(Check out our complete collection of 70 Works of Recycled Art and Design.)
With the green theme growing in popularity across every stretch of the world, more and more people are turning to cargo container homes for green alternatives for office, and even new home, construction. There are countless numbers of empty, unused shipping containers around the world just sitting on the shipping docks and taking up space. The reason for this is that it’s too expensive for a country to ship empty containers back to the their origin in most cases, it’s just cheaper to buy new containers from Asia. The result is an extremely high surplus of empty shipping containers that are just waiting to become someone’s home or office. Design, buy or build your shipping container home today!
There are plenty of benefits of to the so-called shipping container architecture model. A few of these advantages include: they are plentiful, they are easily transported, they’re stackable, relatively inexpensive (as little as $900 for a used container), they can be prefabricated, and they’re extremely durable. Residential applications are also becoming a popular topic of conversation among green supporters. The first official 2-story shipping container home in the US was designed by Southern California architect Peter DeMaria in 2006. The only big obstacle that he encountered during construction of his shipping container pad was making sure that the house passed all of the strict guidelines of the Uniform Building Code (UBC).
In other parts of the world, places like Odessa, Ukraine already have the the biggest shopping mall in all of Europe which uses stacked shipping containers to form alleys throughout the 170 acre site. In Asia, the Dordoy Bazaar in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan is almost entirely composed of empty shipping containers stacked two high and chock-full of inexpensive trinkets and toys. So, in other words, shipping container architecture is nothing new, but it is new when it comes to residential and office applications.
This great example of shipping container architecture was created by architects Pieter Peelings and Silvia Mertens of Sculp(IT). They live and work in these shipping containers which are stacked four high. The entire space is 2.4 meters wide by 5.5 meters deep by 12 meters high. The bottom floor is used for work, dining room is located on the second floor, relaxation room on the third, and spectacular rooftop views from the fourth – including a relaxing spa.
This award-winning office design by Clive Wilkinson is made out of stacked shipping containers is the home office of Palotta TeamWorks, a US charity event company. The 47,000 square foot warehouse is filled with shipping containers that have been transformed into modern office spaces. This design layout saved the company a ton of money on construction costs, and it allowed the entire space to be more open and airy.
The world’s first hotel built from recycled shipping containers has popped-up in Uxbridge, West London. Each prefabricated container comes fully-equipped with fixtures, furniture, and windows from a factory in China. The company, called Travelodge, says that constructing a hotel this way is 25% faster and 10% cheaper than the more traditional construction methods. Also, construction is much quicker, because all that has to be done is to fit each container together like it was a giant Lego set. Rooms at this London hotel start at about ï¿¡19 per night. The London area may see more these ‘portable hotels’ pop-up around the city as the 2012 Olympics approaches.
Opened in 1998, the Simon’s Town High School Hostel is constructed almost entirely of used shipping containers. This amazing place is constructed out of 40 large shipping containers to be exact, and it’s big enough to accommodate up to 120 boarders. The hostel manager gets his own 2 bedroom flat, while the other staff share 2 separate flatlets. Area residents were concerned that the project would prove to be an eyesore to the community since it was made from grungy old shipping containers, but the final result proved otherwise with a modern-looking structure that is incredibly durable and aesthetically pleasing at the same time.
This shipping container home from the so-called Zigloo Domestique project in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada is a residential home created by Keith Dewey. The home is built out of old shipping containers, and the owner chose to paint them with an industrial strength minty-green enamel, commonly found on shipping containers today, in order to maintain the container’s roots in the shipping business. While the exterior of the home may look a little rugged, due to the protruding containers, the 2,000 square foot interior of the house is quite comfortable and modern. The project cost about $150 per square foot, compared to a similar quality traditional construction project that can cost about $250 per square foot.
This stunning home is almost like a piece of art that you can live in. Constructed using 12 recycled shipping containers, the 12 container home home has all of the modern conveniences of a traditionally built home but with a unique element of style as well. A modern kitchen, huge wide-open floor plan, and gigantic windows that bring in tons of natural lighting are just a few of the great features of this home – plus, construction costs were relatively inexpensive when compared to traditional construction.
This 2,000 square foot home, built in 2001, is actually built around a smaller cottage-style house that has stood in that location for decades. The cottage house almost looks like a gigantic version of a dollhouse inside of the huge storage shed that forms the exterior of this innovative house. The 3 bedroom 2.5 bath home is also made from 5 large shipping containers – 3 on the bottom, and 2 stacked on top of those. This place also contains all of the modern features of a ‘normal’ home, but it’s supposedly built to last much longer. The creator of this innovative home is Adam Kalkin, and he’s actually selling these homes for as little as $76,000, or less than $100 per square foot – not a bad deal considering traditional construction of a new home averages about double that amount.
