Thank you so much to our friends at Hidden Track Bottle Shop. It feels like Phoenix are growing up when we get a downtown, exclusive wine shop like Hidden Track. It especially warmed my heart that they highlighted so many locally-grown wines.
Now, on to November. Shipping containers are finding a new home here on Grand Ave. and Get Your PHX is inviting you to take a look inside the future of residential living!
A new residential development on lower Grand Avenue in Phoenix will use shipping containers as the major structural element of the design.
Dubbed by developers as the “Containers on Grand,” the project is cutting new ground in overcoming technical and procedural processes to create new downtown housing options with an eye toward sustainability and ecological awareness.
In 2005, an estimated 700,000 unused freight containers laid in stacks by the hundreds in U.S. port cities, according to the ISBU Association, a nonprofit providing resources and education on container housing. This prompted many innovators, urbanists, and builders to start thinking about how to deal with this environmental hazard.
Since then, recycled containers have become popular to use as vacation homes, storage units, and construction site offices. Using containers as architectural elements seems fairly simple – they’re cheap, plentiful, and as it turns out, incredibly strong and versatile.
16 decommissioned 40-foot by 9’6” containers completed a lifetime of work atop freighter ships and have been shipped to Phoenix to be permanently transformed into functional apartments.
The container-based housing, located at Grand and 12th Avenues, is expect to open in spring of 2015. While developers have only secured permits for eight units, they would like to ultimately increase that number to 20 by expanding onto an adjacent lot.
The small group of investors is pioneering only the second apartment-style container development in the United States, the first being constructed in Washington D.C. area.“I think the project is a very bold and innovative way to create housing opportunities in the Grand Avenue corridor,” said Dave Krietor, CEO of Downtown Phoenix Inc. “Everyone will be watching to see how they do.
According to Karl Obergh of Ritoch-Powell & Associates, “This project means a lot to us, because we wanted to open the door to other sustainable multi-family/multi-use projects throughout the Downtown area.”
”It’s easy to see the appeal of containers. Besides the impressive visual impact of containers as apartments, the containers themselves are fashioned out of Cor-Ten steel, which makes them much stronger and longer lasting than traditional wood-framed buildings.The design team has worked diligently to resolve multiple challenges unique to building with shipping containers.
One of them is the cost to construct. A steel container in Phoenix, Arizona does not sound like the most comfortable place to reside during the summer. To address the thermal performance of the shell and provide for utilities such as electrical, plumbing, and HVAC, the containers have insulated wood framing within the box.
Therefore, it’s like building a home inside a steel box. The design incorporates a spray foam insulation system that not only provides a better R-value, but improves weather-proofing. This increases the cost significantly compared to a regular “stick framed” building.Another challenge has been working with the regulatory agencies to approve this “out of the box”, sustainable multi-family project.
The design team worked closely with the City of Phoenix Development Services Department to determine the information needed in order to receive permit approvals. The project required multiple zoning variances and a density waiver in order to bring the project closer to the sidewalk to create a pedestrian/bicycle friendly living space, a keystone of walkable urban communities.
Although developers are still in the early stages of construction and acquiring permits, a waiting list has already opened up online. More information is available at the project website, www.containersongrand.com.
After our tour, we encourage everyone to take in a “Grand Tour” and enjoy dinner, drinks or just a stroll down the diagonal thoroughfare. Happy Hour specials will be available all night long at ThirdSpace, located at: 1028 Grand Ave., but you can also grab a quick slice from Grand Avenue Pizza across the street, too.
Be on the lookout for our exclusive Get Your PHX offer from both ThirdSpace and Grand Avenue Pizza; you’ll just flash your red raffle ticket to get the deals.
Looking forward to seeing you at the Containers on Grand this month. As always, please RSVP below.
When: Thursday, November 19th, from 5:30PM – 7:30PM
Where: Containers on Grand: 12th Ave & Grand
Details: Specials from ThirdSpace and Grand Avenue Pizza + Free raffle ticket to great prizes!
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