A new entertainment and hospitality complex in Austin, The Pitch, has been made out of repurposed shipping containers.
Designed by the Austin-based firm Mark Odom Studio, The Pitch consists of 23 shipping containers that serve as food and beverage outlets, as well as co-working spaces and viewing areas that look onto live entertainment and volleyball and pickleball courts. The Pitch is part of a large sports venue and entertainment complex for Austin FC soccer fans and the community.
“The developer, Karlin Real Estate, was interested in using shipping containers; they had not worked with a container concept before and really wanted to lean into the idea,” Mark Odom, founding principal, Mark Odom Studio, said in a statement. “We have previously studied the use of containers for commercial, retail, and multi-family designs, all of which were un-built. We feel that The Pitch is the first project of its kind in Austin and the region.”
The containers come in two standard modular sizes: 8 by 20 feet and 8 by 40 feet. The containers are stacked to create two stories, then grouped into five separate building pods of varying square footages. The ground-level containers serve as food and beverage outlets for local vendors. The second-level containers serve multiple functions: viewing decks, interior conditioned gathering spaces, private office space, private party rooms, and Austin FC game-watching parties.
In addition, three 40-foot-tall containers, placed on their ends, function as wayfinders from afar. They also include restroom facilities and electrical rooms on the ground level.
On the Building Team:
Developer: Karlin Real Estate
Architect: Mark Odom Studio
Landscape architect: TBG Partners
Builder: Austin Commercial and Citadel Development Services
Fabricator: Makehaus Design and Fabrication Studio
MEP engineer: Bay & Associates, Inc.
Structural engineer: Leap!Structures
Civil engineer: LandDev Consulting
Container consultant: Falcon Structures
Related Stories
Resiliency | Sep 30, 2022
Designing buildings for wildfire defensibility
Wold Architects and Engineers' Senior Planner Ryan Downs, AIA, talks about how to make structures and communities more fire-resistant.
| Sep 23, 2022
High projected demand for new housing prompts debate on best climate-friendly materials
The number of people living in cities could increase to 80% of the total population by 2100. That could require more new construction between now and 2050 than all the construction done since the start of the industrial revolution.
| Sep 23, 2022
Central offices making a comeback after pandemic
In the early stages of the Covid pandemic, commercial real estate industry experts predicted that businesses would increasingly move toward a hub-and-spoke office model.
| Sep 22, 2022
Gainesville, Fla., ordinance requires Home Energy Score during rental inspections
The city of Gainesville, Florida was recently recognized by the U.S. Dept. of Energy for an adopted ordinance that requires rental housing to receive a Home Energy Score during rental inspections.
| Sep 20, 2022
NIBS develops implementation plan for digital transformation of built environment
The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) says it has developed an implementation and launch plan for a sweeping digital transformation of the built environment.
University Buildings | Aug 25, 2022
Higher education, striving for ‘normal’ again, puts student needs at the center of project planning
Sustainability and design flexibility are what higher education clients are seeking consistently, according to the dozen AEC Giants contacted for this article. “University campuses across North America are commissioning new construction projects designed to make existing buildings and energy systems more sustainable, and are building new flexible learning space that bridge the gap between remote and in-person learning,” say Patrick McCafferty, Arup’s Education Business Leader–Americas East region, and Matt Humphries, Education Business Leader in Canada region.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 90 University Contractors and Construction Management Firms for 2022
Turner Construction, Whiting-Turner Contracting, PCL Construction Enterprises, and DPR Construction lead the ranking of the nation's largest university sector contractors and construction management (CM) firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 90 Construction Management Firms for 2022
CBRE, Alfa Tech, Jacobs, and Hill International head the rankings of the nation's largest construction management (as agent) and program/project management firms for nonresidential and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 45 Engineering Architecture Firms for 2022
Jacobs, AECOM, WSP, and Burns & McDonnell top the rankings of the nation's largest engineering architecture (EA) firms for nonresidential buildings and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 19, 2022
2022 Giants 400 Report: Tracking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
Now 46 years running, Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report rankings the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. This year a record 519 AEC firms participated in BD+C's Giants 400 report. The final report includes more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.