design firms slash IT spending in 2009
Over half of architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firms (55%) are budgeting less for information technology in 2009 than they did in 2008, according to a new report from ZweigWhite. The 2009 Information Technology Survey reports that firms' 2009 IT budgets are a median of 3.3% of net service revenue, down from 3.6% in 2008. Firms planning to decrease spending are expected to do so by a median of 20%.
| Aug 11, 2010
A glimmer of hope amid grim news as construction employment falls in most states, metro areas
The construction employment picture brightened slightly with 18 states adding construction jobs from April to May according to a new analysis of data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). However, construction employment overall continued to decline, noted Ken Simonson, the chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America.
| Aug 11, 2010
Thom Mayne unveils 'floating cube' design for the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas
Calling it a “living educational tool featuring architecture inspired by nature and science,” Pritzker Prize Laureate Thom Mayne and leaders from the Museum of Nature & Science unveiled the schematic designs and building model for the Perot Museum of Nature & Science at Victory Park. Groundbreaking on the approximately $185 million project will be held later this fall, and the Museum is expected to open by early 2013.
| Aug 11, 2010
SOM's William F. Baker awarded Fritz Leonhardt Prize for achievement in structural engineering
In recognition of his engineering accomplishments, which include many of the tallest skyscrapers of our time, William F. Baker received the coveted Fritz Leonhardt Prize in Stuttgart, Germany. He is the first American to receive the prize.