POP-UP SHIPPING CONTAINER RETAIL PARK OPENS IN PHILLY

The once dusty parking lot at Germantown Avenue and 2nd Street in Philadelphia will now become a dining and recreation spot of the region. Post Brothers, a local real estate developer, took this 35,000 square-foot space in Northern Liberties neighborhood and created a pop-up mixed-use park out of recycled shipping containers.

This contemporary-inspired Piazza Pod Park includes beer-garden-style dining, open-air shopping, art installations, fitness activities, and family play areas. It’s dog-friendly, seats up to 300 people, and is open seven days a week to the public.

After Post Brothers dreamed up this project, the company chose Britten, Inc. to be its partner in producing these BoxPop containers. From initial shop drawings to fabrication to final delivery and installation, Britten manufactured 15 custom units ranging from 10- to 40-feet-long in under four months.

Many of these brightly-painted pods included air-conditioning, upper deck systems, glass windows and doors, LED light fixtures, powered retractable awnings, insulation, HVAC, oak flooring, stereo systems, and more.

“Britten worked tirelessly to suit our shipping container fit-out needs for the centerpiece of Piazza Pod Park, a project novel to Philadelphia,” said Hayley Schneider, an associate at Post Brothers. “We were in constant communication for months as the shipping containers were being outfitted as kitchens, bars, and other shops in Britten’s facilities. Their flexibility and cooperation in modifying the project to suit our evolving scope of work was much appreciated and made working with them a pleasure.”

“I am in awe of the unique ways in which the vendors chose to make these spaces their own,” added Wayne Stiles, director of industrial design and engineering at Britten. “During the design process, you are always wondering how they will be used — and then, ‘surprise!’ They totally take it in a direction that makes you say, why didn’t I think of that? What a fun project!”

Interested in creating a unique development or reinvigorating a bare space? Contact BoxPop today for pricing and free ideation at marketing@britteninc.com or call toll-free at (888) 863-8201.