NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Department of Buildings Commissioner (DOB) Jimmy Oddo, and Mayor’s Office of Contract Services (MOCS) Director Lisa Flores today announced the selection of two companies — Arup US and Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) — to deliver six new better-looking, more cost-efficient designs for scaffolding/construction sheds and pedestrian safety equipment.
The redesigns will include four options for sidewalk-level sheds and two options for non-sidewalk-level pedestrian safety equipment, such as mesh fiber wraps or netting. Those six designs will be publicly released by the city to give every contractor the ability to build and use them, further driving down costs through competition.
Part of Mayor Adams’ ‘Get Sheds Down’ plan, the new designs will improve the pedestrian experience, beautify the streetscape, keep costs low for building owners, and provide more aesthetically-pleasing pedestrian safety equipment. The city will incorporate the new designs into the building code and make them available for public use, improving upon the current hunter green pipe-and-plywood sheds that are used today. The new designs will be implemented by early 2025.
“As we work toward removing scaffolding and construction sheds faster, we also recognize the function that sheds play in keeping pedestrians safe, but that doesn’t mean they have to be a drab eyesore. Today, we’re taking an important step toward redesigning sheds and scaffolding, making them better-looking and keeping costs low,” said Mayor Adams. “By phasing out our current green, plywood sheds, we’re reimagining how our sidewalks should look, while building a safer and more welcoming city. This administration will continue our commitment toward ‘Getting Sheds Down,’ beautifying our streets, and improving quality of life standards for all New Yorkers.”
“While we work to ‘Get Sheds Down,’ we also need to ensure that those that are up for New Yorkers’ safety showcase — rather than shroud — our city. I am confident that Arup US and PAU will be excellent partners in helping us envision an aesthetic and safe post-plywood future for our sidewalk safety infrastructure,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “With open-source designs, this is the beginning of an exciting transformation for our streets. I look forward to it.”
