In recent years, steel shipping containers have found a second life as structural elements in houses, stores, and museums. The work of groups such as LOT-EK and Shigeru Ban Architects in this area has demonstrated that shipping containers can fulfill a range of architectural functions. In the Future of Design New York City 2017 conference workshop, participants considered new applications for shipping containers. Specifically, teams developed ideas for repurposing shipping containers for resilience, relief, and rescue related to storm surge and flooding in New York City. While New York City’s geography puts it at risk of flooding during natural disasters such as hurricanes, it is also near a series of shipping terminals that contain ample shipping containers. During the workshop, participants generated ideas across a range of functions and scales in the form of sketches and physical models while holding discussions with peers and critics. For additional information on the Future of Design New York City conference series visit https://fodnyc.org/.

Segal Structures Group Members