THE LUMBERYARD

St Johns Island, United States Virgin Islands

The unbuilt proposal studies the salvage and repurposing of prefabricated shipping container modules to be used in a mixed use project in the Island of Saint John in the United States Virgin Island. The need for the project arose 2018, after a series of hurricanes hit the Caribbean and devastated existing localities. Given the shortage of trained labor existing in the islands, the usage of prefabricated modules surfaced as an economical and practical solution to ensure the final delivered project is of the highest quality in the shortest amount of time.  The Lumberyard is an exciting mixed use complex, located one block away from the bay in an attempt to revitalize the whole touristic industry. Part of the programmatic elements included in the development are a strong retail cluster, potentiated by food service components such as a restaurant, a bar and a grocery store. In addition to this, short term stay units will serve the touristic community, shared space office units to boost the local work force, and entertainment units that will house a boutique gym, a glassblowing studio and a hydroponic garden center. Finally the mechanical vertical circulation will be doubled as a wall climbing wall to be used in conjunction with the boutique gym.