Scaffolding across the five boroughs is by and large the “BSA sheds,” or the green, tunnel-like designs shielding passersby until construction is finished or crumbling facades are fixed. When the updates aren’t made, the structures linger: The average lifespan of the roughly 8,300 sheds across the city is 544 days. Those that have been up three years or longer tend to be on city buildings.

One program putting scaffolding up in the first place is the Facade Inspection & Safety Program, or FISP. The policy has buildings six floors or taller go through a facade examination every five years. Depending on the results, building owners might have to install a shed. Since implemented 45 years ago as Local Law 10, some FISP rules haven’t changed much, said Gary Mancini, managing principal at Thornton Tomasetti. DOB selected his firm in 2024 through an RFP to study possible updates to the program. The recommendations, which the city announced in November, could lead to fewer sheds being constructed.

The most substantial change would have buildings assessed every six years instead of every five. When the standard was set, each study was by sight, Mancini said. “There were people with binoculars looking at these things and doing 100 of them a day.” More thorough examinations today, however, means check-ins can go longer without compromising safety. Today’s FISP also says that buildings labeled “safe with a repair and maintenance program” automatically get downgraded as “unsafe”—and need scaffolding—if changes aren’t made by the next inspection. Mancini and his team suggested that another inspection determine whether conditions got worse and require the sheds.

The report also advised the DOB to run a pilot study on how drones could fit into facade inspections. During 30% of the building professionals interviewed said they use the technology as part of their examination process, said Ehrlich, who worked with Thornton Tomasetti on the report. The DOB intends to implement the report suggestions, said David Maggiotto, deputy press secretary for the department, and is drafting rule changes.

A light duty shed that it is quick to deploy and quick to move. Good for short-term projects and emergency repairs. The design features an angled roof with netting, allowing natural light on to the sidewalk.
Image courtesy PAU

Other new DOB policies will push to have existing sheds taken down faster. Starting in January, the DOB will implement two new fines. One monthly fee will be applied to sheds up for longer than 180 days. The second will be “milestone penalties for owners of FISP buildings who miss specifically enumerated repair deadlines,” according to the department. The agency will also dedicate more staff to inspecting sites where sheds have been up three years or longer.

DOB also hopes to make whatever scaffolding that goes into place much more palatable to residents. Though the RFP sought a single firm to develop six new scaffolding designs, two teams—one led by Arup and another led by PAU—each received a $1.75 million contract for three models each. “We determined that both Arup and PAU were deserving so we split the contract into two,” said Maggiotto.

DOB design requirements, like withstanding specific live and lateral loads, came with additional requests. The department didn’t want horizontal bars lower than eight feet above the sidewalk, for example, something all six designs managed. “The current sheds have a lot of columns and a lot of crossbracing. It forces you into this corral—you can’t escape it.” said Mark Faulkner, an associate principal at PAU. His team’s designs include a lighter, quicker-build model—one that could go up in a day, Faulkner said—a heavier-duty design for larger projects, and a version that splits the difference.

The DOB also wanted sheds that were easily mass-produced. As a result, the Arup-led team designed their options to be modular structural steel with standard connections and bolting, said Seth Wolfe, a principal at Arup. Two designs have parallel rows of columns and can be put up for construction or maintenance work, while the third, lightest model doesn’t touch the ground and bolts into the building.

Both firms are assembling prototypes of their scaffolding and putting together cost estimates. The designs will be more expensive per foot compared to the plywood approach today, but are made with reusable components. With NYCHA and public schools being some of the largest shed consumers, both firms know designs won’t become widespread unless the city can afford them. “We really try to achieve a high level of design for the Toyota Camry budget,” said Kevin Erickson, founding principal of KNE studio, which teamed up with Arup on the project.

The six designs could be on buildings as early as 2026. What happens with the green B.S.A. sheds—if they are phased out or left as a legal option—is up to the incoming Mamdani administration.

If and when the airy, unobtrusive designs are installed, old plywood models lingering years later would be extra obvious, said Wendy Ju, an associate professor of information science and design tech at Cornell Tech whose study of city dashcam data estimated that about 10% of sheds are unpermitted. But the newer aesthetics might also make scaffolding more palatable, Ju said. “Some of those designs look like they’re meant to look nice for longer periods of time.”