4 Ways to Reimagine Boring Old Scaffolding

Construction sheds—what most regular city folks call scaffolding—cover some 200 miles of New York City sidewalk, infecting the metropolis with dark green boards and unnerving shadows. For the most part, construction sheds are both monotonous and everywhere, which is why the New York Building Congress launched a competition last summer to redesign them completely.

And the results are in! A committee of real estate, architecture, and construction specialists, including a top official in the city’s Department of Design and Construction, have reviewed 33 construction shed proposals and selected four winners. The designs will be evaluated by the New York City Department of Buildings for code compliance, according to Commissioner Rick Chandler, and could be used by city developers in the future.