NYC Unveils 6 New Sidewalk Scaffolding Designs: See Here

NEW YORK CITY —Mayor Eric Adams and the New York City Department of Buildings have unveiled six revamped designs for sidewalk scaffolding.

These new designs are meant to improve the aesthetic on city streets while protecting the public from potential overhead hazards around buildings and construction sites. In addition, the new designs will replace the green sheds that often blocked sunlight and obscured storefronts and sidewalks.

“For too long, scaffolding and outdated and cumbersome sidewalk sheds have blocked sunlight, hurt small businesses, and cluttered our neighborhoods, but today marks a major step forward in our mission to reimagine New York City’s streetscape,” Adams said. “By introducing these six modern designs and pairing them with the first-ever, evidence-based engineering study of our city’s façade safety requirements, we’re proving that safety and good design can go hand in hand."

In Feb. 2024, the city hired two of the city’s leading architecture and design firms — Arup and Practice for Architecture and Urbanism to make the revamped scaffolding designs.

Here is the breakdown of the six new designs:

Design #1 “The Speed Shed” – Designed by PAU

Potential Use Case: A light duty shed that it is quick to deploy and quick to move. Good for short-term projects and emergency repairs. The design features an angled roof with netting, allowing natural light on to the sidewalk.

Design #2 “The Rigid Shed” – Designed by Arup

Potential Use Case: A heavy-duty shed for major projects, like tower crane operations and high-rise construction. The design features a small footprint on the sidewalk and minimal obstruction for pedestrians.

Design #3 “The Baseline Shed” – Designed by PAU

Potential Use Case: A versatile shed that comes in both heavy and light duty variants, adaptable to building and sidewalk dimensions on a wide variety of projects. The design features an angled transparent roof, allowing light to shine on the sidewalk.

Design #4 “The Air Shed” – Designed by Arup

Potential Use Case: A light duty shed that is completely lifted off the ground and anchored into the building for façade repair and window replacement projects. The cantilevered design is reminiscent of a balcony, with virtually no impact on pedestrians below.

Design #5 “The Wide Baseline Shed” – Designed by PAU

Potential Use Case: A heavy-duty shed for major projects, perfectly suited for wide sidewalks on major thoroughfares. The design features heavy-duty columns spaced far apart to minimize obstructions on the sidewalk.

Design #6 “The Flex Shed” – Designed by Arup

Potential Use Case: A light duty shed good for maintenance work and emergency repairs. With easily adjusted roof heights and column placement, the design features a small footprint on the sidewalk that can be modified to work around unique building elements, as well as sidewalk obstructions like street signs and bus stop shelters.

A total of 15,224 sidewalk sheds have been removed citywide under the Adams administration. The new designs are also a part of the administration's “Get Sheds Down” initiative.