ISA - INTERFACE STUDIO ARCHITECTS LLC:
Brian Phillips
Gloria Orfanos
Angi Wild

Philadelphia, PA USA

NEWARK LO-LO

Newark, NJ is embedded within one of the densest and most intense urban regions in the United States.  Within this context there are incredible numbers of shipping containers and automobiles.  A key observation for our work was the presence of surface parking lots adjacent to the competition site.  In an attempt to convert what is typically considered an urban liability into an urban opportunity, our approach looks to use containers and automobiles in a new kind of urban zone that transforms these parking lots into unique, diverse and compelling neighborhoods.

Containers and cars are similar in size so the module of surface parking striping works well to manage both.  Several container types will be in play: LIVEbox, WORKbox, RECbox, GREEN box, and SELLbox. This mixed-use vocabulary will be able to fit together modularly and we imagine a simple code of organization that will allow cars and containers to negotiate a common ground. We predict the proposal will be attractive to transient users who will find the proximity to the train station a plus such as short-stay business travelers, students, start-up designers, etc.