Overview
- PAU and Arup unveiled six models: PAU’s Baseline, Speed, and Wide Baseline, and Arup’s Air, Flex, and Rigid.
- The designs employ transparent or perforated roofs, sloped profiles, and wider spacing to brighten sidewalks, ease pedestrian flow, and deter climbing.
- Officials say registered professionals could use the models as early as 2026 through the existing Department of Buildings system, pending technical approvals, pilots, and a Jan. 1 mayoral transition.
- Standout features include PAU’s angled, see-through Baseline roof and Arup’s Air concept that cantilevers from building façades to keep sidewalks clear of columns.
- A city–Mastercard study cited by officials estimates sheds cost Manhattan businesses $3,900 to $9,500 per month in consumer spending, reinforcing the case for redesign.