Matthew Royce

Los Angelos, CA USA

Green Line Village is a new dynamic and vibrant mixed-use development in Newark, New Jersey. The design utilizes used shipping containers as the main structural building block as well as the enclosure. The formal concept was to arrange the containers as train cars floating through the landscape to honor their original use and make a metaphorical connection to the surrounding transit lines. The main design goals were to create a mixture of useful programs, be as sustainable as possible and make a solid connection to the surrounding community.

Program:

• 3 Bedroom Skyhouses for New York commuters with families
• Studio apartments for students of nearby NJIT and Rutgers University
• Flexible retail and commercial space with live/work units above for shop owners and their family

Sustainability:

• Reuse of existing shipping containers as structure and enclosure
• Green Roofs to minimize urban runoff and provide insulation from heat/cold
• Retention pond to be used for turning runoff into irrigation water for landscaping
• Artificial topography created from reused earth excavated due to parking construction
• North/South building orientation to control heat gain with shading devices
• Low maintenance native landscaping
• Permeable paving surfaces

Community:

• Linear garden between housing gives a place for residents interact
• Outdoor community space serves as a plaza for Broad St Station and as a venue for community activities such as concerts and farmers markets
• Retail street life encourages a feeling of neighborhood