This 3,000 square foot L.A. home features multiple storage containers in its design – each with its own purpose. There’s a storage container for the entertainment area, library, dining room/office space, master bedroom, and bathroom/laundry room. This place has plenty of large windows which provide plenty of natural lighting as well as awesome views of the garden and koi pond outside. Aside from using recycled storage containers, this home also uses recycled steel scraps in its construction which further adds to the green vibe that this home resonates – not to mention saved a ton of money on construction costs.
Next: More Awesome Shipping Container Homes
And: Design or Buy Shipping Container Homes
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112 Comments
May 26th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
innovative is right, however it seems to hinder any sort of ambition to have more than just a small box…although, I like it a lot.
May 26th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
I all all of these projects.
May 27th, 2008 at 2:09 am
You forgot one! The Freitag Shop in Zurich, Switzerland. This is the main shop of Freitag (which create amazing bags with used truck tarps, used seatbelts, and so on). The bulding is excusively made of these containers.
Take a look: http://www.flickr.com/photos/f.....149758105/
May 27th, 2008 at 5:32 am
Very cool idea and they look great…. however I wonder how hard they would be to insulate for areas that get cold. A lot of these homes look like they are in warmer areas… and I bet the cost would go up if you had to do too much work into them to make them better able to stand extreme temperatures.
May 27th, 2008 at 7:06 am
I have been watching this trend for a while and have not seen such beautiful designs. Luckily I don’t live where it gets too cold. I would love to try to build out one of these things.
May 27th, 2008 at 8:39 am
Another project worth mentioning is the Citizen M hotel, container like objects are placed onto each other forming a hotel in the end. A couple of images of the concept can be found here: http://www.citizenm.com/amster.....ations.php .
May 27th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Here’s a container cabin - http://www.softstainless.com
This container has the nicest feeling inside with the sky lights and the wonderful wood flooring. I dream of building a whole house someday soon. I think they make a beautiful dwelling. It’s been nice to see this website and actual buildings, theres a huge amount of concept drawings….
May 27th, 2008 at 9:34 am
The contermporary resort in Disney World was built using room modules built off site and trucked to Orlando were they were installed in the building. It was a U.S. Steel Amercain Bridge project
May 27th, 2008 at 9:48 am
what if they get stuck by lightning?
May 27th, 2008 at 9:53 am
I bet they are damp, and you get awful sound drumming whilst inside
May 27th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Those homes are very nice. I wish I had one. This brick and mortar house is too traditional.
May 27th, 2008 at 10:15 am
i did the same thing with port-o-potties
May 27th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Wow! This is exciting. I’m gonna get me one someday. Thanks for the info.
May 27th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
The DeMaria stuff is over the top - went to their website and it has some funky projects. He must have ten of these buildings either under construction or already complete. This is trick and I’m gonna get me one here in LA
May 27th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
in Amsterdam we have student housing made of adapted containers (2 sites), looks like something between the hotel and the dordoy bazaar in this article…most students would rather not live there
May 27th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Very cool idea, however I wonder how well such buildings would withstand an earthquake?
May 27th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
“This great example of shipping container architecture was created by architects Pieter Peelings and Silvia Mertens of Sculp(IT).”
They did not use shipping containers for this project. For a full description of this project please refer to our feature, published earlier this month, on Archinect:
http://archinect.com/features/.....3_0_23_0_M
May 27th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
In Victoria, BC, Canada my partner Keith built the Zigloo house you see in this blog. We are opening shell units, bunkhouses and other units for industry. We are always on the lookout for people to network with and share ideas and advice.
Please join us over at zerocabin.com
Cheers from Canada!
May 27th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Cool stuff. I believe the narrow Sculp(IT) building is not actually made with shipping containers, although it has a similar look:
http://archinect.com/features/.....3_0_23_0_C
May 27th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
i was wondering how hot it would be inside on a mid-day?
if you place insulation what would the final cost be? still lower than conventional construction?
May 27th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Atlanta has a house being built out of them…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4...../481501886
…and Houston has a temporary art gallery…
http://texaslawchick.livejournal.com/708613.html
Houston has few zoning rules and is a huge port city. Could be a good combination for shipping container architecture.
May 28th, 2008 at 3:10 am
While it’s an interesting project, the sculp(IT) building isn’t made from cargo containers.
