David Rooth

Larchmont, NY USA

The shipping container is treated as a simple oversized building block. By stacking them in such a way cavernous voids can be created.

The site is broken into three zones – public, private and neutral recreation. At the ground level the public zone hosts retail space, a fitness center, kiosks and kiosk storage, and a large courtyard for temporary events. This zone carries an expectation of attraction and consumption. The private zone hosts condos where privacy and escape are expected. To separate these zones physically and mentally a horizontal slice through the site reveals a gap between upper and lower zones. This reveal is a neutral where there are no expectations.  

In the public zone, the footprint of the site is lined with containers, voiding spaces at street intersections and opening up at the east end as open arms. This draws a flow of pedestrian traffic through the site to and from the train station. The open arms are also an iconic beacon for gathering after a baseball game, for a farmers market or other temporary events.

In the private zone, the shipping containers are stacked to create a forty foot long “void for living”. Containers flank the sides and serve the space as a holster for moveable walls, retractable beds, tables, closets, pantry, plumbing, and super-insulating cavities. With everything stored in its holster the unobstructed void can be used for entertaining, exercising or just clearing the mind. The shipping container is then returned to its original state of functionality – storage.