FXCollaborative designed the winning entry for an ideas competition sponsored by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Boston Society of Architects (BSA). The plan proposed utilizing recycled shipping containers as building blocks for affordable housing on the blighted 17-acre site at Gloucester's railroad station. Placed in an arc following the tracks, the containers form a living brise soleil sheathing a circulation spine. Layers of mutually supportive uses—including retail, office, housing, and green space—extend horizontally through the arc. Civic spaces anchor each end, linking the new Gloucester Green community with the surrounding neighborhood.
site plan
building blocks