Shipping Containers To Become Art Center

In a place where massive skyscrapers dominate the landscape, New Yorkers love when they can be green -- in terms of parks and eco-friendly buildings. Since space is so scarce, people are finding creative ways to recycle existing structures. Chief among the examples: a plan to renovate Pier 57.

Once a thriving shipping terminal along the Hudson River, the pier hasn't been used in nearly a decade but developers at Youngwoo & Associates will use shipping containers to construct a new arts and entertainment center there. The complex will include a restaurant, art auction house, art galleries, cafes, a rooftop park (yay!) and a Hudson River education center. The pier will be Hudson River Park's first fine arts center and city officials are hoping that it becomes an extension of the cultural activity in nearby Chelsea and the Meatpacking District. It should be completed in 2012.

As previously posted on ShelterPop, using recycled shipping containers to create living spaces is a growing phenomenon because they are a durable, environmentally friendly and relatively inexpensive method of construction. Youngwoo has enlisted Urban Space Management, who built London's highly successful Container City, to help with the project. To keep costs low, Container City was constructed with 100 percent recycled material and those savings were passed on to consumers. And, because the containers are made of steel, the final product is extremely durable. Pier 57 promises to be a lively, entertaining and environmentally friendly New York City hangout.

On a side note, I recently saw piles and piles of containers abandoned in yards along a New Jersey highway. I couldn't help but smile when I realized that a few of them would soon leave the trash yard for more constructive uses. (No pun intended!)