Department of Buildings Advances Vision for Improved City Streetscape with New Sidewalk Shed Design

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 12, 2026
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DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS ADVANCES VISION FOR IMPROVED CITY STREETSCAPE WITH NEW SIDEWALK SHED DESIGNS

Two New Better Looking Sidewalk Sheds Installed in Lower Manhattan For Temporary Exhibit

New York, NY - Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning Leila Bozorg and Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani today gave New Yorkers a first ever in-person look at two of the six new sidewalk shed designs coming to New York City streets. The Sidewalk Sheds were installed by contractors in front of the Department of Buildings headquarters building in Lower Manhattan, and will remain in place for public viewing over the next 30 days. The schematics for these two new sheds, and four other innovative designs, are being codified through the Department of Building's agency rulemaking process, which will support the adoption of these improved pedestrian protection designs at construction work sites and buildings with hazardous facades across the city. The introduction of these sheds are a major improvement for the pedestrian experience by providing the public with additional space, visibility, and light underneath while still protecting public safety. The Department will continue outreach efforts about these designs throughout the year, providing the public additional opportunities to learn more about all six sidewalk shed prototypes.

"New Yorkers are tired of sidewalk sheds that darken our streets and take up precious public space. While many of these sheds remain necessary to protect pedestrians during building maintenance, that doesn't mean we should accept the status quo. We're working to reduce the number of sheds across the city and to make the ones that remain safer and brighter. These redesigned sheds will bring more light, more air, and more room to move - helping us reclaim our sidewalks for the people who use them every day," said Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani.

"These new shed designs will help New Yorkers see the sky and enjoy our city, while still protecting people safe from danger overhead. I'm thrilled to see the very first Flex Shed and Rigid Shed models in New York City, and I'm grateful for the work of the DOB, Arup, and PAU teams to design every new shed option and make them available to buildings across the city," said Leila Bozorg, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning.

"In the warmer months of the year, our city sidewalks become an important conduit for civic life, giving us a venue where we can meet and interact with our fellow New Yorkers," said Commissioner Tigani. "While sidewalk sheds in front of hazardous building facades and construction sites serve an important public safety purpose, but that doesn't mean we have to accept the current pipe-and-plywood eyesores that have shrouded our neighborhoods and eaten into those critical public spaces. Under Mayor Mamdani and Deputy Mayor Bozorg's leadership, we are quickly developing agency rules that will soon introduce our six innovative new shed designs that will help return that valuable sidewalk space back to the public."

In February 2024, the city hired two of the city's leading architecture and design firms - Arup and Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) - to help reimagine how to protect the public from hazards associated with buildings and construction sites. The two teams led by these firms were each tasked with delivering three new pedestrian protection designs that improved the look of city sidewalks, prioritizing the pedestrian experience and protecting the public against overhead hazards. Renderings for the designs were officially released to the public in November 2025, however today is the first time that New Yorkers will be able to see the sheds up close on a public sidewalk, and compare them to the common pipe and plywood hunter green sheds commonly seen around the city.

For their three designs - the Flex Shed, Rigid Shed, and Air Shed - Arup led a team that includes KNE studio, Core Scaffolding, and Reddymade. PAU's three designs - the Baseline Shed, Wide Baseline Shed, and Speed Shed - were developed with a team that includes LERA Consulting Structural Engineers, Tang Studio Architect, LLC, Fisher Marantz Stone, RWDI, Dharam Consulting, and Langan.

The two sidewalk sheds installed in Lower Manhattan today are the Flex Shed and the Rigid Shed both designed by the Arup team. The Flex Shed is a light-duty model intended for buildings undergoing maintenance work and emergency repairs. With easily adjusted roof heights and column placement, the design can be modified to work around unique building elements, as well as sidewalk obstructions like street signs and bus stop shelters. Options for a transparent deck also allow abundant natural light onto the sidewalk. The Rigid Shed is a heavy-duty model intended for major projects, like renovations and new construction. Engineered for strength, the design features no cross-bracing but still allows longer spans between vertical supports to create a feeling of openness for pedestrians. For information and renderings for all six shed designs are available on the Department of Buildings website.

Under the leadership of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, DOB is developing rules to make all six designs available for use citywide. The design specifications will be included in the rules, making them open source and publicly accessible for everyone. The rules are expected to be finalized later this year.

"New York City is one step closer to brighter, more open sidewalks," said Seth Wolfe, a Principal at Arup. "The first public installation of our designs at the New York City Department of Buildings is a tangible look at how these highly flexible sheds will improve the pedestrian experience and support safer, more accessible movement throughout the city."

"PAU's designs reflect a radical rethinking of the form and materiality of sidewalk sheds, demonstrating that it is possible to have bright, inviting, and safe sidewalks and storefronts, while still providing the necessary protections that sheds offer pedestrians," said Vishaan Chakrabarti, founder of PAU. "PAU was established to design for the public, and I can't imagine a more impactful intervention than making Gotham's sidewalks - the most defining aspect of our city's public realm - safer, more egalitarian, and more beautiful. We look forward to bringing our designs off the page and into a full-scale public mock-up later this year."