Written by Anne-Marie Siudzinski
Think shipping containers are strictly for moving cargo? Think again.
Shipping containers are being used in a variety of unexpected ways—emergency shelters, pools, medical clinics, office and retail buildings, hotels, and pop-up restaurants. It doesn’t stop there, either. Now all kinds of housing are being constructed from shipping containers because they offer ready-made steel modules that can be quickly modified into energy efficient residences. An early example of shipping container housing appeared in Armenia after an earthquake in 1998.
Angel Schatz/flickr/2011
In Redondo Beach, CA, eight containers were used to build a two-story house, completed in 2007. This two story house was built in an eco-friendly, contemporary style, using a combination of stick-frame construction and shipping containers. The house was built with LED lights, Energy Star appliances and insulating paint developed by NASA. When the house was constructed, building costs were $250 per square foot. The Redondo Beach house building costs were about $135 per square foot.
In 2017, a 2-story apartment complex for the homeless made entirely out of shipping containers opened in Orange County, CA. Each 480 square foot apartment consists of three shipping containers, with a kitchen, bathroom and combined bedroom/eating area. Two walls are floor to ceiling windows, bringing in natural light. The innovative project was completed in less than five months.
A variety of builders and architects have begun to specialize in shipping container houses, such as SG Blocks, Backcountry Containers, Cargotecture, Three Squared, and Sundog Structures. The costs of a used shipping container range from $50,000-$75,000 for 320-400 square feet. Units that are 160 square feet run to $20,000 to $35,000.
Have you seen shipping container housing in your community?
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