Utopia on the Grand River

The Utopia on the Grand River is an area where small local businesses can prosper

The site is located on Monroe Ave NW, Grand rapids. I chose this site because it is on the grand river and has a trail that goes right through it. The space is currently uninhabited so there wouldn't be any demolishing.

The prompt of this competition was to reuse a shipping container to design a structure that meets a local need of the community. During the pandemic lots of small businesses owners and entrepreneurs lost their wealth and business. But now with the Utopia on the Grand river there can be a safe place for small business owners to go and grow their business.

Grand Rapids is not only a place for big businesses and big money but also for small businesses and communities. The design is very friendly and encourages small businesses to interact and create a community within Grand Rapids.

The design is made entirely from shipping containers. Recycling these old and abandoned shipping containers reduces the amount of pollution and creates a green environment. Every aspect of the building reuses some shipping container to create the best and inviting environment.

The main attraction for this building is the glass walls. The entire area is surrounded by the giant glass walls to let all of the natural light into the space. The windows also create a very good view of the water that the patrons can use.

The glass windows invite a lot of natural light and it creates a clean and natural environment inside the building. The Building is lined with new businesses from owners and entrepreneurs. The building was designed to create a community within all of the small and local businesses so that they could connect and build each other up.

There is no telling how far this could go, from setting an example for other places to reuse shipping containers to creating special places just for small businesses. This building can also inspire the next generation to keep in mind the importance of community within competition.