THE CORE CONCEPT
The Core Concept is a flexible system that allows architects to easily design a space using 20’ and 40’ containers. Based on our research into current housing solutions, we found an emphasis on repetition for ease of setup and maintenance. We took this core value and designed a system concept that hinges around “core” containers, on top of (and around!) which modular spaces are docked.
Core containers are pairs of 20’ containers rigged with utility hookups to feed these services into any of the various residential and commercial container configurations, as well as allow human access up and down the stacks of containers, as the modular spaces themselves do not have access to each other. The core containers themselves plug into a utilities and services network located in an underground garage beneath the entire development, allowing further flexibility in the overall site plan.
The design of residential and commercial containers is left to the architect and/or the residents, who can use the containers as building blocks to construct their space as they see fit. We recognize that in order to propose a well-considered plan for the Central Ward space, much more research must be done into the region and the people who use the area, and thus we have designed only a system for utilizing the containers.
BROAD STREET ARTS
What we felt was missing from the Central Ward area is an arts space, which could become a rich creative hub of galleries and the performing arts, in addition to housing, shopping, and office space. The Broad Street Arts could be for New Jersey what The Distillery District is in Toronto, Canada, or the 798 Cultural Space in Beijing, China; a lively attraction that draw visitors from all over the world. |
