Approximately 30 million steel shipping containers are in existence, filled and floating, or standing about empty in a port. Eight feet wide by 8.5 feet high, and either 20 or 40 feet long, the steel shipping container has been the globally standardized transportation module since 1956. Costs of shipping empty containers back to their origin are high, so oft times the containers sit unused in ports. If one lives near a port with abundant containers, then the energy required to transport the steel container to a local building site will be lower than an inland location, far from the port. But buyer beware, as that used container might have been sprayed with insecticides or fungicides inside, and coated with lead or heavy metal paints on the outside.
Poteet Architects’s client lives in a small warehouse on a former industrial site just outside of San Antonio, Texas. The newly installed shipping container guesthouse is fitted with a bathroom and one side is used as a garden shed. poteetarchitects.com
Container house with green roof by Poteet Architects. poteetarchitects.com
Three shipping containers with a common area between (see below). Note the green roof. Architects: Arcgency. Manufacter: worldFLEXhome. Area: 180.0 sqm. Year: 2012. arcgency.com
Shipping container home, as above. Lots more great photos here (modern, open interior!): arcgency.com
Rustic Minnesota Container Home
Two twenty foot shipping containers were purchases at $800 each to create a cabin complete with kitchen, dining room, living room with a wood burning stove, laundry room and two queen beds. The two cabins are connected by a middle section loft and roof made out of “(3) 4 1/2″ X 11 1/4″ fir beams made up of (3) 2X12’s thru bolted and glued” and a glass door entrance. The cabin is partially powered by solar power arrays and connected to a rainwater cistern making this building an ecologically sustainable vacation home. Hive Modular, hivemodular.com.
Shipping Container Home in Ottawa, Canada.
By Idekit Homes: em2espacemobile.com
Sauna with built-in wood storage by WRB, Sweden. www.wrb.se
The Cross Box, France, comprised of 4 x 40′ shipping containers, accommodation totals 1280 sq ft. cgarchitectes.fr
Containers of Hope, Costa Rica. The roof between the two salvaged containers, is made from the scrap pieces of metal cut out to make the windows. The central roof creates a feeling of openness and provides cross ventilation which is surprisingly sufficient enough to never have to turn the air conditioning on. By Benjamin Garcia Saxe. Lots more images: benjamingarciasaxe.com
28 donated shipping containers were used to create New Jerusalem Orphanage, a Vibrant Shipping Container Home for South African children. Designed by 4D and A Architects. facebook.com
Mobile Dwelling Unit incorporates pop-out elements that extend from the 40-foot long, 8-foot wide core of the home, accordion-style. If and when the home is in transit, the elements — kitchen, bathroom, reading nook, bed, desk, sofa and storage space — fold back into their slots. See picture below. www.lot-ek.com
The Manifesto House. Constructed from 85 percent recycled, reused and nonpolluting materials for $118,000, in fewer than 90 days. Two 40-foot shipping containers and two 20-foot shipping containers sided with wooden pallets.
The Manifesto House was designed by architects James & Mau in Curacavi, Chile.
The NRW-Forum Düsseldorf invited renowned architects, designers, and artists from around the world to submit existing and new designs for container architecture. www.nrw-forum.de
Container City, Trinity Buoy Wharf, London. www.containercity.com
Container City, London. Short-life sites can have Container Cities that simply unbolt and can be relocated or stored when land is required for alternative uses. To date this alternative method of construction has successfully created youth centres, classrooms, office space, artists studios, live / work space and retail space. www.containercity.com
Container City, London. www.containercity.com
Sugoroku Office in Gifu, Japan. Daiken-Met Architects. www.archisearch.gr
Keetwonen is the largest container city in the world (1000 units) and is the second most popular student dormitory offered by the student housing corporation “De Key” in Amsterdam. each unit is soundproof and has its own bathroom, kitchen and balcony. See more container projects at: tempohousing.com
Renault’s movable welcoming pavilion in France, provides visitors with information about the automotive manufacturer’s history. The structure is made of 15 colorful shipping containers of two different lengths, 12-meter long and 6-meter long units. www.aucoeurdelileseguin.fr
Container Building. Tony’s Farm is an organic farm packing station, visitor center, hotel and office building in one. www.playze.com
Tony’s Organic Farm is in Shanghai. www.playze.com
Repurposed shipping container drive-thru for StarBucks in Tukwila, Washington. Although drive-thrus are not green, Anthony P., global store design senior manager for Starbucks says the ‘reclamation drive-thru was inspired by a desire to help keep items used throughout our supply chain, like old shipping containers, out of the waste stream.’ Lots more great pics: www.businessinsider.com
XbO, habitat for young people on the move by 70ºN Arkitektur, Norway. www.70n.no
The NRW-Forum Düsseldorf invited renowned architects, designers, and artists from around the world to submit existing and new designs for container architecture. www.nrw-forum.de
Buy One:
Ecopods, Canada: ecopods.ca
Meka World Toronto, Canada. Commissions brand new containers fitted to your desires and then shipped to your doorstep. Some of their container homes are made in China. www.mekaworld.com
Projects:
Travelodge, the budget hotel chain, imported shipping containers from China – complete with bathrooms, plastering and air conditioning units – then stacked them into a 300-room hotel near Heathrow in just three weeks. Uxbridge, England. By Verbus Systems: www.verbussystems.com
The new Marco Polo can carry 16,000 shipping containers. It does not look like containers are going away anytime soon.