May 28th, 2008 at 5:08 am
I lived in one of these many years ago when they had wheels on the bottom. They were called “trailers.” A group of several of those was called a “trailer park.” Living in one was not all that glamorous. I suppose today they prefer to call them “manufactured homes,” but the concept is the same - a long box that can be built out cheaply. I suppose the difference is that instead of spreading them out in a “park” you are now stacking them one on top of the other. Is this really an improvement? And while the concept artwork from artists, designers, and architects might look really cool, you can bet that most “real-world” homes made from shipping containers will not have the futuristic eco-modern look of these concepts. Not saying these would never be a viable option but I’m not in any hurry to be an early adopter…
May 28th, 2008 at 10:55 am
That is really cool. I like the use of shipping containers. I had thought about doing something like that before, but not on such a grand scale. I just thought a shipping container would make a good shed…
May 28th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
I live in something like this now. It is called a travel trailer. Several people around me live in them also. My monthly electric bill is close to $50/mo in summer, $75/mo in winter. Rent is $160/mo. Property taxes $0.00/mo. If I need to move for any reason, I do it my self with my pickup. New job? Be there in three days at the most. Transfer to new job location? Same thing. Grass need cutting? 20 minutes. Bank account? Full and getting fuller.
May 29th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Web authors should be confident that their documents will look as good on paper as they do on computer screens.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:42 am
You may be interested in the Ace modular building units which can be used as a standalone unit or component of a larger structure. It is compact for transportation and storage, easily assembled/dissassembled with hand tools on site, and can be configured (both interior space and exterior windows/doors) for many applications. Go to http://www.aceamericas.com
June 3rd, 2008 at 6:58 am
Look at those ambiance created by those technical hands behind those amazing structure, that too from containers, incredible. Really wonderful!
July 6th, 2008 at 8:27 am
went to the demaria house in redondo beach and it is awesome. no ifs, ands or buts, it is a real work of architecture and not a temporary trailer. project won an american institute of architecture design award - i think that is the highest design award an architect can win for a project in the US. trip to the house made me a believer and I would now consider living in a home like this. I was blown away when I visited. forget the internet pictures, go see it and you’ll be hooked.
July 7th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
The name for shipping container when used for construction is ISBU.
A website with the real information and detail on ISBU shipping container construction is at the ISBU Association. …much better information and not based on Google Ads as most of these sites are.
July 17th, 2008 at 5:49 am
Although I found all the info & pics great, what I find lacking in ALL sites is where or how to locate a builder of such dreams, or are these projects all simply eye candy for the “average joe” & never to become affordable realities ?
July 18th, 2008 at 12:14 am
hi!
i just want to know the durability of container van?
and also its advantages…
pls answer and email this to:
misterladee@gmail.com
thanks!
^~^
July 18th, 2008 at 12:16 am
hi!
i just want to know the durability of container vans..
and also its advantages..
July 25th, 2008 at 10:43 am
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July 28th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
i am trying to build a house out of contaners, my problem is the code inspecter says i have to have every container “wet stamped” by a home enginer befor i can build a house, can you help me with the code mess im in. the inspector is holding up the building of my house. i need to know what i have to do for real, not what the inspector wants me to do. please help
October 9th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Very interesting idea. Is this where our housing market is going? ;)
October 16th, 2008 at 12:46 am
It a nice site collecting all info about shopping goods.
I need this info because i want to buy some home ware goods.
Thanks
October 16th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
To reply to “don’t panic”, the main difference between traditional trailer houses and a dwelling built from these containers is construction: traditional trailers use a lot of plywood, two-by-four studs, and wooden paneling, making them extremely flammable and relatively fragile, easily damaged by strong winds if not properly secured. Thes containers are durable cor-ten steel, designed to withstand an ocean crossing on the deck of a container ship. If you manage to keep flammable materials to a minimum and tie it down properly, you’ll have a much safer dwelling. Using plenty of fiberglas insulation should mitigate the heat/cold/noise problems. Just my two-one-hundredths of a dollar, mind you.
October 30th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Envision Prefab is engaged in the process of designing, building, and selling green, affordable prefab homes built from cargo containers. The concept behind Envision Prefab is to target the affordable housing market by bringing a new level of sustainability and environmentally responsible construction to the workforce-housing marketplace.
http://www.envisionprefab.com
November 7th, 2008 at 7:51 am
i find this idea very interesting, but i have only one question… what do you do for the pluming? do you cover the pluming with another layer of wall? please answer
November 9th, 2008 at 3:25 am
@Wm (28 May): I’m living in my RV full time right now too (5th Wheel), but I plan on building a large warehouse structure on the land I buy and parking my RV inside the structure while I build my container house.
