In not too long, a vacant site at 725 W. Randolph St. in Chicago will be home to a 58-story mixed-use tower that will include 370 apartments and a 165-room hotel. The site will not just be an unsightly vacant lot until construction commences, however, as commercial real estate developer Related Midwest plans to open a pop-up market created entirely from repurposed shipping containers, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Dubbed Box Shops by Related, the market will feature six 160-sf shops, one 320-sf shop, and one 40-foot-long shipping container that will be tipped vertically and used as signage. The market will be open seven days a week from 10 AM to 9 PM and feature stores such as Taylor Street Soaps, RefuSHE, High End Junkie, and the Haymarket Pub & Brewery, according to the Box Shops by Related website.
See Also: Austin’s first indoor shopping mall becomes Austin Community College’s new digital media center
The repurposed containers, which are being created in collaboration with the Chicago-based architecture firm Latent Design and their Boombox concept, will include lighting, heat, air conditioning, skylights, and wireless internet. It typically takes about $25,000 to $50,000 to retrofit one container. Box Shops by Related will be Latent Design/Boombox’s first multi-container location.
If the Box Shops are successful at the Randolph location, Related Midwest plans to move them to other sites owned by the company around the city while the permanent projects are developed.
Related Stories
Education Facilities | Aug 4, 2024
A former supersonic wind tunnel becomes a new educational facility for transportation design
The Mullin Transportation Design Center at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., provides access for full-scale vehicular models, replicating a professional design studio.
Adaptive Reuse | Jul 30, 2024
Empty mall to be converted to UCLA Research Park
UCLA recently acquired a former mall that it will convert into the UCLA Research Park that will house the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy at UCLA and the UCLA Center for Quantum Science and Engineering, as well as programs across other disciplines. The 700,000-sf property, formerly the Westside Pavilion shopping mall, is two miles from the university’s main Westwood campus. Google, which previously leased part of the property, helped enable and support UCLA’s acquisition.
Great Solutions | Jul 23, 2024
41 Great Solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors
AI ChatBots, ambient computing, floating MRIs, low-carbon cement, sunshine on demand, next-generation top-down construction. These and 35 other innovations make up our 2024 Great Solutions Report, which highlights fresh ideas and innovations from leading architecture, engineering, and construction firms.
Adaptive Reuse | Jul 12, 2024
Detroit’s Michigan Central Station, centerpiece of innovation hub, opens
The recently opened Michigan Central Station in Detroit is the centerpiece of a 30-acre technology and cultural hub that will include development of urban transportation solutions. The six-year adaptive reuse project of the 640,000 sf historic station, created by the same architect as New York’s Grand Central Station, is the latest sign of a reinvigorating Detroit.
MFPRO+ News | Jun 24, 2024
‘Yes in God’s Backyard’ movement could create more affordable housing
The so-called “Yes in God’s Backyard” (YIGBY) movement, where houses of worship convert their properties to housing, could help alleviate the serious housing crisis affecting many communities around the country.
Multifamily Housing | Jun 14, 2024
AEC inspections are the key to financially viable office to residential adaptive reuse projects
About a year ago our industry was abuzz with an idea that seemed like a one-shot miracle cure for both the shockingly high rate of office vacancies and the worsening housing shortage. The seemingly simple idea of converting empty office buildings to multifamily residential seemed like an easy and elegant solution. However, in the intervening months we’ve seen only a handful of these conversions, despite near universal enthusiasm for the concept.
Adaptive Reuse | Jun 13, 2024
4 ways to transform old buildings into modern assets
As cities grow, their office inventories remain largely stagnant. Yet despite changes to the market—including the impact of hybrid work—opportunities still exist. Enter: “Midlife Metamorphosis.”
Adaptive Reuse | Jun 6, 2024
Latest phase of London redevelopment completes two new buildings
Developers are creating a neighborhood for 25,000 residents and workers.
MFPRO+ News | Jun 3, 2024
New York’s office to residential conversion program draws interest from 64 owners
New York City’s Office Conversion Accelerator Program has been contacted by the owners of 64 commercial buildings interested in converting their properties to residential use.
Adaptive Reuse | May 15, 2024
Modular adaptive reuse of parking structure grants future flexibility
The shift away from excessive parking requirements aligns with a broader movement, encouraging development of more sustainable and affordable housing.
