Spaces in shipping containers

I've been thinking of creating a home in a shipping container for a while. Over time, other related ideas came to mind as well. This is my dump spot for all of those.

[unconsumption]

Yes, we’ve ranted about shipping container architecture going too far, this fresh example in Asheville, North Carolina comes off smart and attractive. Completed by local firm Form & Function Architecture, the 6,000-square-foot new restaurant was entirely built from 19 reclaimed shipping containers and revitalizes a former dumping ground situated between a bridge and railway.

More: 19 Shipping Containers Form an Airy, Artsy New Restaurant - Eating Pretty - Curbed National

— rw

[interiordesignmagazine]

Rapt Studio Designs SoCal Office Complex Named Make

[unconsumption]

As shipping containers continue their mission to have everything made out of them, it only stands to reason that entire shipping container cities would be next.

This “art city” in Poland doesn’t exactly qualify as a real city, but it’s still pretty neat. Called kontenerART, it’s designed by a different architect every year—this year (its seventh) it’s Adam Wiercinski Architektthis.

Via Here’s a Whole Little ‘City’ Made of Shipping Containers - Flipped - Curbed National

— rw

[unconsumption]

Travis Price … is a fervent, sometimes hyperbolic-sounding evangelist for container architecture. He calls shipping containers “the best thing since the brick,” because the steel boxes offer a cheaper, faster, more sustainable way to build

Interesting piece about Price and his work here: Is shipping-container building ‘the best thing since the brick?’ - The Washington Post

— rw

[smallandtinyhomeideas]

De Markies (The Awning) | Eduard Bohtlingk

On the road, it measures 2.00 m x 4.50 m, and once it has arrived at its destination its floorspace can be increased threefold in a matter of seconds.

via Architizer | submission by James Patrus

[contained]

Cross-ventilation, green roof, and other features built into this shipping container house

In Costa Rica, architect Maria José Trejos integrated eight shipping containers into the design of a house that’s roughly 400 square meters in size.

Per designboom: “By reusing transport objects, costs were minimized and the completion time was shortened by 20%. the impact on the environment and generation of CO2 were also reduced … .”

Bamboo screens acting as sun shades; an angled, reflective roof; and cross-ventilation throughout the house help to lower electricity use. Windows bringing in natural light further reduce energy use, so use of lamps can be minimized during the day.

The building, which also features rainwater harvesting, serves as a work space for the owner, a professional photographer.

[Photos of “Casa Incubo” by Sergio Pucci. Spotted on designboom here.]

Earlier posts on cargotecture can be found in the Contained Tumblr archive here.

[containerspace]

A house built around two shipping containers

Source: WebUrbanist

[oldtothenew]

[containerspace]

oldtothenew:

[oldtothenew]

[containerspace]

Muvbox creates portable restaurants etc. from shipping containers. Awesome!

[containerspace]

A small home called "Coodoo". Could almost be a container.

A coodo has an open kitchen, a bright dining area, a sofa with a fantastic view, a high quality bathroom and a comfortable bedroom.

The lavish glazing and the unmistakable profile combined with a tasteful interior and a pleasant lighting and heating/cooling system create a unique realm for relaxation.

More info

[containerspace]

The Pros and Cons of Cargo Container Architecture

On Arch Daily, Brian Pagnotta mentioned a few often overlooked potential cons of container housing. Jetson Green summarizes his article as such:

Con #1: Toxic Paint Coatings “The coatings used to make the containers durable for ocean transport also happen to contain a number of harmful chemicals, such as chromate, phosphorous, and lead-based paints.”

Con #2: Toxic Wood Floors “Wood floors that line the majority of shipping container buildings are infused with hazardous chemical pesticides like arsenic and chromium to keep pests away.”

Con #3: Upcycle Energy “The entire structure needs to be sandblasted bare, floors need to be replaced, and openings need to be cut with a torch or fireman’s saw.”

Con #4: Ecological Footprint “The fossil fuels required to move the container into place with heavy machinery contribute significantly to its ecological footprint.”

Con #5: Awkward Spaces “Taking into account added insulation, you have a long narrow box with less than eight foot ceiling. To make an adequate sized space, multiple boxes need to be combined.”

Con #6: Opportunity Cost “In many areas, it is cheaper and less energy to build a similarly scaled structure using wood framing.”

Steve from Tin Can Cabin also has a few thoughts on pros and cons of container homes.

What do you think?

Photo by Håkan Dahlström - http://www.flickr.com/photos/dahlstroms/

[containerspace]

Turns out, there's even a patent on converting shipping containers into homes: Method for converting one or more steel shipping containers into a habitable building at a building site and the product thereof (US 4854094 A) by Phillip C. Clark

[laughingsquid]

The Container Guide, A Field Guide to Shipping Containers

The Container Guide is a handy field guide to shipping containers—perfect for the aspiring container spotter. The guide, which will be printed on rugged waterproof material, will help container spotters identify containers and the corporations that own them through photos, logos, and container color keys. The Container Guide is being created by Tim Hwang and Craig Cannon, who are pre-selling the book on Kickstarter.

[contained]

A “field guide” for “container spotters.” So, container-spotting is now a thing?!

[luxuryon]

[containerspace]

Some brilliant ideas for 20ft containers by Michael Janzen from Tiny House Living

This is just a little design exploration for how one might finish out a shipping container as a home.  Some of the issues I’m noodling-through are:

Should a side door be cut into the container and how does that make the floor plan more flexible?

Should the bathroom be placed at one end or in the middle?

Should custom built-in beds be fabricated or can standard beds and bunk beds be used just as efficiently?

How many beds can be placed inside a 20-foot shipping container and still have space for a micro kitchen and bathroom?

Not sure where this design exploration is going yet, but I’m having fun thinking about what can fit inside the box.

[unconsumption]

This isn’t your great-grandmother’s one-room red schoolhouse …

The Vissershok School — located near Cape Town, South Africa, in a rural area where most students are “children of farm workers and underprivileged communities” — is built from a used shipping container.

Tsai Design Studio, mentioned previously here, designed the project.

For more container reuse, check out the Unconsumption archive here.