The New York Building Congress announced four winners from its Construction Shed Design Competition, an initiative to create innovative and attractive alternatives to the confining and often forbidding structures that currently cover nearly 200 miles of sidewalks around building sites throughout the five boroughs.
The four winning entries, chosen from among 33 submissions, are Side+Ways+Shed by Francis Cauffman;
SCAFFOLDWING by Gannett Fleming Engineers and Architects, P.C.; G-Shed by Gensler; and UrbanArbor by PBDW Architects and Anastos Engineering Associates.
The Construction Shed Design Competition was spearheaded by the Building Congress Task Force on Innovation and Best Practices and the New York Building Foundation.
“The New York Building Congress issued a challenge to the industry to use its ingenuity and expertise to offer fresh ideas for solving a vexing quality of life issue for New Yorkers, who experience the construction industry most often when navigating the obstructions and cramped spaces of construction sheds,” said Thornton-Tomasetti chairman and CEO, Thomas Scarangello, who also serves as Chairman of the Building Congress and its innovation task force. “The industry’s collective response has been truly inspirational.”
Sciame Construction Chairman and CEO Frank J. Sciame, who chaired the competition committee said, “While all 33 submissions were impressive, the Design Review Committee of 14 leading industry executives ultimately settled on the four that best exemplified the goals of the competition of offering practical, cost-effective off-the-shelf designs that are far more attractive than standard sheds.”
Building Congress president Richard T. Anderson added, “The winners also stood out for their innovative approaches to reducing or eliminating the bracing that interferes with the pedestrian experience, permitting a more natural pattern for foot traffic. Each of the designs also succeeded in opening up their sheds along the curb line, allowing more natural light to flow into the structures.”
In evaluating the submissions, the Design Review Committee sought designs that could meet rigorous New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) requirements and would be suitable for use on new commercial construction in central business districts, new small- to mid-size residential and commercial projects, and Local Law 11 masonry repair work.
“I applaud the New York Building Congress and the New York Building Foundation for sponsoring this effort to beautify our City by having construction professionals design new and innovative sheds that meet or exceed shed safety requirements outlined in the NYC Construction Codes,“ said Buildings Commissioner Rick Chandler.
“The Department looks forward to reviewing the plans of the winning applicants for code compliance, which will allow developers to incorporate a unique and more aesthetically appealing safeguarding structure into their projects.”
All of the designs, while elegant, are simple to assemble and employ readily-available materials, thus satisfying a key objective of the competition: to encourage wide adoption by minimizing additional cost or inconvenience to building owners.
The Building Congress has begun meeting with building owners, developers and construction managers to promote implementation of the new shed designs at individual construction sites.
The four winners are sharing a $10,000 prize from the New York Building Foundation.
