Seven artists picked to live in shipping containers behind the Arts Guild? It could make for an interesting season of MTV’s The Real World, but it’s also an idea being explored as one avenue to bring affordable housing to the city for artists.
In a presentation before the Redevelopment Agency last week, representatives of Global Building Modules (GBM) Design Consortium outlined several different preliminary schemes that would site seven modules in the area behind the Arts Guild at Irving Street and Seminary Avenue. The units would be laid out in a way to include shared green space and concert lawn or some type of performance space with a capacity of 50 to 70 people.
Based on shipping containers, the modules are manufactured overseas and buildings can be constructed in a fraction of the time and cost of traditional construction, according to GBM. Transportation costs also are considerably lower since there is no need for special escorts or permits.
Modules retain only the dimensions of shipping containers (roughly 40 x 8, or 
about 1,280 square feet) and are designed with the aim of zero net energy use, reducing the carbon footprint that comes with traditional construction. The exterior envelope of the structure is wrapped with insulation, windows can be placed anywhere and facade materials can vary. Modules can be organized in different ways, with varying room dimensions. They also are reusable and can be unbolted and reconfigured, or added to another building.
GBM said it has an ongoing relationship with New York University for high-rise housing in Greenwich Village, where modules also can minimize neighborhood impact during construction. As many as a dozen modules can be installed by crane within two days and facades could be seen within three months. They also pointed to projects at 11 Great Jones St. and 135 Crosby St. in Manhattan.
David Wallace of GBM reminded the Redevelopment Agency that the presentation was strictly provisional, “putting ideas out there that are works in progress; they’re not fixed ideas on our part.” Future discussions will focus on programs, the connection to the Arts Guild, music versus art studio space, performance space configurations, LEED goals and energy performance, he said.
The environmental impact of green building has caught the attention of major foundations, according to Mayor James Kennedy, who has sought to include affordable housing for artists to sustain the arts as part the overall redevelopment plan for the city. “Four years ago you couldn’t find a developer who’d do this type of project,” he said, confident that the industry will blossom in the coming years.
Kennedy said the design phase is likely to take many months while the use of Zipcars also will be examined. About seven selected artists, perhaps three performing artists and four visual artists, would act as caretakers of the installation, he said. The Guild site is small enough to test ideas for larger projects, such as the former Elizabethtown Gas building, which could be home to 30 to 70 units of artist housing in the future, Kennedy said. The mayor often talks about retaining artists who come to inexpensive neighborhoods only to get priced out by gentrification.
City Administrator and Redevelopment Director Peter Pelissier said the proposal is still very preliminary and there will be further presentations regarding the economics and costs and how the city can address artist housing.
"The mayor often talks about retaining artists who come to inexpensive neighborhoods only to get priced out by gentrification."If that isn't a case of putting the cart before the horse, I don't know what is …
Matthew and Maxsand must be teh same person
who wants a bunch of dirty hippies living in shipping boxes downtown?
Maybe they're borrowing the idea from the Xandadu facade to keep in line with the "stalled development" theme.
Anon 2:29, If that's the most constructive comment you can come up with, please don't bother with this site. Thanks.
Mark,You're usually not one to censor other people and I don't think you should start here. I think Anon 2:29 makes a very valid point. You're basically putting homeless in shipping containers and displaying them in the town center in the name of art. I don't get it. I agree with Anon 2:29.A different Anon
Did any of you actually read the article? They will not wind up looking like shipping containers like the ones you see at ports. They will look like housing and blend into the neighborhood. They will NOT be large windowless metal boxes. It's architecture, not garbage.I'd suggest clicking on the links provided and doing some research would be in order so you could learn about the type of housing suggested. Additionally, it is "affordable housing" NOT housing for the homeless. The people who will be living there are people who do not have the means to spend $1400 a month on the fancy apartments being built in the area. They have incomes, just not what you are are might have. Perhaps you should hone your reading skills before posting?
Anon 5:46, You are right, I'm not one to censor but that doesn't mean I can't push readers to a higher standard in their comments. Forgive me for wanting comments that are a bit more eloquent and constructive than, "who wants a bunch of dirty hippies…" I do appreciate you clarifying since I really didn't decipher that "very valid point" in his argument. At the same time, I would hardly equate "affordable housing" with "homeless." It's certainly different and they're only exploring the idea at this point but if it's good enough for NYU and neighborhoods like the West Village, it's at least worth checking out.
What have the artists done for the downtown area besides painting a giant creepy goblin and erecting giant A R T letters that look ready to fall on someones head? I hope they stay in the West Village!
I thought the dirty hippies remark was funny…. relax, we all know Rahway 2010 isn't about to become Haight-Ashbury 1968. Because that would require people walking around in the streets.It could work if marketed as a cheap way for an artist to live within striking distance of NYC without having to pay to live there.
Instead of bringing in shipping containers, why not just subsidize some artists to live in some of the seemingly plentiful vacant apartments/condos that already exist downtown? Maybe I'm just not artistic enough, but I don't get it — there's no shortgage of living space available downtown, and there is no danger of artists being priced out by an influx of yuppies anytime soon. When that time comes, by all means, break out the shipping containers to house the artists. In the meantime, this doesn't seem cost-effective when already-built and vacant living quarters are plentiful.
Shipping Containers? Do you think we are animals who live in a cave?A shipping container would make sense for metalsmith, pottery, glass etc. To top it off, there is no STORE to buy supplies in the area. Granted there are online stores, but seriously, shipping containers? Blegth..Open up a few apartments, and BE FAIR about it..I already wrote inquiring about those said studios but nobody has taken the time to say "I got your email"…