suspended animation draws its inspiration from the standard conveyance method of common shipping containers. By rotating and shifting individual units as they are stacked, it adapts the organization utilized on barges during transport, creating differentiated inhabitable spaces by gathering balanced amounts of light and shade within.
Structural cables tethered to an external framework hold this assembly in delicate tension, keeping the extensive overhangs suspended in mid air, similar to a crane lifting a container to unload it. This occurs on both sides of the structure, effectively counterbalancing the system and making excessive structural provisions unnecessary.
Two parallel rows of units align and delineate the north and south boundaries of the site, creating an open-ended public courtyard between them. This space is envisioned as an urban park that can accommodate creative performances, public demonstrations, and various athletic and leisure activities. In addition, detached shipping containers interspersed in the park provide shelter and security to other community functions, such as produce markets, gallery displays, a computer lab, bicycle parking, recycling collection, and a regional transit center.
The commercial program is situated at ground level, whose storefronts open to both the street and park. Living and studio spaces are arranged above, which boast views across the park and beyond from both the interior spaces and exterior patios. In accessing and utilizing the site and the habitable containers, workers, residents, and passersby traverse the interface between public and private space encouraging meaningful human interaction and greater participation within the public realm. |
