At times it feels like approximately 70 percent of Manhattan is covered in scaffolding, so why not try to make it look nicer? That, at least, appears to be the thinking of a company called Urban Umbrella.
Back in 2010 the firm won a design competition to create attractive scaffolding and now it is bringing the product to the first construction projects, starting with the office building 20 West 22nd Street and a condominium at 19 Murray Street.
Urban Umbrella has raised $2 million from investors, the New York Post reported, and already has scaffolding in place in Canada. Its structures resemble open umbrellas and are made from recycled steel and plastic. [NYP] — Konrad Putzier