310 W Grayson

310 W Grayson reimagines salvaged shipping containers as a lively, mixed-use destination. Double-stacked containers line the short edges of a compact, 6,200-sf site, framing a shared courtyard at its heart. Each container holds a distinct tenant, with food and retail on the first floor and hospitality on the second. The containers are wrapped in garapa hardwood on light steel frames to create shaded outdoor areas and a warm, contemporary street presence. The $300K total budget did not allow for an indoor hall, so the courtyard, with spaces for mobile food/retail vendors, serves as the primary communal space. The project’s sustainability goals align with its cost-saving strategies: reliance on a walkable neighborhood that can sustain off-site parking and the use of salvaged containers, native plantings, durable cladding, and local gravel all minimize environmental impact.

“The most successful projects are the ones that have a clear set of rules and find a way to utilize those rules to achieve something. The number one rule for this project was an economy of materials and a modest budget. Through the simple act of cladding these existing shipping containers, they were able to camouflage something that’s extremely industrial and make the project feel like it’s so much more than what is actually there.” 

—Germane Barnes, RA