That way, when I’m building I have a place to live and can take all the time I’d like to build my home the way I want; and when it’s complete I’ll have a “guest suite” that is my RV which is completely self-sufficient as well as a great way to protect and store my RV.
The container house concept is great for customizing a home for a low price. If you have a taste for style and can make it unique, you shouldn’t have to worry about it looking like a trailer park…
November 10th, 2008 at 7:38 am
I’m impressed with the use of color. Pity the article isn’t selling lighting systems. Since it isn’t, where are the floor plans and wind load specs?
November 12th, 2008 at 4:55 am
The house are great . Have always tried to have one but Don’t really have plan of the houses…. Is there a place whare we can bury the plans for these houses…
you mayy e-mail me please..
November 26th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
We did the structural design of a house in Atlanta, you can see it here: http://www.runkleconsulting.co.....0House.htm We’re currently in early concept phase on a few other projects. One that holds particular interest to me is the idea of using these for multi-family housing. The challenges are pretty significant:
- There isn’t much body of hard knowledge on building with these, and there is no definitive design for a shipping container. The structural engineering is based on physical measurements we’ve taken of containers, and a computer model we built.
- For multi-family, there is the firewall requirement, and that will have to be developed with Underwriters Laboratory.
- You don’t know where the containers were, so the interiors have to be tested for hazardous materials.
- The permitting process can be a pain since not many of these have been built. The one we built in Atlanta required numerous meetings with the officials to get this through.
George
November 30th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
I build homes from these containers and barns, and press boxes and toilets, and storage facilities and ……
They are very sturdy and much easier to move. Much more structurally sound than “manufactored homes”. Wind loads of 150 miles an hour don’ budge my buildings. check me out at http://www.container-creations.com
December 8th, 2008 at 10:36 am
It think this is cool.
:D
December 8th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Do you guys see the ghostly figure in the fourth picture down.
Creep right. :)
January 1st, 2009 at 11:49 am
FYI, the project by sculp(IT) isn’t a container project. It’s actually steel beams spanned between the two existing buildings to create the floors. The walls are shared with their neighbors.
January 1st, 2009 at 11:58 am
I am very interest in building an eco friendy structure using cargo boxes. I would like any information regarding construction costs and obstacles in permits. Thank you in advance for any time spent on this information.
January 3rd, 2009 at 5:45 pm
There’s one that’s missing on this list. Presented at the 2007 AIA Convention, the Push-Button house was co-designed by Lucifer Lighting Company based in San Antonio, TX. You can view a video and find out more at this website:
http://www.luciferlighting.com.....pany-news/
January 9th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Janet,
Go to my website and let me know what you want and we’ll get you started.
http://www.container-creations.com
C
January 23rd, 2009 at 7:57 am
… and in London :
http://www.containercity.com/introduction.html
February 6th, 2009 at 7:10 am
Wher can I find technical drawings of a container, showing all structure and thickness of materials etc?
thanks.
N
February 9th, 2009 at 8:54 am
In answer to Kelly’s enquiry about insulation we supply containers here in the UK and can insulate them in a number of ways. The most traditional is a combination of melamine faced board behind which we layer rockwool or other insulation material. However, we have been experimenting with the thermal paint developed by NASA which gives really good results with the added benefit of not losing any space within the container.
March 20th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
i loveeee thiss songg soo muchh :]
March 23rd, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Does anyone else have any experience with this?
April 11th, 2009 at 5:49 am
Great ideas. Nothing new though, it’s been done by construction contractors on almost every construction project for decades as temporary offices/canteens/stores etc. Heating and cooling, depending on climate is easy. Just a question of budget.
April 15th, 2009 at 6:00 am
Sounds cool, but wouldn’t it be difficult and costly to build and insulate? how much would you spend on it ? Why not just get a trailer instead?
May 18th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
hi. i love these. does anyone know anyone in Australia who can remodel/fitout shipping containers for us?
May 24th, 2009 at 10:45 am
I just visited the DeMaria Design office and they are going to cover the world in containers! they have all types of buildings being designed with this technology. Their Venice Beach project is my favorite.
June 9th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
i live in a steel container, 20×8, i insulated straped and plaster boarded partitioned 5foot from back wall for a bed room it has a kitchen, no windows as i work all time and do not feel i need, it cost no more than£4000 to build including buyin the container sky tv leather couch! and its a real money saver!!
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