Turning into Research Triangle Park, sleek concrete and glass office buildings sprawl along tree-lined roads, until something catches your eye.

Ahead on a slight rise is a squat collection of vibrantly hued metal boxes. The new Boxyard RTP development stands out — and not just for its unusual appearance.

Instead of conventional building materials, the development was constructed from 38 repurposed shipping containers. Located at Highway 54 near T.W. Alexander Drive, Boxyard RTP is also the first restaurant and retail space inside the Park.

“We wanted to create a center of activity for RTP companies and our neighbors in the surrounding area to come together and enjoy local flavors, sounds and artwork,” said Morgan Weston, director of marketing and communications at the Research Triangle Foundation, which manages the Park.

The $7-million Boxyard RTP project was conceived as a way to bring more visitors into the Park and to make the workday brighter for the office workers who were already there. It is key to the foundation’s efforts to revitalize the aging office park and compete with more urban, walkable work environments.

“The idea of this whole redevelopment, the grand redevelopment of RTP, is to flip the script on the way people view the Park,” said Amanda Ronan, director of programs at the foundation. “It maybe didn’t have the greatest connotation for some people. It seemed a little closed off. So with guidance from our leadership, we really wanted to change that.”

Amenities for workers

Boxyard’s soft opening in June coincided with many employers inviting their workers back to the office. And several businesses are using Boxyard as an incentive to come in.

“One of our tenants, G1 Therapeutics, is offering perks for employees,” Ronan said. “If they come into the office, they’ll get a voucher to go get a cupcake at Buzzy Bakes. (G1) will have a tab open at Beyu Caffe, so their employees can go over and grab a coffee.”

In addition to Buzzy Bakes and Beyu Caffe, other Boxyard tenants now open are Lawrence Barbecue, Medicine Mama Farmacy, Wonderpuff and Trellis Beauty. The development will eventually host 13 permanent businesses, including Fullsteam brewery, Bulkogi Korean cuisine, and Carrburritos.

And because the foundation also aims to support retail and dining entrepreneurship, Boxyard RTP will also host a revolving set of pop-up vendors. The businesses will spend three months in the single-container space, and each will be awarded a $5,000 grant from RTF and NC Idea. The first tenant, clothing retailer Thirteen West, opened in August.

But why shipping containers?

“The idea of this campus really is repurposing something old into something new, and this kind of went along with that,” Ronan said, explaining that Boxyard RTP is located on 12 acres near buildings once occupied by IBM.

The RTF team flew to Tulsa, Okla., where developer Casey Stowe had transformed shipping containers into an urban retail district.

“We were wowed by the concept,” Weston said. “There is nothing else like it in the Triangle area, and (we) liked the idea of utilizing containers so that small businesses could make a big impression in 320-square-foot spaces – thus our slogan, ‘Think Inside the Box.’”

While the original Boxyard concept in Oklahoma is gritty and industrial, the North Carolina version stands out in the pastoral Park environment.

“We definitely saw that and kind of liked the juxtaposition,” Ronan said. “When designing this space we really leaned into the fact that we are in the Research Triangle Park. We are surrounded by nature.”

Boxyard’s central open-air meeting space was designed with nature in mind and with the idea that it would be a place where office workers would be able to bring their laptops and work outside if the weather permits. The common area also serves as a dining area for Boxyard restaurants and as a spot to take in a musical performance or other program.

One of the more successful recurring programs has been the Thursday lunch concerts, with local singer-songwriters.

“The whole branding and idea behind that event is for people to take their lunch hour and not work at their desk, not sit in isolation,” Ronan said.

Central place to meet

Along with the programming and events, the uniqueness of the location’s design was seen as an attraction, something that would entice people who don’t work in the park to come take a look. It’s also a convenient place to meet between Durham and Cary, Weston says.

“Its central location among our outstanding research universities makes it the ideal spot to connect with colleagues and friends who might live in another corner of the Triangle,” she said.

For now, Boxyard RTP is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, but once all the vendors are open, Ronan says they will be open seven days a week. She expects that it will be a good spot to hang out on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, where you won’t have to worry about finding a parking spot.

“You can meet your friend from Cary or someone who’s coming from Chapel Hill, right in the middle, and get a bite to eat, get a drink, bring your dog or your kids,” Ronan said.

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